Guinea Airways sets up the first Adelaide-to-Darwin passenger and airmail service with Lockheeds from 1937
Adelaide's Guinea Airways' solidified its coast-to-coast (Parafield to Darwin) service when it won the government airmail contract in 1938.
Image courtesy State Library of South Australia
Adelaide-based Guinea Airways helped usher in a new era in Australian aviation when it bought two American Lockheed 10A (Electra) aircraft in 1936. Guinea’s VH-UXH, arriving at Port Adelaide aboard SS Hauraki, was the first Lockheed of its type in Australia.
With Australian National Airways’ (ANA) Douglas DC-2, it was the start of fast all-metal aircraft. (Australian National Airways emerged later in 1936 from Adelaide Steamship company’s Adelaide Airways merger with Holyman Airways.)
Guinea’s VH-UXH was assembled in Adelaide Airways’ Parafield airport hangar. After going to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for demonstration flights, VH-UXH (able to carry 10 passengers, two crew and 670 pounds of freight, baggage and mail) went to New Guinea, where it was based at Wau, operated as part of its Adelaide parent company’s gold mining. It also did charter flights to Australia, including one to the Melbourne Cup.
When Guinea Airways decided the VH-UXH wasn’t suited to New Guinea conditions, it was ferried back to Parafield in 1937 and used to survey a route to Darwin. A weekly service to Darwin started in 1937, carrying mail on a two-day trip, with stops at Maree, Oodnadatta, Alice Springs (overnight), Tennant Creek, Daly Waters and Katherine.
In 1937, VH-UXH was chartered by Melbourne Sun newspaper to meet the first England-Australia airmail aircraft arriving in Darwin with photos and details of the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. The Guinea plane completed the 2,280-miles from Darwin to Melbourne in 12 hours 52 minutes at 10,000-12,000 feet.
Charter work for Guinea Airways increased, enabling it to build a large hangar at Parafield, housing all operations. It also started a service to Sydney but handed it to Ansett Airways because of the increasing demands of Guinea’s service to Darwin.
By late 1937, Guinea had three 10A Lockheeds provided the popular twice-a-week service to/from Parafield to Darwin. This became three flights a week in 1938 when it won the government airmail contract to connect with the Qantas/Imperial overseas flying boat service to the United Kingdom.