In 2007, QANTAS recognised the historic value and growing size of the collection and invited the TAA 25 Year Club Inc. to relocate to a larger site with public and disabled access. The new location became available at York Street, Airport West in Melbourne, opposite the original site of TAA's operations established in 1947. This site has since become a critical training facility for both pilots and cabin crew.
The original small area allocated in 1988 in Franklin Street, TAA's Head Office (later transferred to QANTAS), was modified to house selected articles considered historically valuable. In 1992, approval was granted to expand the museum space and approximately 150 square metres was allocated on the 11th Floor — reducing overcrowding, though the area still had major limitations for public access and was not considered suitable for regular admission.
Today the Museum houses more than 150,000 items and continues to attract donations of personal effects, TAA memorabilia, and recovered artefacts from markets, op shops, second-hand dealers, and private collections throughout Australia. From small beginnings, this has become the only dedicated museum portraying the commercial Australian aviation history — spanning TAA, Australian Airlines, and many smaller airlines that once served communities across the country.
We also house an extensive technical collection of real aircraft parts, engineering and pilot training boards, and interactive displays to educate and interest minds both young and old.
The Museum relocated to Tullamarine and we had our Grand Opening on August 11th 2026.. More on the Museum's history can be found here.
