In the 1930s, the Charleville airport was one of the stopping points on the Kangaroo route between London and Brisbane which took 20 days to complete, and the first Qantas flight took off from here. Even today it's maintained as an emergency airport that can land a 747, and is under the flight path of most flights to Asia from Sydney and Melbourne.
Over 3500 Americans and 160 aircraft were stationed at their top secret base at the Charleville airport during WWII. The crews of B-17 and B-24 bombers were trained in the use of the highly sensitive and secret Norden Bomb Sight which was used by the Enola Gay, and many other bombing missions during the war.
It was also the marshalling point for bombers in the battle of the Coral Sea, which was the turning point in the war over the Pacific.
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