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Withdrawn from use in 1971.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.

Photographer John Baxter

Photographer John Baxter