From its beginnings in 1921 the Department was charged with the responsibility for providing landing grounds along the major air routes. Over the years, the Department established, owned and maintained nearly every licenced airport and aerodrome in the country until, in the 1980s, the Aerodrome Local Ownership Plan and other airport disposal schemes saw the Department divest itself of the ownership of almost all aerodromes and airports.

This page provides links to information about the Department's involvement with airports and aerodromes.

Consult a list of Unit and equipment acronyms used on this site

Read about The Early Days of Civil Aerodromes

Photos of early Aerodrome Site Selection - 1921

See a strip map of the Melbourne-Adelaide air route, including aerodrome diagrams - 1939

NSW Airports Engineering staff - 1950

< Click on the image at left to download and read an article, Problems About Airports,by Dr Bill Bradfield from Wing Tips, a Qantas staff magazine, Vol 7 No 2, c.1968. In the article Dr Bradfield discusses some of the challenges facing Australia in airport development at that time.

(3.7 MB .pdf file)

INDIVIDUAL AIRPORTS & AERODROMES

Capital City Aerodromes

Perth/Maylands

• photo of the WAA hangar flooded - 1926
• WAA's, later ANA's, historic Hangar No 1 - 1931 & 1976
• aerial photos from just before the aerodrome closed - 1961

Perth/Guildford

• aerial photos - 1980
• International Terminal under construction - 1985

Sydney/Mascot (Kingsford Smith)

• Mascot Aerodrome as it was Experienced by Neville Watson
• aerial photo - c.1930
• aerial view - June 1958
• major works including runway extension and construction of a new International Terminal - 1967-74
  

Sydney/Bankstown

• aerial photo - c.1970s

Adelaide/Parafield

• Operations-Administration Building & Control Tower - 1940s, 1960s, 2008
• superb aerial photos - 1948 & 1965

Adelaide/West Beach

• photos of the Passenger Terminal and Control Tower just after opening - 1957
• photo of the old passenger terminal building and Control Tower, c. late 1960s
• aerial photos - mid-1980s
• passenger terminal just before demolition - 2008

Hobart/Cambridge

• photos of the aerodrome - 1934, 1942
  
• runway layout - 1955
• aerial photo and layout - 2011
• surviving, historic former Control Building - 2011

• the development of Essendon Airport
• the 'Government Hangar' c.1930s
• the ATC complex - c. early 1950s
• the special International Terminal for the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games
• charts showing the airport layout in 1960 & 1968
• aerial photos - c.1930, 1963, 2004, 2007
• aerial view of the DCA apron and hangars - 1973
• then & now panorama views

Melbourne (Tullamarine) Airport

• RAAF aircraft at Melbourne/Tullamarine - 1971
  

• runway widening - 2005

Melbourne/Moorabbin

< Download a short history of Moorabbin Airport & Control Tower by clicking on the icon at left. (260 KB .pdf file)

Brisbane/Archerfield

• aerial photos - 1931
• 'then & now' - c. mid-1930s/2006
• aerial photos - 1965; Pages 1 & 2
  
• photo of the Ops-Admin Building c.late 1960s
  
• views of the Control Tower cab - 1974
• aerodrome diagram - 1974
• 'then & now' - overviews from 1965 & 2006
• historic buildings - 2006

Brisbane Airport

• aerial photos - 2005

Darwin/Parap

• composite photo & aerodrome diagram - late 1930s

Regional Aerodromes

Alice Springs

• Control Tower - c.1970s-2007

Ceduna

• photos of Ceduna aerodrome buildings in the early 1950s with a description from Macarthur Job
• aerial colour photo - c.1955

Charleville

• aerial photos - 2001

Cloncurry

• passenger terminal c.early 1960s
• Aeradio building & historic Qantas hangar - 1940
• the same building as the passenger terminal - 1974
• new passenger terminal - 2001

Cocos Island

various views - 1955-57


Cootamundra

• photo of the aerodrome c.1960s

Devonport

• Control Tower and passenger terminal - 1965

Dubbo

• aerial photo - 2007

Fitzroy Crossing

• photos and diagram - 1972

Flinders Island

• aerial photos - 2004
  
  
  

Forrest

• photos of showing the historic hangar and hostel - 1972 & 2009

Karratha

• overviews - mid-1980s

Longreach

• photos of the first runway strips laid anywhere in Australia- 1925

Mackay

• Control Tower and passenger terminal - 1960s

Mangalore

• photos and early history - c.1950
• VAR Approach Chart - 1967

Meekatharra

• The Day Qantas Came to Meekatharra - 1975

Port Lincoln

• aerodrome layout - 1968
• passenger terminal - c. late 1960s

Quirindi

• photos from the opening of the aerodrome -1957

Rockhampton

• panorama photo from -1968

Tamworth

• photos of the old Tower and passenger terminal - 1968-1990s

Wynyard

• the unique railway crossing - 1971

Karumba

• Flying Boat Base - 1938

Rose Bay

• opening - Aug 1938
• more photos - 1939
• aerial photos - c.1942-43, c.1950
• DCA Control Launch C.A.15 - 1969

Drawing of Aerodrome Ground Markings -1928

The Signal Square

The more modern Signal Area

Photo of a typical Rotating Aerodrome Beacon

Photo of a typical Illuminated Wind Indicator

The Calvert Cross Bar Approach Lighting System

Airport power supplies & downloadable A Brief History of Power Supply Systems for Civil Aviation Facilities in Australia1928-2018

Spraying runway markings - 1959

DCA Control Launch C.A.15 - 1969

Pavement Classification Numbers - introduction of the ACN-PCN system - 1982

Aerial photo showing typical Precision Approach Runway markings - Brisbane 2007

Photo of the ubiquitous Airport Safety Officer and vehicle - 1984

Photos of and information about a Linesman at work splicing a cable - 2007

Read about the Department's Bird Hazard Identification Unit

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