Secrets of a Sydney past

1. Sydney Airport, established circa 1920 on land leased from the nearby Ascot Pony Racing club (the north-eastern corner of the airport, more recently known for general aviation and "flight facilities" use). Access via tram to the Ascot race course, and by road from Botany Road. Initially just a relatively flat paddock of grass and sand. Gravel runways added from 1932, first such strip 450 metres long. 2 additional gravel strips added by 1938. Freight railway in north diverted after accident between train and DC3. Cooks River and Alexandria canal diverted and new, concrete runways aligned 07/25 (main) and a shorter 16/34 constructed by 1954. The latter extended into Botany Bay from 1969, with a parallel strip added in late 1990s
2. Rose Bay, the flying boat base from 1938 and chief international airport until circa 1950. Closed in 1974. Seaplanes still fly from several locations in the Sydney area
   
3. Bankstown Airport, busiest by movements in Australia. Multi-runway parallel strips, some crossing (but disused). Bankstown has three main parallel east-west runways, a long centre runway for high-performance aircraft, a northern runway for arrivals and departures, and a southern runway for circuit training. Originally planned in 1929, not established until 1940 as an RAAF facility. Subsequently taken over by the USAAF and established as a key strategic air base to support the war effort, circa 1942. It transferred from US to British Fleet Air Arm operations in 1945, and was known as Royal Naval Air Station Bankstown, or HMS Nabberley, until handed back to the RAAF in 1946. Interestingly, several "dummy houses" were built to make Bankstown Airport appear as a farm, with disguised hangers and fake roads. There was an underground command post on Black Charlie's Hill with gun pits located within and around the airport to protect it from air attack. Another anti-aircraft battery was situated on high land on the corner of Bexley Road and Homer Street, Clemton Park. De Havilland has been located at this airport since 1942, occupying the area south of the main runway. RAAF Mosquito bombers were built there. The primary (centre) runway (11C/29C) is 1,415m x 30m, limited to 50 tonnes MTOW. I undertook flying training here at Illawarra Airways, so it's of some personal interest
4. Hargrave Park, Liverpool, an historic airfield (circa 1920s) now part of the residential suburb of Warwick Farm. Closed circa 1945
   
5. Camden, ex-WWII RAAF Kittyhawk base in current civilian use. AKA 'Macquarie Grove', initial development was private and the airfield was 'loaned' to the government, a deal which became permanent after the war. RAAF Camden housed squadrons 15, 32 (Hudsons, Beauforts) and 78 (Kitthawk). Camden was also the first RAAF Central Flying School (CFS), before being moved to RAAF Tamworth. I flew light training aircraft into Camden in the mid 1970s and can attest to "Kittyhawk-sized" ruts in the grass/gravel taxiways then in use
6. Richmond, current RAAF base, has been so since 1937. Supplemental airport for Sydney from circa 1911. Home base for Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm and their Fokker Trimotor 'Southern Cross' during the late 1920s. Originally called...
7. Clarendon, as per the nearby railway station (railway now ends at Richmond but used to cross the Hawkesbury/Nepean and climb to Kurrajong) was the original airfield (south of current site) and pre-dates Sydney Airport. Also known as Ham Common. William Ewart Hart ran a flying school from this site, circa 1912, as well as his Penrith site...
   
8. Jamieson Park, a historic airfield circa 1911 in Penrith (now just a park). Was used as a base by William Ewart Hart for flights such as 1911 journey from Penrith to Parramatta and return, and as a training site. First recorded aircraft crash in Australia was by Ewart and passenger, near Rooty Hill/Seven Hills
   
9. Parramatta - actual site of Ewart's first and subsequent landings uncertain to me but possibly the now Parramatta Park
   
10. Menangle, 'dispersal' airstrip, a WWII runway built circa 1942 in case of Japanese attack on Sydney. Basically aircraft would fly to these dispersed sites and hide in the forest
    
11. Bargo 'dispersal' airstrip, another WWII runway, as per Menangle
    
12. Cordeaux 'dispersal' airstrip, another WWII runway, as per Menangle
13. The Oaks 'dispersal' airstrip, another WWII runway, as per Menangle and others. The Oaks airfield was constructed circa 1942 as a satellite aerodrome to RAAF Camden. There was a 5000 foot x 150 foot sealed runway aligned 36/18 and split by Burragorang Road (complete with gates to stop stray cars!). Operations probably included Hudsons, B24 Liberator bombers and Kittyhawks. Not required post-war by the RAAF, it was offered for sale in 1946. The current strip is a private field, roughly the southern half of the wartime area. The original runway was removed but a 950m 18/36 main grass strip (perhaps wartime taxiway) was left and a new grass strip of just 400m added (aligned 09/27)
14. Ettalong/Woy Woy 'dispersal' airstrip, another WWII runway, as per Menangle. Believed to have been largely converted into a residential street running north/south
    
