Dear Monument Australia visitors, we are a self-funded, non-profit organisation, dedicated to recording monuments throughout Australia. Over time the costs of maintaining this website have risen substantially (in fact they are probably larger than those of many companies who exist for profit). In the past we have borne all the costs associated with maintaining the website but we are now having difficulties in paying the monthly expenses.
If Monument Australia is useful to you, please make a donation to keep this historical and educational resource available. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Home » Themes » Technology » Industry
Sir Ross Smith & Sir Keith Smith Landing SitePrint Page 
The monument commemorates the landing site of the first official flight from England to Australia through the Air Race of 1919 by Adelaide brothers Ross and Keith Smith in a Vickers Vimy aircraft.
The aircraft set out from Hounslow, London on November 12, 1919, and reached Darwin 28 days later to claim the £10,000 Commonwealth Government prize as the first Australians to fly from England to Australia in less than 30 days.
The Smith Brothers were knighted by His Majesty, George V, on December 22, 1919. Sir Ross was born at Semaphore and Sir Keith in North Adelaide. Flying with the Smith Brothers on their epic journey were mechanics Sergeant J. M. Bennett of St Kilda, Victoria, and Sergeant Wally Shiers of Stepney, South Australia. Both mechanics received bars to their Air Force medals and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.
Location
| Address: | Hampstead Road & Redward Avenue, Lightsview, 5085 |
|---|---|
| State: | SA |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -34.865451 Long: 138.618801 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Technology |
| Sub-Theme: | Industry |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 12-November-1919 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 23-March-1920 |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | 2020 |
|---|
G - EAOU
Day 1 Hounslow
Lyons
Pisa
Rome
Taranto
Suda Bay
Cairo
Damascus
Ramadi
Basra
Bandar Abbas
Karachi
Delhi
Allahabad
Calcutta
Akyab
Rangoon
Bangkok
Singora
Singapore
Surabaya
Bima
Day 28 Port Darwin
Plaque:
On 12 November 1919, a twin-engine Vickers Vimy (registration G-EAOU) departed Hounslow, near London, as part of the Great Air Race from England to Australia.
On board were pilot Ross Smith, navigator Keith Smith and mechanics James Bennett and Wally Shiers.
They flew more than 18,000km in 27 days and 20 hours, landing at Port Darwin on 10 December 1919. As race winners, they were awarded a £10,000 prize. Of the six Australian crews who competed, only two made it home.
Today, the Vickers Vimy G-EAOU can be seen at Adelaide Airport.
Plaque :
On this site on 23rd March 1920, the first plane to fly from England to Australia, Vickers Vimy G-EAOU, landed to be greeted by a crowd of 20,000 people
