A hundred years after it was first built, celebrations will continue for Hinkler House with a special exhibition honouring Bert Hinkler’s former home.
The Bert: Out of the archive IV exhibition is currently on display and free to view in the Lex Rowland Gallery at the Hinkler Hall of Aviation during opening hours.
Specially curated to honour Bundaberg’s pioneering aviator, the display traces the journey of his home from Southampton, England to its current location in the Bundaberg Botanic Gardens.
A history of Hinkler House
Sitting proudly alongside the Hinkler Hall of Aviation is Bert Hinkler’s English home which was originally built by Bert and Nance in 1926 in Southampton, England.
After the house was scheduled for demolition in the early 1980s a passionate group of locals, led by Lex Rowland alongside Stan Lohse and Merv Purkiss who were dedicated to preserving the memory of the aviation great, steered a community campaign to purchase and relocate the house.
The project, which has provided the Bundaberg Region with not only an enduring tourist attraction but a lasting personal legacy of the feats of the pioneer aviator, was completed through hours of volunteer labour.
The Hinkler House Memorial Museum and Research Association Inc website details the relocation efforts, contributing the project’s success to the fundraising of $60,000 and those who worked tirelessly throughout the process, especially the East Bundaberg Rotary Club.
Hinkler House was painstakingly rebuilt, brick-by-brick, and was officially opened on 16 June 1984 by then Premier of Queensland Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen.
Around 4,500 people attended the opening which was marked by a special flyover by an American Air Force Starlifter aircraft and the local Bundaberg Aero Club.
Find out more information in this feature article.
Bundaberg Regional Council recognises the work and contribution of the Hinkler House Memorial Museum and Research Association Inc.
Bert: Out of the archive IV exhibition
Where: Lex Rowland Gallery, Hinkler Hall of Aviation
When: Open from now until Sunday 30 August from 9 am to 3 pm
Cost: Free (costs apply to full Hinkler Hall of Aviation experience).
More information here.
