Tocumwal Aviation Museum

Name: Tocumwal Aviation Museum
Address: 205 Burma Road, Tocumwal, NSW, 2714, AU
Telephone: +61358950602
Rating: 5

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Tocumwal Aviation Museum

To engage, educate and inspire visitors to foster an appreciation for Tocumwal’s unique and significant aviation history and heritage.
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28/08/2026

Then and now, August 1942 and today.

These historical aerial images, taken in August 1942 and georeferenced over current satellite imagery, show the incredible speed at which the Tocumwal Air Depot project was constructed.

Construction of the depot commenced at the end of Feburary 1942 and just six months later, the majority of the base infrastructure including stormwater, water and sewer networks, electrical network, roads, runways and taxiways were practically complete. Most of the initial 608 buildings had been constructed and the U.S. Army Air Corps had occupied the base for 4 months.

The landscape around Tocumwal was changed forever. From farmland to strategic air depot. While much of the land has reverted to farmland, evidence and the impact of the depot will remain.

Discover more of Tocumwal's SECRET past at the Tocumwal Aviation Museum, open 10am daily at the Tocumwal Historic Aerodrome.

20/08/2026

White drums in a crop on the aerodrome, what's that about?

The original layout of the Tocumwal Air Depot and RAAF Station Tocumwal included 4 runways up to 2km long and 30m wide. That amount of tarmac collects a lot of water when it rains and the base was designed to be useable in all weather conditions and never be flooded.

Hidden beneath the aerodrome is...no, not Harley Davidsons...but there is about 20km of stormwater drains. The system is designed to drain water in four different sections to four different locations.

Located along both sides of each runway are substantial concrete pits with very heavy cast iron grates to collect water.

Following the end of the war and reduction in flying operations, two of the original four runways were closed. For the past few decades, much of the aerodrome grounds have been share-farmed for cropping to reduce mowing and maintenance for about 750 acres of area located between the runways and taxiways.

The infrastructure under those closed runways still exists under the crop, including the stormwater drains and concrete collectors. Each of the drums in the crop marks the location of the concrete drains - this ensures the critical infrastructure, and the farmer's expensive equipment, is protected from damage.

Discover more of Tocumwal's SECRET past at the Tocumwal Aviation Museum, open from 10am daily at the Tocumwal Historic Aerodrome.

13/08/2026

The huge timger hangars and Igloo hangar at Tocumwal get a lot of attention, and rightly so, but there's another hangar which has remained in place and in use since 1944.

This Bellman Hangar was built in 1944 for Number 7 Operational Training Unit and was primarily used as a training facility for B-24 Liberator armament. It was built with a concrete floor, which was rare at the time, which was needed for the various rolling armament trainers which included upper, lower, front and rear turret rigs and bomb aimer simulators. After the war, the hangar was used to store surplus aircraft.

This hangar was used by Kingsford Smith Aviation during the 1950s to refurbish and make airworthy dozens of Airspeed Oxford aircraft which were stored at RAAF Station Tocumwal and sold to a buyer in Sydney. The buyer then contracted Kingsford Smith Aviation to get them flying.

After the Air Force closed the base in 1960, the hangar, along with the airfield and other facilities, were transferred initially to the Department of Civil Aviation and then the Berrigan Shire Council. During the 1960s and 70s, the hangar was used by the Murray Border Flying Club.

From the 1980s until recently, it was home to Tocumwal Aviation Services, an aircraft maintenance and restoration bussiness established by Licenced Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, Tim Becroft.

This historic hangar is looking for a new custodian and is currently listed for sale. Keen to own a part of Tocumwal's wartime aviation history?

Discover more of Tocumwal's SECRET past at the Tocumwal Aviation Museum, open from 10am daily at the Tocumwal Historic Aerodrome.

06/08/2026

This week in history, August 1943.

Number 5 RAAF Hospital was formed and occupied the hospital site initially constructed for the U.S. Army. The initial establishment of personnel was 89, consisting of 51 RAAF and 38 WAAAF.

The hospital site was located approximately 8km east of RAAF Station Tocumwal, roughly half-way between Tocumwal and Barooga on what was known as Albury Road at the time. The site was, and still is, part of the large Barooga Station property.

Number 5 RAAF Hospital was a seperate unit to those located at RAAF Station Tocumwal, which had it's own medical facilities including a smaller hospital and first aid stations.

As with most of the base, there's not a lot that remains of the hospital at the site. The primary remains are those of the water and sewer infrastructure including concrete water tanks and tank stands. There is a historical marker on Barooga Road marking the site.

Discover more of Tocumwal's SECRET past at the Tocumwal Aviation Museum, open from 10am daily at the Tocumwal Historic Aerodrome.

29/07/2026

This week in history, July 2021 - we opened to the public!

Five years ago this week, our vision to showcase Tocumwal's rich aviation history and heritage became reality. It was a challenging time to open a new tourism business - in the midst of the COVID pandemic with closed borders and lockdowns!

