When the Brisbane River Was a Runway!
Imagine standing beside the Brisbane River and watching a giant flying boat skim across the water, splash down and taxi towards its moorings — right here in Brisbane!
Long before modern Brisbane Airport, the river was used by seaplanes and flying boats carrying passengers, mail and freight.
And for a time, Brisbane was an important link in Australia's international air connection with Singapore and, ultimately, Britain.
THE STORY BEGINS IN 1925
On 6 August 1925, Italian aviator Marchese Francesco de Pinedo arrived in Brisbane during his extraordinary 55,000-kilometre Rome–Australia–Japan–Rome flight.
His Savoia-Marchetti S.16ter flying boat, Gennariello, landed on the Brisbane River.
Photographs held by the State Library of Queensland show the aircraft on the river.
From Brisbane, de Pinedo continued north, visiting places including Rockhampton, Townsville, Innisfail, Cooktown and Thursday Island.
And remarkably, the aircraft later collided with the Charlotte Street ferry while leaving Brisbane!
FLYING BOATS BECAME A FAMILIAR SIGHT
By the 1930s, seaplanes were becoming a regular sight on the Brisbane River.
One remarkable State Library of Queensland photograph from around 1935 shows a seaplane landing directly in front of the convict-built Commissariat Store and the Treasury Buildings.
Imagine looking out across the river and seeing an aircraft coming in to land!
BRISBANE AND SINGAPORE
Qantas had already begun international passenger services between Brisbane and Singapore in 1935, using de Havilland DH.86 aircraft. The journey took around three and a half days.
Then came something much bigger…
THE EMPIRE FLYING BOATS
On 21 December 1937, Imperial Airways' Short S.23 Empire flying boat Centaurus arrived on the Brisbane River during a survey flight ahead of the new flying-boat service.
The aircraft was moored near the Domain and Botanic Gardens.
Then, on 5 July 1938, Qantas Empire Airways' Cooee made its first landing in Brisbane on the new flying-boat service to Singapore.
The Empire flying boats used the Brisbane River around Hamilton and Pinkenba before continuing north towards Singapore.
From Singapore, passengers could connect with Imperial Airways services towards Britain.
LUXURY AIR TRAVEL
And these were no little aircraft!
The Short S.23 Empire flying boats could carry around 24 passengers by day, with sleeping accommodation for 16 on overnight stages.
Passengers enjoyed reclining seats, meals and refreshments, and a level of comfort that was extraordinary for its time.
The State Library of Queensland notes that a one-way ticket cost £200 — roughly an average year's wage.
The Brisbane–Singapore journey itself took around three days by Empire flying boat, with passengers then continuing onwards through Asia and towards Britain.
WAR CHANGED EVERYTHING
World War II dramatically changed flying-boat operations.
Qantas aircraft were pressed into wartime service, while flying boats were used for military transport, evacuation and long-distance communications.
After the war, however, flying boats found a very different role…
THE GREAT BARRIER REEF!
In 1947, Barrier Reef Airways began scheduled services from Brisbane's Hamilton Reach.
On 12 July 1947, its first airline service operated a Catalina from Brisbane to Gladstone and Heron Island.
Services to Daydream Island began later that year, with Lindeman Island added in 1948.
In 1950, Barrier Reef Airways introduced the magnificent Short S.25 Sandringham.
VH-BRC entered service on 23 May 1950, operating services to the Queensland island resorts, including Hayman Island.
Hamilton Reach handled passenger operations, while the wartime Colmslie flying-boat base supported aircraft operations.
THE RIVER WAS GETTING BUSY
As river traffic increased, operating large flying boats from the Brisbane River became increasingly difficult.
A new base was developed at Redland Bay.
In June 1953, the Redland Bay flying-boat base opened.
Ansett's Sandringham VH-BRC, Beachcomber, became the first passenger-carrying aircraft to alight at the new base.
Qantas then began using Redland Bay for its South Pacific services, including routes to Port Moresby and beyond.
From 1955, Ansett became the sole operator at Redland Bay, serving destinations including Lord Howe Island, Queensland island resorts and Gladstone.
And incredibly, flying boats continued operating from Redland Bay for almost another two decades.
THE FINAL FLIGHT
On 25 October 1971, Ansett Sandringham VH-BRF, Islander, departed Redland Bay for Sydney.
It was the final flying-boat flight from the base.
The Redland Bay flying-boat operation was officially closed in 1974.
So the next time you're beside the Brisbane River, spare a thought for the days when enormous aircraft were using the water as their runway.
There may not have been a conventional runway beneath them…
The river was the runway.
The jetty was the terminal.
And for a remarkable period, flying boats connected Brisbane with a rapidly changing world.
Just a river, a flying boat — and the extraordinary sight of an aircraft arriving right in the heart of Brisbane.
Would you have been brave enough to board a flying boat in the 1940s or 1950s?
Sources: State Library of Queensland — De Pinedo's 1925 Brisbane visit (https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/italian-aviator-visits-brisbane-during-long-distance-flight-1925 , State Library of Queensland — Empire flying boat luxury and passenger experience (https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/dilys-mary-birbeck-collection-england-sydney-flying-boat), Qantas — Our history, Redlands Coast Museum — Flying boat operations at Redland Bay, 1953–1971 (https://redlandscoastmuseum.org.au/flying-boat-operations-in-the-redland-shire-1953-to-1971)
To ℎelp bring tℎis story to life, we’ve colourised black and wℎite public domain pℎotograpℎs. Wℎile we ℎave carefully aimed for ℎistorical accuracy, some images may contain minor imperfections or artistic interpretation.
