About the Airways Museum and Civil Aviation Historical Society

About the Airways Museum & Civil Aviation Historical Society

The Airways Museum
The Airways Museum is an aviation museum, but with one difference - there are no aircraft! Instead, the Museum houses a collection of national importance that traces the development of Australia's civil aviation airways system through innovation and technical development from it's beginnings in the 1920s to today. The story is told through artefacts and photographs, and illustrates how Australia has often played a leading role internationally in aviation development. Major areas covered in the museum include: Air Traffic Services: Tower Control Approach Control En-route Control Aeradio/Flight Service air/ground & ground/ground communications equipment radio navigation beacons & radar airport lighting & visual approach guidance flight calibration of navigation aids
Tours of the Airways Museum are available on Tuesdays 9am-3pm and at other times by appointment. Groups are welcome and a meeting room is available. Entry is by gold coin donation for individuals, $4 per head for group tours (including tea/coffee & bikkies, and a guided tour). Where Are We? The Museum is located at Essendon Airport, Melbourne, Victoria, at the rear of Building 44. Enter via Edgar Johnston Lane. Melway Map Ref 16 C7. Click here for a map Disabled Access The Museum itself is accessible by ramp. However, toilet facilities require the ability to climb stairs. The nearest ramp-accessible toilets are at the Passenger Terminal. Parking Parking around the Airways Museum is subject to various restrictions. In addition to permit parking zones, there are ticketed places in the carpark immediately to the north of the Museum (free on weekends). There are also a number of free 2h and 12h places in Wirraway Rd adjacent to the the northern carpark. Pedestrian/Public Transport Access The Museum is accessible by public transport from tram stop 57 on Matthews Avenue, Airport West route. Access via this route requires the climbing of a footbridge over the Tullamarine Freeway opposite Vaughan Rd. Click here for our Virtual Tour of the Airways Museum Special Exhibitions The CAHS stages regular Special Exhibitions at the Airways Museum using material from our extensive archives. These Exhibitions have included: 2005-6 - Civil Aviation in Pre-Independence Papua & New Guinea 2006-7 - Australia's Civil Empire Flying Boats & their Bases 2007-8 - Essendon: The First Melbourne Airport 1921-1971 (permanent) 2008-9 - Aussie Propliners of the Fifties 2009-10 - Radio Aids to Navigation 2010-11 - The Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting Service (ARFF) 2011-12 - Australian Civil Aircraft Between the Wars - Photos from the Len Dobbin collection 2012-13 - Aircraft Accident Investigation 2013-14 - The History of Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) since 1920 2014-15 - Macarthur Job: A Life in Aviation 2015-16 - The 1934 Centenary Air Race 2016-17 - Concorde and Australia 2017-18 - The Department's Fleet of Aircraft 1921-1998 2018-19 - Australia and the Empire Air Mail Scheme: 80th Anniversary 1938-2018 2019-20 - Eleven Thousand Miles to Australia: Vimy G-EAOU in the Great England-Australia Air Race
The Civil Aviation Historical Society
The Civil Aviation Historical Society exists to preserve the history of the Department of Civil Aviation, its predecessors and successors. The Society holds bi-monthly meetings with guest speakers at the Museum and visitors are welcome. Film Nights, featuring films from the CAHS archives, plus an annual Open Day are featured on the year's programme. The Society also maintains an archive of photographs, documents, publications and films. The archive is open to researchers by appointment. Full membership of the Society is open to current and former employees of the DCA, its predecessors and successors. Associate membership is open to all other people with an interest in aviation history. Society Membership CAHS membership is currently A$25 per year for Full Members and A$20 for Associate Members. Download and print a membership application form here. Airways Museum Volunteers The CAHS operates the Airways Museum on behalf of Airservices Australia. It is staffed entirely by volunteers. To read about our Museum volunteers, or about becoming one yourself, click here. Research Fellow at the CAHS & Airways Museum The honorary position of Research Fellow at the CAHS & Airways Museum has been created to recognise individuals who are conducting research into a specific topic in the history of civil aviation and who intend to use the Society’s archives as a principal reference source. You can download the full description and rules for this position here (.pdf document). Research Fellows to date are: Dr Arun Chandu, 2013- Dr Leigh Edmonds, 2015- Dr Peter Hobbins, 2016- Charitable Donations The Civil Aviation Historical Society’s Gift Fund is endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office as a deductible gift recipient. Donations of $2 or more to the CAHS Gift Fund can be accepted in cash or by cheque and are claimable as a tax deduction (cheques need to be made out to the CAHS Gift Fund). Civil Aviation Historical Society/Airways Museum contacts: Email: cahs.pres@gmail.com Postal address: Box 6, 20 English St, Essendon Airport, Victoria 3041 'Webmaster': Phil Vabre


Site Design
This site was designed by David Williams with assistance from Phil Vabre. In addition to material from the Museum and CAHS archives, contributions have been gratefully received from many people including Roger Meyer, Brian Wise, John Waldron, Geoff Goodall, John Hopton, John M. Smith, Mac Job, Roger McDonald, Dr Leigh Edmonds, Richard Hitchins, Ern Mainka, Ed Coates, Ron Cuskelly, Fred Niven, David Eyre, George Canciani, Richard and Barry Maclean, Gordon Reid, Ben Dannecker and Dietrich Eggert. Any errors on this site are the responsibility of Phil Vabre. Contributions and/or corrections from visitors are very welcome. If this page appears without a menu bar at top and left, click here