Operated by TAA until April 1971. Sold in the US as N188LA. Photo via Ben Dannecker

VH-TVF with the shortlived diagonal tail stripes. In 1960, leased to Ansett-ANA. Returned to TAA in 1966. Sold in the UK in 1967 and scrapped at Southend in 1970 after Australian authorities permanently grounded all Australian 700 series Viscounts. Photo via Ben Dannecker

Crashed Moothandilla Station, Queensland, on takeoff on February 6, 1951.

Withdrawn from use in 1971. Over the years since, it has moved from a museum to a car yard to storage on a farm. Photo by: Barrie Colledge

VH-AFA as it originally went into service with the name "Hume". When that was transferred to Viscount VH-TVD, VH-AFA was renamed "Collins". It was sold in Nigeria as VR-NCO in November, 1957. Photo by: Barrie Colledge

Reregistered as in the "Sunbird" block as VH-SBA in December 1960. On its return from Papua New Guinea, it was repainted in TAA's mainland livery. In 1971, -SBA was painted in the original TAA livery to re-enact the airline's first service, which was flown by VH-AES. The DC-3 then returned to PNG until retired in 1974. From 1979 to 1987, the unregistered DC-3 was displayed at Melbourne airport in its original livery. In 1988, it was made airworthy again as VH-AES . Current at the time of upload. Photo by: Barrie Colledge

Sold in Nigeria as VR-NCK in August 1957. Photo by: Barrie Colledge

Sold in the US as N9313R in December 1959. Photo by: Barrie Colledge

Transferred to the Papua New Guinea register as P2-TGX in May 2004. Mike Madden photo

TAA operated VH-TGS in Papua New Guinea until 1972. It was then sold in Canada as CF-CCE. Photo from: Ken Broomhead

Built as a -100 and converted to a -200 in 1969. Transferred to the Papua New Guinea register as P2-TGU in May 1974. Dave Eyre photo

Two of TAA's 'new' DC-3 freighters parked at Essendon on a Sunday afternoon. VH-TAE was built to a USAAF order as 42-92274 but delivered to the RAAF as A65-29. Sold to TAA and registered on 27 September 1946. Re-registered and renamed VH-SBL 'Mt Hagen' in 1960 for TAA's New Guinea 'Sunbird' services. Sold to Air Niugini in 1973 as P2-SBL. Returned to the Australian Register as VH-SBL in 1981 and still current. VH-AEZ, in the background, served with the USAAF as 42-23949 until sold to TAA and registered in Australia on 2 May 1945, named 'Currie'. Became VH-EWD with East-West Airlines in 1955.

Nearly brand new - TAA's Thomas Mitchell parked outside the TAA hangar at Essendon, as seen from the Bulla Road (now the Tullamarine Freeway). The aircraft had been registered just a few months earlier on 4 November 1946.