Uncovering the Hidden Gem of Lake Boga: A Road Trip to the Amazing Flying Boat Museum

We just happened to be road tripping though the Swan Hill regio in Victoria and stumbled upon a truly amazing discovery.  

There's a largely overlooked chapter of Australian history that often goes unmentioned. During World War II, Japan targeted Australia, aiming to disrupt supplies crucial to the war effort and possibly seize this vast, untamed land. In Darwin, you can find extensive information about the air raids conducted there, and many coastal cities still have turrets prepared for potential sea invasions. However, few people are aware of the remarkable Lake Boga Flying Boat depot. While I generally appreciate museums, they don't usually excite me, but the Flying Boat Museum left us wishing we had more time to explore.

What is a flying boat you may be asking.  Well, it is a boat that can fly.  The flying boats have a hull that can land on water and allowing it to function as a boat, a wing mounted engine and stabilising floats at the ends of the wings or attached to the hull.

Lake Boga itself is a beautiful lake that is used for water sports and recreation.  There are picnic tables, a playground and a jetty. However, during 1942-1947 it was a hive of activity in its role as the major flying plane depot for Australia and also servicing the Americans and Dutch.  Many important air missions were flown from here and over 400 aircraft were serviced at this depot.

The museum is housed in a modern aircraft hangar in the location of the original depot.  Included at the site is the communications bunker.  It is a real semi-underground bunker that has been lovingly recreated to look as it would have when it was in use.  The attention to detail and added audio feature make you feel like you are back in the days it was operational, and you can imagine what it was like for the people manning this bunker and how important it was to keep communications running.

In the museum entrance there are tea and coffee facilities, restrooms, gift shop and a research area where you can research people involved in the armed forces in the past.  The amazing staff can answer almost any question you may have and their enthusiasm for the history of the area and the war is infectious.  

As you walk through the doors to the main hangar area you can't help but be impressed with the humungous Catalina aircraft that takes center place and with its massive 31.7m wingspan it makes presence known.  The Catalina was set up for action with two gunners at the front, two at the back and one under the hull.  I needed all the protection it could get as it was well armed but big and slow. It could fly for up to 32 hours but only at a pace of around 288km/hr.  As you peer up at the cramped spaces the gunners were provided you can only imagine what it would have felt like in there for the long shifts when flying for 32hrs as there would only be two people taking shifts to man the guns.  The even harder position of the navigator as there was only ever one navigator on board so he would have to stay awake and in position for the entire journey.

While exploring the museum, you'll discover numerous fascinating treasures. There's a 1945 RAAF Ambulance complete with all its original parts, alongside over 500 artifacts, including various items discarded from the flying boats on the lake, which were retrieved when the lake dried up during a drought. You can try on uniforms and view a display featuring the currency Japan printed in preparation for a potential takeover of Australia.

They have a twenty minute historical film that is included in the admission and there is even a cafe that you can refuel yourself while taking in the beautiful view of the lake.

Lake Boga is just fifteen minutes away from Swan Hill, and a bus operates twice daily between the two locations. It's a four-hour drive from Melbourne, so consider spending a weekend visiting Swan Hill. Stay tuned for an upcoming blog on Swan Hill as well.