In the morning, we decided to try another visit to the Army Aviation Museum which was just as well because it was fascinating and we spent a couple of hours there.
The guy at the desk was an ex test pilot who loves the Pilatus Porter which is one of my all time favourite aircraft. He told us that Army aviation started in Australia during WW1 but was closed down in 1921 to be reopened only in the 1960s. We talked about Dad's constant battle from the 1920s to the 1950s for Army aircraft to do artillery spotting.
One of the nicest aircraft on display is a Bristol Boxkite from the earliest era of flying. It has most of the characteristics of the first generation of aircraft, canvas flying surfaces on wooden ribs, forward and aft horizontal stabilisers, wire operated controls and a lovely little cane basket seat for the fool who flew it.
The displays are very good and they are obviously trying to improve the presentation. It was eventually revealed that the Museum is run by a private company which clearly gets help in terms of accommodation from the Army but the work is all done by volunteers. One of the men I talked to, who was working on getting a Wingeel ready for an engine run, flew a Beaufort in WW2 which finished 55 years ago so he must be in his seventies and still restoring old aircraft.
We had morning tea in Jandaryan, in a park which has a Bofors Light Anti-aircraft gun of the type used by dad's Regiment in WW2 which seemed kind of spooky after the conversation I had at the Museum.
We had lunch in Dalby and dinner in Jandowae which is a town off the beaten track with a CMCA friendly caravan park (33% discount off a $7.50 per night rate!).
There is an old steam locomotive in the adjoining park as you can see in my illustration of "Transport - old and new
Thursday was laundry day. The weather was perfect and we had a well earned rest.