An independent project of the Western Queensland people.
The Qantas Founders Outback Museum (QFOM) is a wonderful example of a community getting together to honour the achievements of a group of remarkable men. The Founders of Q.A.N.T.A.S. not only established a company that grew to become internationally recognised as a leader in the field of world aviation, but also made an enormous contribution to the people living in the isolated communities of the Australian Outback By adapting and developing the technology of the day to great effect, they overcame the tyranny of distance and established a reliable, safe and viable operation that set the benchmark for others and provided a basis for many other initiatives such as the RFDS.
Stage I is born In 1988, this community established Qantas Foundation Memorial Ltd (QFM) and formed a trust in recognition of the enormous service Q.A.N.T.A.S. had given to the people of the Outback. These efforts culminated in June 1996, with the opening by the G.G. of Aust. of the $1.3m Stage I of the QFOM in the original Qantas hangar at Longreach. The visionary foresight of the local community has been vindicated by the steady growth over the next five years of visitor numbers and profitability ? without government funding assistance!
Fundraising QFM is directed by a voluntary board and fundraising to this point had consisted of benefit activities such as the re-enactment of the 1st service, airshow stalls and an art union which were supplemented by significant seed money from many individuals and organizations such as Boeing, British Aerospace, Westpac, Ford, Qantas (cash & kind plus the Avro replica), Longreach Shire Council LSC and the Qld Govt. Following Stage I the airshow activities were increased by mounting substantial displays at Archerfield, Caboolture, Bankstown and Avalon, all staffed by volunteers from out west and from Qantas. The Easter in the Outback initiative was seriously embraced by QFM with annual events and the staging of a large airshow at Longreach in 1998. The annual charter program was introduced in 1996 and has proved very successful.
Queensland Heritage Trails Network QHTN However it was not until the Centenary of Federation and the associated QHTN initiatives eventuated that the QFM board?s original dreams could be realized. The Queensland Govt, through the QHTN, has contributed $5.75m, the Australian Govt $1.75m and Qantas Airways Ltd in excess of $1m plus resources and in kind. In addition, LSC have made a substantial contribution and a number of private sector organizations and individuals have responded. Further fundraising is planned to allow us to add to the attraction, expand our range of education, training and development activities and ensure an ongoing program of refreshment and development.
Stage II Challenge Inspire Surprise The aim of this project was to produce; an historical perspective on the founders of this Australian icon with a centralised information resource on the early Q.A.N.T.A.S. history and operating environment; an attraction that will enrich, entertain and excite all visitors, regardless of age or culture; an innovative educational facility to challenge and inform youth and an environment that will ensure the long term viability of QFOM.
The Building: 3150 sq.m. Designed by DesignInc and constructed by Watpac. It complements the original hangar and meets both heritage and conservation requirements. As well as the main museum hall with conservation, display, storage, administration facilities and amenities, it houses discovery and education centres, theatrette, traveling and temporary exhibition areas, display galleries, kitchen and a restaurant. The Display: Interpretive Solution?s display concept covers external and internal areas with links to the original hangar. It includes static, mechanical and hi tech displays, interactive attractions, artifacts and public art.
The Hangar: A conservation program is under way for this iconic Australian building, still modern in terms of its tubular construction and design. Incorporation of an aircraft construction program and an education centre are planned
Aircraft While the project is not necessarily an aircraft museum it does use aircraft to help tell the story. Most of the significant aeroplanes in Qantas? history no longer exist so the Foundation has commissioned several models and also a full size replica of a de Havilland DH61 biplane. This is quite a large aircraft, and having fulfilled its duties fundraising at airshows, now resides in the hangar and gives old and young alike a sense of what it must have been like. We plan to grow this collection.
Boeing 747 In late 2002 Qantas gifted a retiring 747-200 to Qantas Founders. The only one in the world open to the public, it is ?as is? when it came out of service, and the guided tours are very popular.
The future The original charter of the museum was to tell the story of the foundations of Qantas up to 1936 but at a recent meeting it was decided to accede to the public?s wishes and expand the installation to tell the whole story of Qantas? history. This is a massive undertaking and will take an enormous amount of work and require big sums of money over time. However given our achievements so far and the support continues, maybe even that is possible.
Thanks QFM wishes to express their thanks to the myriad contributors and Qantas Airways Ltd and in particular the Queensland and Commonwealth Governments for helping this project grow wings and fly. Without the volunteers there would be nothing.
