We have been mentioning the PBY aircraft in Alaska, Gwen will further explain the plane. Her follow-up post of info and stories concerning the PBY can be located HERE!
Thursday 24th May 2012
“In that hour before sunrise, on the waters of the bay, you may hear the roar of motors, and the swirl of flying spray.
Loaded to the Plimsoll to carry out her role, ’tis a Catalina taking off to begin her lone patrol.”
Partial Excerpt from “A Saga of the Catalinas”, written by Wing Commander Geoffrey Gregory (deceased) No 11 Catalina Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force. Full poem (donated by his wife and daughters) on display in the museum.
One and a half hours from Echuca, on the way to Swan Hill, those following the Murray Valley Highway reach Lake Boga. I cannot account for what else we did in the morning, only that the map shows we must have travelled through towns with names such as Gunbower, Leitchville, Cohuna and Kerang. However, once we reached Lake Boga, we paused for a couple of hours to…
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Pacific Paratrooper 
Near me is Fantasy of Flight. Closed now. It showcased old planes including some in World War Two. I went into one of them and was amazed at the close quarters. It was a flying coffin. To many died in them including my wife’s uncle.
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I was lucky enough to see Wings of Freedom, I believe very similar to Fantasy and went into the B-17 flying fortress. I too found it quite cramped, but those birds brought quite a few home despite being shot up. Thanks for coming by today, Barry.
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Great background on the Catalina in Australia, Lake Boga is just a couple of hours away from me and ashamed, I have never visited even though I have driven through the area,
It must also have been pivotal to Mildura as well, as we had an Air Force training establishment here, which now runs as a museum.
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If you happen to take the trip, don’t forget the camera!!
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Downright fascinating. I enlarged the interior and had a thorough enjoy of how it contained the many compartments. I agree, go cox, it would be nice to see it in person some day.
Again, I learned that the Aussies were partners in securing Liberty and Freedom. God bless!
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Yes, Gwen did an outstanding job here! I appreciate you taking the time to read the post and sharing your heartfelt comments!
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And thank you for posting her post! I am ignorant of so much history, but it’s never too late to learn. As a matter of fact, when I was younger, I was too busy to appreciate the sacrifices, too busy at being interested in things that really didn’t matter. You are offering a great service, and treat, to so many of us. We get to give thanks to those who made this world a better place. 👍☕️🎯
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You’ve got me blushing now – it’s the men of this era that did so much. At least you haven’t lost your interest in learning something new to you!!
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I sure got a surprise this morning when I logged on to my computer and saw all the likes and new followers resulting from the re-blog of my Catalina post. Thank you GP! And thank you to all the readers. I will try to acknowledge each individually in the coming days, but I am very humbled to have such feedback.
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Your post deserves all the attention it gets, Gwendoline. Frankly I believe the only problem with it was lack of exposure, perhaps the wrong Tags for people to locate it in the Reader? That’s all I can tell is missing. You did an outstanding job here, thank you for that!
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I lived in Victoria for several years and didn’t know this place existed, come to think of it , it probably didn’t in the 1950’s at least not as a museum. Somehow I feel it’s a bit late for me to go visit and a bit far. 😦
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It seems to be a truism that tourists know your own city better than you do. eg. New Yorkers rarely go to the top of the Empire State Building, etc. Residents need to work and in their off-time, they visit different cities. Ironic, isn’t it?! Thanks for coming, Beari.
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I love the top of the Empire State Building, been there twice 😛
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I did see it once, but then again I lived on Long Island at the time.
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But haven’t been to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge
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Road Trip!!!!!
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Did you know you can climb up inside the pylon without having to do that scary walk across the bridge arch? Inside is lots of interesting exhibitions and history related to building the bridge, and a great lookout at the top. Another hidden gem.
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Yes I did the climb inside the south pylon about 50 years ago, might be more, I doubt I’d make it these days.
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Oh yes, a couple of hundred steps to negotiate. Haven’t tried it recently myself for that matter.
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I always thought I’d like to take a ride in one of these planes, especially a trip across a long patch of water.
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I wonder if any are available for rides? I used to see flying boats come off the beach down here, but even that hasn’t happened in a very long time.
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Interesting story and enjoyed reading it.
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Thank you, I’ll be sure to let Gwen know.
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Great! I liked her page but didn’t get a chance to comment!
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A very interesting account of a theatre of the war I was not familiar with. Catalinas were wonderful planes! Thanks very much.
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You’re very welcome, John. The first time I saw this post I knew I was going to eventually re-blog it and then Gwen did a follow-up post – what more could I ask for? She’s done a fantastic job!
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I have been there but is was a few years ago now. Well worth a visit.
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Good to know. Hope I can see it some day.
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