+a d 126

With the ever increasing

stresses of air travel

and growing

passenger numbers

turning airports into

vast dull visions of

industrial practicality, it’s easy to lose sight of the

romance and adventure of flight. Opened in

September 2005, the Qantas Heritage

Collection at Sydney airport brings it all back

into focus.

The array of artifacts and memorabilia is

spread over an area of 1,000 square metres,

allowing visitors to follow the story of Qantas

since its formation in 1920 through a series of

interconnected exhibition spaces. There’s also a

theatrette featuring films about the airline’s past

and planned future developments.

The exhibition was created by a group of

volunteers - 15 retired staff - who since the early

1990s has worked diligently to sort, catalogue,

list and repair a diverse range of items, many of

which have been donated by passengers and

airline staff.

On display are old timetables, tickets, menus,

advertising posters and various other archival

documents. It’s fun to see where people were

going and what they ate. There are bits and

pieces of superseded technology and historical

objects, including early navigational equipment

and engines used on Qantas aircraft in outback

Australia in the 1920’s. They even have wicker

chairs used in the open cockpit for pilot and

passengers on early flights. Economy class on a

modern 747-400 suddenly looks a whole lot

better. Especially engaging is the collection of

Qantas uniforms from past to present, tracing

the ebb and flow of fashion and style throughout

the last century.

An aviation collection

It’s a wonderful collection and a fitting

homage to an aviation legacy which thankfully

hasn’t been relegated to some far-flung back

room at the airport. Its massive windows

overlook the tarmac and runways, so between

admiring the variety of model aircraft on display,

visitors can look up and see the real thing taking

to the sky.

The Qantas Heritage Collection located on

the mezzanine level of Sydney Domestic

Terminal (T3) near Gate 13. It is open to the

public, free of charge, from Monday to Friday

between 9.30am and 4.30pm. (Closed on

Public Holidays).

with a view