OPENING HOURS
May to September
Monday to Friday
9:00 AM - 4:00PM
Weekends and Public Holidays
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
October to April
Monday to Friday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Weekends and Public Holidays
CLOSED
John Flynn Place
Phone: 07 4742 4174
"Funny thing about Flynn, he looked like a bloke from the city, but he always had the smell of the bush about him.”
Fred McKay
John Flynn Place
John Flynn Place honours a great Australian visionary who helped transform outback life.
It was in Cloncurry that Flynn began his “flying doctor” experiment, and where he pioneered his scheme of outback radio communication.
The first official Royal Flying Doctor flight took off from Cloncurry in 1928. In the following year, Flynn's radio expert, Alfred Traeger, installed the world's first pedal radio at a local homestead which helped transform the once isolated outback into a connected part of Australia and the world.
John Flynn Place opened in 1988 as an Australian Bicentennial project, with funds raised across the country to help honour his memory and contributions to Australia.
Entry Level
The John Flynn Gallery focused on Flynn's life and work, and the early history of the Australian Inland Mission.
See Flynn's 'Magic Lantern Slideshow' as well as the only portrait of Flynn that was painted in his lifetime.
The Flying Doctor Gallery focuses on the early history of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia and includes a quarter-scale model of the Victory, the first Flying Doctor aircraft.
Basement
On the way down to the basement, you can read all about "Flynn's Mob" before coming into the Ernest Henry Outback Theatre. Here is where you can watch six historic films about the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Inland Mission.
You will also find the world's first pedal radio and a rare Traeger portable pedal radio from 1936 that was used by patrol padre Rev. Fred McKay.
Upper Levels
See Queensland's first School of the Air, established in Cloncurry in 1960, and listen to a recorded reenactment of a radio call to the Flying Doctor.
The Fred McKay Art Gallery takes its name from John Flynn's successor. The gallery features artworks inspired by the Flying Doctor Service and the Outback.
Courtyard and Gardens
The courtyard is home to a fully restored replica of John Flynn's Dodge, used on his journeys across the Outback.
The gardens are also home to the Allan Vickers Outdoor Theatre, a great place to relax or to hold a social event.