Since opening, over 30,000 visitors have discovered Tocumwal's SECRET past and learned about the significance of our local aviation history, we've assisted hundreds of visitors explore the service records of their veteran family members, including hundreds who served here at RAAF Station Tocumwal. More than 25,000 people have attended our airshows and experienced that history come to life. We've explored and digitised over 800,000 pages of historic documents and photographs and continue to grow the collection of relevant memorabilia and artefacts

We've also made over 100,000 coffees in The 'Drome and created a casual space for people to catchup and make the aerodrome somewhere for everyone to visit and experience.

We're extremely grateful to our friends, staff and volunteers who have supported us over the past five years, we couldn't have done it without you all.

We are as passionate today about our local history as we were when we started this journey, a little older and exhausted at times, but still as passionate!

Cheers to another 5 years...and then some,
Matt & Kaz.

25/07/2026

Creating connections with the past is our primary mission, and this is certainly one of those connections.

Nicola recently visited us with her family, and her father was reconnected with an aircraft he used to fly while serving with the RAAF.

"My father was an aeronautical engineer who got his degree while he was in the RAAF. Naturally we thought we had to bring him to the aviation museum, along with his 91yo mother.

To our great surprise as we were looking at the planes, my dad cracked a giant grin and said “would you look at that, I used to fly #83 while I was in the RAAF”. It was one of the actual planes he learnt to fly in!"

It's moments like this that make it all wortwhile.

Peter Hayes with his grandsons Elliot and Riley and our Macchi MB326H.

Connect with more of Tocumwal's history and SECRET past at the Tocumwal Aviation Museum, open from 10am daily.

16/07/2026

We were recently contacted by an architect in Canberra who was working on a Tocumwal House in the suburb of O'Connor.

They were seeking information or photographs of the house and its origins at RAAF Station Tocumwal.

Using the original subdivision plans, which provide the hut type, section of the base and building number, we were able to identify where this house was located at RAAF Station Tocumwal and even found it in a number of photos in our collection!

Over 200 of the accommodation huts from RAAF Station Tocumwal were dismantled, transported to Canberra and reassembled in the suburbs of O'Connor and Ainslie to provide housing for workers during the post-war building boom in the capital.

Discover more of Tocumwal's SECRET past at the Tocumwal Aviation Museum, open from 10am daily at the Tocumwal Historic Aerodrome.

23/06/2026

As we approach our fifth anniversary, we have been carefully reviewing our operations at the Tocumwal Aviation Museum to ensure we remain focused on our core mission: preserving, showcasing, and sharing Tocumwal’s significant aviation history and heritage.

Like many organisations, we continue to face rising operating costs driven by inflation challenges; affecting our customers, suppliers, and our day-to-day operations. To ensure the long-term sustainability and viability of the Museum, we will be making some changes to our café offerings.

From 1 July 2026, The 'Drome will transition to a "coffee & cake" service only. We will no longer offer made-to-order food items such as toasties, rolls, salads, or alcoholic beverages. We will continue to serve our signature coffee, tea and hot chocolate, cold drinks, along with our popular range of house-made slices and cakes.

These changes will allow us to simplify operations, reduce costs, and dedicate more of our time and resources to enhancing the museum experience, supporting historical research, and developing new exhibitions for our visitors.

We sincerely thank our staff, volunteers, customers, and supporters for their ongoing encouragement and understanding. Your support helps us continue preserving and sharing Tocumwal’s remarkable aviation story for future generations.

18/06/2026

On this day, 19 June 1944. A Beaufighter of Number 5 Operational Training Unit, based at RAAF Station Tocumwal, crashed while undertaking air-to-ground gunnery practice at the air-to=ground gunnery range located on the property known as Kilnyana, approximately 25km east of Tocumwal.

Flying Officer James Houston (Pilot) and Pilot Officer Edward Levy (Navigator) were killed when their aircraft struck a tree while pulling out too low from a dive, damaging the aircraft and making it uncontrollable, resulting in a crash.

On the 25th of April 1987, a memorial to the crew was erected in what is known as the "Target Paddock" on the Kilnyana property by the Sloane family and officially unveiled by Tim Fischer, the local MP, along with remains of a propeller from the aircraft.

Flying Officer Houston and Pilot Officer Levy are interred in the Commonwealth War Graves section of the Tocumwal General Cemetery.

Discover more of Tocumwal's SECRET past at the Tocumwal Aviation Museum, open from 10am daily at the Tocumwal Historic Aerodrome.

14/06/2026

If you've ever wondered what's under the skin of Tocumwal's iconic timber hangars, this post from the B 24 Liberator Memorial - Werribee gives you some idea of the complex matrix of timber under the facade.

This particular hangar, of the same construction as those at Tocumwal, is located at the former WW2 airfield at Werribee and is in the process of being dismantled and relocated by Melbourne Water to become the future home of the B-24 Memorial.

This is a hugely ambitious project and the first time in 84 years that the bare structure of one of these hangars has been exposed.

Address

205 Burma Road
Tocumwal, NSW
2714

Telephone

+61358950602

Website

https://www.tocumwalaviationmuseum.com.au/

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