15. Marsden Park airstrip, a WWII runway and later motorsport venue. I've found an interesting link between this airstrip and Australian F1 motorsport engineer Ron Tauranac: Ron Tauranac was born and raised in New South Wales, Australia but lived and worked for most of his life in England. He will be known as one of the great race car designers covering the early Brabhams, the Ralts of the 1970s and 1980s, and less-well known the Theodore F1 car. Ron gained his initial experience of engineering with a local company CSR Chemicals, and bought himself an Austin 7. Out for a drive one Sunday, he came across a race meeting at Marsden Park airfield, near Pittown, Sydney. His interest was sparked, and he quickly met up with the Hooper brothers, of motorcycle repairers Hooper & Napier. The brothers were in the process of building their own 500cc car, using a dirt-track JAP in a very simple chassis.
    
16. Pitt Town 'dispersal airstrip, a WWII runway and later motorsport venue
    
17. Schofields aerodrome, a WWII RAAF base and Royal Navy Pacific operation for a few years thereafter; 3 intersecting runways; a motorsport venue 1950-59 (possibly conflicts with the RAN records of operation there in 1953); a Naval base (HMAS Nirimba) from 1959-circa 1974. Closed since 1994, although operations were reported up to 1998. Now a housing and educational site, with aerodrome land, including a 'blimp hangar' and remaining portions of runway) on sale from 2008
    
18. Mt Druitt airstrip, 690 acres in area, circa 1942-1951; a WWII runway approx 1520m long, 2 hangars; later a motorsport venue (1950-53?). The race track was 3.6 kms long and situated on what is now Whalan Reserve, the Mt Druitt Industrial Area and Madang Avenue Primary School.
19. Holsworthy airstrip, a current Army airstrip dating to WWII. (AKA Luscombe airfield). Main strip for army in Sydney, 2 smaller strips due South...called
20. 'Mackel' and
21. 'Complete'
    
22. Hoxton Park airstrip, Cowpastures Road, 1098m long, oriented 16/34. A WWII 'dispersal strip' runway (in case of Japanese attack) Hoxton remains in civilian use but is threatened by development and may close in 2008. Retains features from the war, including gravelled aircraft hide-outs and wartime drainage, taxiways and markings. At the northern end of the runway may be seen 2 earlier forms of surface, one bitumen and the other gravel, and wartime drainage works are found under the runway. There is also a wartime taxiway leading off to the north-west, beyond the current airport perimeter and evidence of aircraft 'hideouts' in the neighbouring eucalyptus forest. There are 2 surviving taxiway bridges across gullies or drainage lines. There is further evidence of taxiways and hideouts to the east of the current runway. The original airstrip was 5000ft (1524m) long and 172ft (52m) wide. The runway has been shortened since World War II and the former runway extension is noticeable at the northern end of the runway. The aircraft revetments or hideaways to the west of the aerodrome may have been removed or destroyed during the construction of the M7 motorway
23. Warnervale aerodrome, about 100km north of Sydney, which is my local strip. It's big enough for a DC-3 but is increasingly hemmed in by development
    
24. Katoomba airstrip, about 100km west of Sydney
25. Wedderburn airstrip, southwest of Sydney
26. Albion Park aerodrome, about 100km south of Sydney
27. Bringelly emergency WWII strip
28. Fleur WWII strip. Presume this is the same as the CSIRO site, will investigate
    
29. Calwalla WWII strip in the southern highlands
    
30. Nepean Dam airstrip
31. Ravenswood airstrip
32. Wallgrove Aerodrome -built in 1942, the runway was 5000ft (1524m) long and 50ft (15.24m) wide, running roughly NW-SW. Wallgrove closed in 1946 and reverted back to farmland. A number of former hideouts or aircraft revetments are still visible, as is some of the runway. However an industrial area has been built over what was the southern end of the aerodrome
    
33. Badgery's Creek - near Liverpool, just a planner's dream for the last 30 years
34. And any others I have missed!
    

Labels: aerodromes, airports, airstrips, Sydney

posted by gtveloce  # 1:08 AM