16 First St,
Moorabbin Airport
Come fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away…. Have you heard of the Australian National Aviation Museum? It’s a brilliant place to see all sorts of planes up close. You can climb in the cockpits, “fly” a jet, touch a propeller, and just generally be wowed. Sure.. there’s history and learning to be had too…but I have a two year old, I’ve got no time for that, haha. Just lots of looking, touching and exploring for us.
The good bits.
Planes!
Well maybe that’s obvious, but there was a large variety of planes within the museum. I don’t know much (anything!) about planes, but there are some signs around to help you out. Missy Moo enjoyed the cockpit of the biggest planes and probably would have stayed there all day had I let her; it’s a kids paradise. She very much enjoyed just mucking around in the seats too….would be ideal preparation if you have a long flight coming up.
History.
So much history to experience walking around the museum. I quite liked to check out the older commercial planes, you know with ashtrays in each arm rest (as above)! There were a few vintage posters, uniforms and advertising materials around too which I love looking at.
Volunteers.
Founded in 1962 the museum is run by a dedicated group of volunteers and members, which really shows their commitment to the history and preservation of aviation in Australia. Love it.
Hands on.
As mentioned earlier this is a very hands on and interactive museum. We were simply told on arrival that if there were stairs leading up to a plane you were welcome to hop in and explore it. There was a heap of choices, and we didn’t feel crowded at any time.
Things to note.
Indoor/outdoor.
The museum is about 50:50 inside vs outside. I didn’t realise it was outdoors (not sure why), hence why Missy Moo ended up wearing her rain suit onesie as I forgot to pack a jacket….#mumfail. The hanger (indoor space) is a little crowded, but certainly a lot to look at, touch and climb into.
BYO Food.
There is a small kiosk but essentially the museum is BYO for food. If it is a nice day pack a picnic rug. There is a walkable café nearby but it wasn’t open on Sundays (when we visited). We drove to DFO (a few minutes away) for our coffee fix when we were done. No coffee available on site.
A little worn.
Some of the elements are a bit worn and loved. This didn’t bother me at all, in fact it made me much happier that my toddler could climb on things without as much stress on my end.
Overall….a pretty great place!
Costs.
Adult $10
Child $5 (children under 5 free)
Family $20
Concession / Pensioner $7
We had a blast at the Australian National Aviation Museum and would highly recommend you check it out. I feel like this museum would definitely be a place to visit if you came across it on holidays, but perhaps is overlooked being essentially in our backyards…. I rate it an 8/10 and had a great day out.
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