Evening all
I forgot I had done this a year or so ago when looking at the history of the Tocumwal Aerodrome and the scrapyards around it post WW2. I maintain the website for the local Museum up there as a gesture of thanks for all the info they have provided over the last three years.
This map was for water and electrical lines, but also showed the parking bays for the aircraft to be scrapped. I did an overlay from a more recent Google Earth image of the area and added the text so as to get a proper idea of where aircraft were stored prior to being scrapped. To the right of the text word Wirraway is the well known “dam” where parts were tipped in that were not always burnt.
Not all aircraft are shown there either – plenty of Oxford, Mustangs, Vampires, Meteors, Mosquitoes, a few Kittyhawks, and even a rumoured Zero were also scrapped up there – some of those I found evidence of, others not a bit.
Nowadays almost nothing exists, having been cleaned up over the years. A few things are on farms, some things are buried, the rest lost forever.
More than welcome to share at any rate, hope it provides some info into the operations. A total of approx 755 aircraft were scrapped here post WW2. The Museum was lucky enough to recover the last aircraft there – a 23 Sqdn Meteor which is almost ready for final paint !
Cheers
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By: ericmunk - 26th May 2016 at 14:59
Incidently, the large WW2 hangar bottom right of your picture in 2006 still held the fuselage frames (remains of), engine bearers etc. of around 10 Wirraways. In very bad condition, recovered ex regional scrapyard circa 40 years ago. The same shed used to house substantial Mosquito metal remains I understand went to the AWM years before. There was also a Dakota there (now at Mulwala) and a fleet of Singaporese Hawker Hunters. And a whole lot more! Interesting hangar to say at least. It was being cleared out at the time with most stuff going to good new homes.
The farm across the road at the time held the rear fuselage of a Hudson at the time.
By: Bellarine - 26th May 2016 at 12:49
I should also point out the lower left of the overlay is the location of the smelters and the rail lines that took all the aluminium bars back to Melbourne to be made into other things such as cars and domestic items like pots and pans. Some of that ground still shows evidence of slag pits and some also show signs of chemical affection
By: Avro Avian - 26th May 2016 at 12:44
Terrific map Ewan! Thanks for posting. 🙂
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May 26, 2016 at 12:34 pm