24°51′05″S 152°20′10″E / 24.851354°S 152.336196°E
The Hinkler Hall of Aviation is an air museum in Bundaberg focused on the legacy of Australian aviator Bert Hinkler.
The museum opened in 2008 alongside the Hinkler House,[1] and was designed to accommodate up to 34,000 visitors per year.[2] The museum's collection includes five aircraft significant to Hinkler's career: a reconstructed glider from his youth, Hinkler's original Avro Baby, a replica Avro Avian, a replica Hinkler Ibis, and a reconstructed de Havilland Puss Moth.[1]
The museum also has on display a small wooden piece of an early Hinkler glider that was carried on board the Space Shuttle Challenger and recovered after its breakup in 1986.[3] The fragment was gifted by the museum association to NASA astronaut Don Lind, who in turn gave it to fellow astronaut Dick Scobee to carry into space on the Challenger. The fragment was found floating in the ocean during the Challenger debris recovery effort and was eventually given back to the museum association by Scobee's widow, June.[4]
During a 2023 significance assessment, the museum was recognized as having "a highly focused and extremely well managed collection" including elements of national and international significance.[5]
See also
References
- ^ a b "The battle for Bert Hinkler's last plane". News Mail. 20 November 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- ^ Anderson, John (24 September 2004). "HINKLER HALL OF AVIATION TAKES WINGS". Archived from the original on 5 February 2008. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- ^ "Footage a reminder of Hinkler's link to tragic Challenger". News Mail. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- ^ Whiteside, Grace (2 August 2024). "How a piece of timber that survived NASA's Challenger disaster returned home to Australia". ABC News. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
- ^ Harth, Natasha (18 July 2023). "Significance of Hinkler collection recognised". Bundaberg Now. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
External links