John Flynn Place - QLD

Museum & Art Gallery.

John Flynn Place Museum, Cloncurry honours an Australian visionary and those who joined his campaign for better living conditions in remote Australia.

It records an era of technological advance when aviation and radio overcame the isolation of vast tracts of Australia. In particular, it records the role of Cloncurry within this great story, for it was here that John Flynn began his flying doctor experiment in 1928 and pioneered his dream of outback radio communication.

The museum also plays tribute to the amazing work of Alfred Traeger, the inventive genius who gave a voice to Outback Australia through the pedal radio.

The centre also encompasses the work of Allan Vickers, who joined the Aerial Medical Service of the Australian Inland Mission, and in 1931-1934 was a medical superintendent in Cloncurry.

Incorporated within the museum is the Fred McKay Art Gallery, named after Flynn’s successor, which houses an impressive art collection, acquired largely through Cloncurry’s annual Ernest Henry Memorial Art Show.

The gardens of John Flynn Place Museum incorporate a Cloister of Plaques commemorating the life and work of pioneer radio engineers and radio operators, the original flying doctors, the first aerial medical pilots and early patrol padres.

The John Flynn Place Museum and Art Gallery is set across three levels which are linked via ramps that are wheelchair friendly.