Ballarat – Aviation Historical Society of Australia

DerekB10/03/202511/05/2025

Ticket sales have closed for the DC-3 flights from Essendon to Ballarat 17 & 18 May 2025

The Ballarat branch of the Air Force Association (BAFA) is chartering the Shortstop Jetcharter (SJC) Douglas DC-3 VH-OVM to operate Essendon-Ballarat return flights on...

1929 After being found beside the Glenelg River by search aircraft, Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm, Harold Litchfield and Tom McWilliams remained with the Southern Cross on 15 April 1929. Les Holden flew the DH.61 "Canberra" to the site of the forced landing and again dropped supplies and messages. Colonel Mansbridge, who coordinated the aerial search was aboard the aircraft. The "Canberra" then flew on to Port George IV mission and learned that native runners had made contact with the crew of the Southern Cross. The aircraft returned to Derby. Bert Heath again flew to the Southern Cross, carrying more food and supplies, landing beside the Southern Cross. F.T. O'Dea landed his Bristol Tourer next to the Southern Cross, and his aircraft became bogged. The crew of the Southern Cross were eager to take off and join in with the search for Anderson and Hitchcock. They knew that if the Kookaburra had landed between Alice Springs and Wyndham the fliers would not have any source of water, which the Southern Cross crew did have at their landing site. So they were anxious to join the search for their friends. Heath and O'Dean both returned to Derby later in the day. Arrangements were being made to deliver fuel and oil to the Southern Cross by air, but landing at the site was still treacherous since the mud flats were being made soggy by neap tides. Keith Anderson and Bob Hitchcock and the Kookaburra were stranded in the Tanami desert for a fifth day on 15 April. Les Holden was preparing to go in search of the missing airmen and carried out maintenance on the Canberra and contacted sites along his possible route to determine if fuel and oil were available. The two RAAF de Havilland DH.9A aircraft (A1-1 flown by FLTLT Charles Eaton with CPL P. Sullivan as mechanic and A1-7 flown by FLGOFF A.G. Gerrand with SGT J.A. Campbell as mechanic) left Oodnadatta and flew to Alice Springs. The forced landing by the Southern Cross and its consequences became known as the "Coffee Royal" affair. Sources: Parnell, N. and Boughton, T., Flypast, A Record of Aviation in Australia, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1988; Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld), Mon 15 Apr 1929, Page 9, "LIEUTENANT ULM'S LOG"; Davis, Pedr and Smith, Dick, Kookaburra: The Most Compelling Story in Australia's Aviation History, Lansdowne Press, Dee Why, NSW, 1980