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Southern Cloud Park Print Page 
Southern Cloud Park was named in memory of the passengers and crew of the Southern Cloud aeroplane which crashed in the Snowy Mountains in 1931 and was Australia`s first major air disaster. The wreckage was not found until 1958.
On March 21, 1931 the three engine aeroplane disappeared without a trace on a flight from Sydney to Melbourne. The plane was carrying six passengers and two crew. The mystery was finally unraveled 27 years later when the Snowy Mountains Hydro Scheme was in construction. On October 26, 1958, Tom Sonter a carpenter left his camp 15 miles from Happy Jacks and came upon rusted metal. The riddle of the Southern Cloud had been solved.
The Southern Cloud lay on the South West side of the densely timbered mountain ridge of the now Kosciuszko National Park. It was Australia`s first big civil airline disaster.
Location
| Address: | Sharp & Creek Streets, Southern Cloud Park, Cooma, 2630 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -36.237648 Long: 149.119274 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Park |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Disaster |
| Sub-Theme: | Aviation |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 21-March-1931 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 26-October-1958 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Saturday 13th October, 1962 |
|---|
Southern Cloud Park
(Plaque located on memorial)
LIONS CLUB OF COOMA
THIS PARK AND THE
AVIATION PIONEERS MEMORIAL
WAS OFFICIALLY OPENED BY
PROFESSOR T.D.J.LEECH,
C.B.E., B.Sc., F.R.Ae.S., M.I.N.Z.E., M.I.E. AUST.
AN AVIATION PIONEER
ON SATURDAY, 13th OCTOBER, 1962
DURING THE SEVENTEENTH FESTIVAL OF THE SNOWS
THE PARK WAS NAMED
SOUTHERN CLOUD PARK
IN MEMORY OF THE PASSENGERS AND CREW
OF THE AVRO X AIRCRAFT ‘SOUTHERN CLOUD’
WHICH WAS LOST IN THE SNOWY MOUNTAINS
21st MARCH 1931, FOUND 26th OCTOBER, 1958.
Andrius Rimka Engineer & Architect
A.T.M. Lithuania
Cleve Maher Project Chairman
Bryce Peddie President
