Musee de l'Air (Le Bourget)

Whilst on a holiday in Paris in 2013 I missed the opportunity to visit this Museum and regretted it for many years afterwards. So when another holiday to Paris was planned for the latter part of 2018, it was one of the things on my 'to do' list and it proved to be truly worth it.

The four main internal Gallery's are beautifully laid out, are all well lit and the items on display are just amazing. As I moved through each gallery, they kept getting better and better and I was absolutely awestruck by the manner in which the aircraft are displayed, in particular the jets.

However, the external displays were somewhat less than impressive as many of the aircraft are either outside and exposed to the elements or in large poorly lit hangars. Despite this though, there were still many aircraft on display that I hadn't seen before in the flesh, which made it all the more worthwhile. If you are ever in Paris, have the time and are interested in aviation history, then this is one Museum that you must visit.   

Historic Commercial Vehicle Club Display (Yarra Glen)

Another year and another display passes and despite the organisers best efforts, it seemed that the numbers were somewhat down this year. However, despite this there were still some absolute gems on display and it never ceases to amaze me just how many new vehicles I see every year, which makes attending this event all the more worthwhile.

Melbourne Tank Museum's 'Last Hoorah'

My first visit to the Melbourne Tank Museum was some 10 or more years ago and back then I marveled at the amazing collection of restored vehicles on display within the large hangar. However, the owner has since closed the museum and been progressively disposing of the collection to the point that only some 20-30 vehicles, mostly restored, now remain within the large hangar. With the remainder of this collection and everything else soon to be disposed of, the owner decided to have one last public opening and allowed access to all areas, including those that had previously out of bounds.

Having visited the museum in it's heydays and seen most of the restored vehicles at various rallies, my main interest and focus on this visit was to explore the back block/paddock, where many incomplete and unrestored vehicles lay in open storage, slowly succumbing to the elements. For the princely sum of a gold coin donation - which went to a local charity - I got to spend several hours exploring the back block, negotiating black berries and clambering over many of the unrestored vehicles. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, that will never be repeated again and one that I am glad not to have missed.