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HARS Aviation Museum
HARS Aviation Museum

HARS Parkes Aviation Museum

HARS Parkes Aviation Museum

The HARS Parkes Aviation Museum is located at the end of Muzycuk Drive at Parkes Airport. It is currently housed in a former RAAF Bellman hanger from the airport’s time as a World War Two air force base.

Parkes has a long history in aviation, the first aircraft to land at Parkes was a Sopwith Camel piloted by aviation pioneer Sydney Pickles in 1919.

During World War Two, Parkes airport became RAAF Base Parkes, accommodating No.1 Air Navigation School, No.2 Wireless Air Gunners School, No.8 Operational Training Unit (Spitfires) and after the war No.87 SQN (Mosquitos) operated from Parkes.

Did you know, former PM Gough Whitlam graduated from Parkes as a Flying Officer navigator?

Parkes Aero Club, formed in 1948, still operates from its historic ex-RAAF COMMCEN building.

Parkes has been used as a storage facility for the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society since 1975 and is currently being transformed into an aviation museum in its own right by a range of local and HARS volunteers.

The museum currently opens Thursdays and Sunday 9.30am – 3.30pm, or by appointment.

Entry to the HARS Museum at Parkes is as below. For HARS at Albion Park (Wollongong) see the entry prices under the main menu “Visit”

Adults $15, Child $5, Families $30.

For more information about visiting or volunteering:

Current exhibits include:

  • Lockheed AP-3C Orion A9-759
  • Lockheed P2V-5 Neptune A89-302
  • Lockheed P2V-7 Neptune A89-272
  • De Havilland DHC-4 Caribou A4-275
  • Convair 580 VH-PDW
  • Westland Wessex HAS.31B 813 (N7-203)
  • Bell AH-1 Huey Cobra
  • De Havilland DH.114 Heron VH – AHB
  • Piston and turbine aircraft engines
  • Aviation memorabilia

Current restorations projects include:

  • Douglas C-47A-30-DK
  • Grumman S2G Tracker 842
  • Lockheed 12a Electra Junior
  • “Red Baron” Fokker DR.1 Triplane replica
  • CAC Aermacchi MB-326H (Macchi)