Post by jwh on Oct 12, 2020 22:34:15 GMT -5
Another article that I had saved from the October 1938 issue of "WALKABOUT" on the flying boat base at Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria. There was another base built around the same time at Karumba on the other side of the Gulf and were essential parts of the Sydney-Singapore sector of the route to the U.K. Both bases were also used extensively during WW2. The little airstrip they constructed is no longer there and there is no remaining trace of it. The current airstrip is on the other side of the Bay and the main sealed Groote Eylandt Airport is down on the southern coast of the island. Have also attached a vintage QANTAS ad for the Empire Flying Boat service to London. The one way fare was close to six months average salary in Australia at that time, but what a fabulous way to get there.
