History of the Qantas Hangar
In the early twentieth century, when moves to establish an aviation route between England and Australia became a reality, part of the Fannie Bay Gaol prison farm area was resumed to construct an airstrip for Darwin. On 10 December 1919, Ross and Keith Smith, together with Wally Shiers and Jim Bennett landed at the Darwin Aerodrome after winning the first England to Australia contest and £10,000. A memorial to that historic flight stands at the end of Ross Smith Avenue by the cliffs at the edge of Fannie Bay, marking the spot where the plane landed. Darwin soon became the first port of call into Australia for all aircraft coming to Australia through Asia.
As part of their tender for the Brisbane to Singapore route, Qantas proposed to construct a new hangar at Darwin, as part of what would become known as, the Ross Smith Aerodrome. The plan for the hangar was closely modelled on the No1 hangar at Brisbane’s Archerfield Aerodrome. The building, a pre-fabricated steel frame Comet building from the Sidney Williams workshops, was purchased and built for the sum of £6,114. Construction took four months and the hangar was completed by early August 1934, with the wall and roof cladding installed by the end of that year.
The hangar was part of a complex of buildings that included an Administrative building and a Caretaker’s cottage, which were completed in 1935. These buildings were in close proximity to the airstrip, on the site of the present day Ross Smith Avenue.
Timing of the construction of the hangar was driven by 1934 Centenary Air race, which carried a £10,000 prize sponsored by Sir MacPherson Robertson of MacRobertson’s chocolates fame, and attracted world wide aviation interest. Competitors left England on 20 October, finishing in Melbourne. The race was won in just under three days by the scarlet purpose-built de Havilland DH.88 Comet racer Grosvenor House , piloted by Flight Lieutenant Charles Scott and Captain Tom Campbell Black.
By February 1935, the hangar was being used as a staging point for Qantas Empire Airways aircraft and the first passenger service began using the hangar from April of the same year.
On 10 March 1937, a cyclone struck Darwin causing extensive damage to the town but the hangar escaped with little damage.
With the introduction of the Frances Bay Flying Boat Base near Stokes Hill Wharf, Qantas Empire Airways leased the land based hangar to Guinea Airways in October 1938. Civil aviation was disrupted by the war, but Guinea Airways continued operations in the Territory until 1947, when they lost the Adelaide to Darwin service to Trans Australia Airways.
In 1937 a new site for an airport was selected, the location of the present Darwin Airport, when it became apparent that the Ross Smith Aerodrome would not have the capabilities to handle the new and more powerful military aircraft.
In September 1939, the Royal Australian Airforce had established a squadron with a permanent base at the Ross Smith Aerodrome. As the war escalated, the military presence in the town increased and civilians were evacuated. By early 1942, Ross Smith Aerodrome was mainly used by the RAAF, although Guinea Airways retained a presence.
The Japanese bombing raids on Darwin in February 1942 resulted in extensive damage to the town. The hangar suffered a direct hit and the north-east corner was extensively damaged. This damage can still be seen today in the fabric of the original steel frame.
The RAAF continued to use the Ross Smith Aerodrome and “Doc Fenton’s” No 6 Communications Unit was based there until 1946 but at this time all that remained of the original hangar was the steel structural framing.
At the end of hostilities in the Pacific, the defence forces withdrew and the Allied Works Commission repaired the hangar for use by Qantas Empire Airways, Guinea Airways and MacRobertson Miller Airlines. This was a relatively short-term arrangement, however, and by the end of 1946 commercial operations were transferred to the RAAF facility as a joint use RAAF and civil aerodrome, at the present Darwin Airport site. This arrangement of a shared facility continues at Darwin Airport today.
Qantas leased the hangar to the Department of Civil Aviation for use as a workshop, and the landing strip, although occasionally used by aircraft, became a roadway for vehicles, present-day Ross Smith Avenue.
The hangar functioned as a workshop, with additions for office space and extensions added on the western side among other works, until 1992. Some cladding was lost during Cyclone Tracy but considering the overall damage to the town, the hangar withstood the force with relatively minimal damage.
Following the departure of Air Services Australia (formerly Department of Civil Aviation), the hangar remained unoccupied, apart from intermittent use by community groups. In 1997 the building, which had received both Commonwealth and Territory listing for its heritage value, was acquired by the Northern Territory Government and transferred to the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. The building was then leased to the Motor Vehicle Enthusiasts’ Club who use the hangar as a workshop and display area for vintage engines and cars.
