HARS will fly its Southern Cross replica into Balranald on 10 November, 93 years after Sir Charles Kingsford Smith’s original aircraft visited the town.
The Historical Aircraft Restoration Society’s (HARS) flying replica of the Southern Cross will land at Balranald in south-western NSW next week, marking 93 years since Sir Charles Kingsford Smith’s original Fokker visited the town.
The replica, VH-USU, is due to arrive at Balranald Airport at around 2pm on Tuesday 10 November, and the public is welcome to watch it arrive.
Kingsford Smith landed at Balranald on a short visit in November 1933, parking the Southern Cross near a navigational cross the federal government had built on the edge of town. That cross was later destroyed during firebreak works, which prompted local volunteers to establish the town’s Southern Cross Museum. The museum is still run by volunteers today.
The visit is presented by Balranald Southern Cross Inc. and HARS. The original Southern Cross made history in 1928 with the first trans-Pacific flight from the United States to Australia.
The replica was built in South Australia between 1980 and 1987, and was damaged at Parafield in 2002. HARS bought it in 2010 and returned it to the air in December 2023.
Celebrations continue on Wednesday 11 November with an anniversary gala dinner at Greenham Park Hall, Balranald, where guest speakers will discuss the Southern Cross, the Lady Southern Cross and Kingsford Smith’s career.
Tickets for the dinner cost $81, including a two-course meal, and are available through 123tix. The aircraft’s movements are subject to weather and operational conditions.