Darwin Aviation Museum

Great collection of aircraft and artefacts with a focus on Darwin’s involvement in aviation dating back to Sir Ross and Keith Smith’s win in the Great Air Race of 1919. Also a large military aviation component, including a RAAF F-111 and a USAF B-52. A very dedicated team of knowledgeable staff to answer any questions you may have.

Ridiculous amount of planes, plane engines, and other memorabilia.

Big shed, no aircon, plan accordingly.

Cool place to visit and if you havent seen a B-52 in the flesh this is the place to go.plenty of other aircraft to see as well.staff are nice and friendly.another something to add to the bucket list.

We paid $24 for two senior ticks, and we had the place virtually to ourselves on a quiet weekday morning, before a tour bus rolled up and disgorged a few more souls.

There is a shop selling books, t-shirts, souvenirs and the like. I noticed some tables and chairs at the back of the shop, which once upon a time may have been for food service from a cafe which doesn’t exist anymore, but it’s handy if you want to bring your own lunch and need a place to sit down.

The museum is quite easy to get to. From the bus stop outside Woolies in Cavenagh St, it took us about 25 mins to get there on bus no. 5. Getting back wasn’t so easy though, requiring us to cross over the busy Stuart Highway, and get the bus on the other side, where they aren’t so frequent. We waited about 35 minutes for bus no 8 to take us back to the city. It’s advisable therefore to plan your visit, if using pub transport, so as not to spend too much time waiting at the bus shelter on the Highway near the Darwin Showgrounds, with very little in the way of shops or cafes in the near vicinity.

But back to the museum! It’s main attraction is the massive B52 bomber, right in the centre of the hangar. You can peek inside the cockpit and go down into the belly of the beast where an improvised little cinema has been set up that shows a movie of the history of the B-52 bomber, it’s association with Aust and how this particular one came to be where it is today.

Just near the entrance is another little theatre which shows two movies: one called the “Battle of Australia”, about the bombing of Darwin and the aftermath, another one which I only saw snippets of, showcasing Darwin’s aviation history.

But the principal focus here is a military one, and most of the exhibits are military aircraft, from WW2 onwards including aforementioned B-52 bomber, the famous Aussie Sabre fighter, the Cobra attack helicopter and various other instruments of war, alongside some exhibits of civil aviation.

There’s plenty to see, and the exhibits are well spaced out in a large and airy hangar, making it a breeze to comfortably move around from one exhibit to the next. The lack of crowds also helped.

I did notice that the exhibits seemed quite old, and probably haven’t been updated for a few decades. One exhibit of civilian aviation had a sign that said “This Display Sponsored by Ansett Australia'', but we all know that Ansett Aust went out of business nearly 20 yrs ago. Time to update, guys.

Toilets are in the far corner just as you enter the exhibition hall. The gents are a tad small with only one cubicle, which isn’t really adequate.

But still, coming here was a worthwhile experience, and it’s an enjoyable way to spend a few hours while in Darwin. I recommend a visit.

Well first of all ya get slapped with a 16 dollary-doo entrance fee no probs there love me some museum experiences and when you had enough of looking at all the mini planes and stuff you can purchase in the gift shop ya meander into the hanger and get slapped again by the main attraction the Stratofortress what a beast of a war machine that is all the other attractions were enjoyable reading and lookings go out side the hanger to what seemed like a graveyard of planes but if ya get lucky you get jets taking off from the nearby airstrip so that got me excited all in all interesting experiences were had dem f-11's are massive probs go again it was neat as

Great pieces of history in the shed, lots of cool little souvenirs. Only downside is the shed is hot! So bring water?

Just go. It's amazing to see the size of a B-52 in real life. Well worth 90 minutes of your time.

All the exhibits are very well looked after, and my favourites are all represented too! Good information boards and videos too. I particularly like the Ansett air stairs so we can view the cockpit of the B-52.

Very nice museum with plenty of info on WWII and aviation history and second. Can get real close to various old plane, wrekages from WWII and a massive b52.

Great place, so much history if you're in Darwin it's certainly worth the stop by. Plenty to see even if you're not an aviation enthusiast it has plenty of engines on display.

Not really into aviation but I really enjoyed all the bits and pieces exhibited in this large shed. Great exhibit on the Bombing of Darwin.

The Darwin Aviation Museum, previously known as the Australian Aviation Heritage Centre, displays aircraft and aircraft engines of relevance to the Northern Territory and aviation in Australia generally. It is located in Darwin, Northern Territory. The Museum's origins can be traced to 1976 when a group of enthusiasts sought to preserve aviation relics after the destruction of Cyclone Tracy. It was later broadened to include the documentation of World War II aircraft crash sites and the preservation of aviation relics related to the defence of Darwin during World War II. The original museum was first opened to the public in 1988. In the late 1980s, the Society negotiated with the United States Air Force and the Northern Territory Government to obtain a surplus USAF Boeing B-52G Strato-fortress bomber and to build a museum to house and display the aircraft. On 2 June 1990, the new Darwin Aviation Museum was officially opened. The museum has on display a Boeing B-52G bomber. It is on permanent loan from the United States Air Force and is one of only three on public display in the world outside the US. There is also a bomb fragment dating from a WWII air raid on Darwin which visitors may handle.

Awesome display of Darwin and Australian-centric aviation history. You literally can't miss the B-52, surrounded by classics from many years of aviation.
It's hot in there, but just pop back into the shop now and again to let your phone cool down. Staff are knowledgeable and friendly.

A must see on your visit to Darwin. The B52 bomber is huge. There is so much to see and read with this huge collection of old and not so old planes, and so memorilbilia

Excellent exhibits. Interesting info about aviation history in Darwin, especially war history. Lovely friendly guides, but they leave you to read if you'd rather. It is quite warm inside, so wear light clothing.

This is still being set up. I didn't go inside the museum, but it looks like it will be very interesting.

Very good except the was very little on the Catalina which was one of the main aircraft during WW 2