Catalina Flying Boat Museum in Lake Boga, Victoria | History Museum

Catalina Flying Boat Museum

Locality: Lake Boga, Victoria

Phone: +61 3 5037 2850

Address: Catalina Park, Willakool Drive 3584 Lake Boga, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.flyingboat.org.au/

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• History Museum
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25.01.2022 A very sad night tonight. VALE- Dick Peel The captain of the Catalina's The washboard maestro Our Life member.... We will miss you. See more

24.01.2022 Hi Everyone, Great news we are now open 7 days per week from 9am to 4 pm. We look forward to welcoming you all back. Best wishes The Flying Boat Team

24.01.2022 National tree planting day( 2020 Iso mode) Looking forward to the Gray Street park beautification, with new sprinklers and crepe myrtle planting. Thank You to SHRCC.

21.01.2022 Due to COVID 19 the Lake Boga Lions Club Art Exhibition is postponed .

21.01.2022 Great new limited exhibition at the museum, telling the story of Anne Frank.

20.01.2022 Today we farewelled Dick Peel We will miss you and thank you for 40 years of service. Fly high in the heavens.

17.01.2022 In these uncertain times our Manager Daryl Allen is preparing to use the ISO time wisely in developing new interactive displays to improve our museum We look forward to sharing them with you.

15.01.2022 Thankyou so much to all our visitors.

15.01.2022 At present we are still closed due to COVID 19 restrictions, but please watch this space. When we receive permission to open we will look forward to welcoming you all back.

14.01.2022 Very excited to welcome two new members, a warm welcome to Sue Donnelly and Tracy McLoughlan. New executive for 2020 is President Grant Davies Secretary David M...ark Treasurer Daniel Day Membership chairman Robyn Howarth. We look forward to serving the Lake Boga Community. See more

13.01.2022 Could everyone please share this widely.

12.01.2022 ***Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images or names of deceased persons in photographs or printed mate...rial. Swan Hill Remembers August 15 is Victory in the Pacific Day. This year, VP Day commemorates the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two. This week we are posting stories of local people who served their country during the Second World War. Lake Boga From 1942 - 1947 Lake Boga was an integral part of allied defence during World War II, with a facility that helped to keep Australia safe the No.1 Flying Boat Repair and Service Depot. But did you know that only a few short miles from the depot, at Castle Donnington, there was a hospital or 'sick quarters' which was open during the time the depot was in operation? You may not know there is also a Commonwealth War Graves site adjacent to the Lake Boga cemetery. The site is beautifully kept by the Lake Boga Lions Club. Information supplied by the Lake Boga Lions Club, Swan Hill RSL and the family of Brett Freeman. The Swan Hill Remembers project was supported by the Victorian government.

10.01.2022 Visions of Boga- something for us all to look forward to and applaud our local artists.

06.01.2022 Please check out today Herald Sun, a great story about Lake Boga and the Rowland sisters

05.01.2022 The Australian Catalina flying boats’’ undertook a range of roles during World War II, from patrol aircraft, to bombers and also laying mines. But like all air...craft, they needed repair and for that they were sent to a secret location in the dry, flat Mallee area, at Lake Boga. The location was the only inland flying boat base in Australia and it remained a well-kept secret until late in the war. The lake itself was a brilliant sea-blue colour, shaped like a saucer and perfect for the Catalinas to come to rest. A roofed swimming pool sat next to the lake to provide respite for the air crews and tradespeople labouring in the dry heat. The site was home to not only a group of RAAF mechanics but also about 100 WAAF (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force) who came from Melbourne, Portland, Ballarat, Sydney, Ulverstone and other points of the compass to provide skills that ranged from fabric repair to dental nursing. Australia took delivery of its first 18 Catalinas from the US in 1940 and the flying boats remained in RAAF service until 1950. Some were painted black, called Black Cats’ and were used to lay mines as far from Lake Boga as the South China Sea. The lake has become a well-known camping spot that includes a museum with a restored Catalina. This history is detailed at the Flying Boat Museum in Lake Boga. In addition, a grant has enabled the Swan Hill Remembers project to create a short film and exhibition of memorabilia commemorating local heroes, heroines and sites of World War II. This will be available through the Swan Hill Library’s Facebook page from August 31st 2020. https://www.facebook.com/swanhilllibrary/ Learn more about the sites of significance here https://www.vic.gov.au/sites-significance #LakeBoga #Mallee #VictoriaRemembers #VPDay75 #SwanHill #swanhillremembers #sitesofsignificance

05.01.2022 Due to Covid restrictions the Lake Boga Airshow & Splash In will not be taking to the skies...