Graeme and Ginny of nofixedaddress2011: Bundaberg

Hi everyone, we arrived at Bundaberg last Friday. It is surrounded by sugarcane fields, slightly inland from the coast. Yesterday we drove to some nearby beaches, although the temperature was quite mild, the wind was chilly. We are staying here until Friday, the caravan park is very nice & roomy & we have lovely neighbours.

This photo is zoomed, the fishermen were a long way out on the rocks.

Mon Repos beach- a turtle hatchery, but unfortunately not turtle season at the moment.

We visited the Hinkler Hall of Aviation in Bunberberg. Bert Hinkler was born in 1892, & by the age of 19 had built his own glider & flown it at Mon Repos beach. He went to England in 1913, served in WW1, & after the war he created many aviation records, as well as many patents & designs for airplanes. He also pioneered a solo flight from England to Australia in 1928 & the worlds first solo flight across the south Atlantic in 1931. He died in 1933 attempting another solo flight from England to Australia, crashing in the Italian Alps. When his body was found 4 months later the Fascist Italian Government gave a state funeral, such was his fame. Picture of Ginny sitting in a replica of his plane the Avro Baby.

Various medals he received.

This is an incredible & moving story. Above is a piece of Bert's original glider, discovered under the house he lived in when he built the glider at 19 yrs old. The house was being renovated in the1970s, and the glider was restored & given to the Museum. In the 1980's the Musuem asked NASA to take this piece in the space shuttle as a tribute to Bert's contribution to aviation. It was stored in a plastic bag in Commander Dick Scobee's personal locker. The shuttle was "Challenger" & lifted off in Jan 1986, only to explode minutes later, killing all 7 astronauts. Later this piece was discovered floating off the Florida coast, still intact in it's plastic bag. The following year, Commander Scobee's widow travelled to Bundaberg & presented it to the Museum.

Bert & his mistress built this house in England in 1925 & called in Mon Repos after the beach where he first flew. In 1983 the house was scheduled for demolition in England. A commitee was formed in Bundaberg, flew to England, dismantled the house & reconstucted it next the Museum in Bundaberg's Botanical Gardens.