GOVE AIRPORT CONTROL TOWER
Arnhemland Historical Society
Gove Tower, Office Building housing ALHS Collection and Lockheed Ventura A59-73 damaged by fire.
Gove ARC Tower Martin-Eadie Airways Museum image
The discovery of bauxite in 1952 led to the refining of alumina in 1972 saw the mining town of Nhulunbuy on the Gove Peninsular grow to become the NT’s third largest town by the 1980s when it was connected by DC-9 and F.28 jet services.
Disaster was narrowly averted when an Ansett DC-9 from Cairns failed to land after three attempts during Wet season storms and with Darwin & Katherine’s Tindal strips weather affected, the pilot was forced by critical fuel shortage to divert to the short Groote Eylandt airfield from which it was only just able to take-off after the removal of all passengers & freight.
By the mid-1980s, Government policy required Aerodrome Control wherever regular public jet services operated. The Gove Tower was built on a mound to save installing a lift & completed in 1986, along with six houses in town for 3 Air Traffic Control & 3 Bureau of Meteorology staff.
Somewhat belatedly it was deemed not to be cost-effective and so never commissioned. Ian Jennings of Gove Flight Service remembers occasionally visiting the Tower where mushrooms flourished on the unattended console. The Gove Tower is thus unique in Australia - having cost $1.8 million it was never used.
Disaster was narrowly averted when an Ansett DC-9 from Cairns failed to land after three attempts during Wet season storms and with Darwin & Katherine’s Tindal strips weather affected, the pilot was forced by critical fuel shortage to divert to the short Groote Eylandt airfield from which it was only just able to take-off after the removal of all passengers & freight.
By the mid-1980s, Government policy required Aerodrome Control wherever regular public jet services operated. The Gove Tower was built on a mound to save installing a lift & completed in 1986, along with six houses in town for 3 Air Traffic Control & 3 Bureau of Meteorology staff.
Somewhat belatedly it was deemed not to be cost-effective and so never commissioned. Ian Jennings of Gove Flight Service remembers occasionally visiting the Tower where mushrooms flourished on the unattended console. The Gove Tower is thus unique in Australia - having cost $1.8 million it was never used.
The External Artefacts Collection
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Gove Tower & Office Building
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SE end of compound - wreckage of Boomerang A46-173 crashed Pt Arrowsmith F/O Roy Ayre killed.
The Aircraft
Boomerang A46-30 a Rod Farquhar image
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Boomerang A46-122 Suzy-Q a Darren Mottram image
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"The crashed Boomerang in the compound is a CA13 variant (Build no – 996) delivered to the RAAF in January 1944. The RAAF gave it the serial number A46-173 (No Known nicknames or nose art) and it served with 83 Sqn in Gove. I don’t believe 83 Squadron Boomerangs whilst in Gove took part in much action with only a scramble to chase off a high altitude Japanese float plane being listed along with marine patrol and shipping escorts, by this time few Japanese units were operating in the area.
On 22/5/44 A46-173 took off at 9:20am along with Boomerang A46-102 piloted by P/O D. S. Oliver, 411176 on a Sector familiarization and gunnery flight. When about to commence a gunnery run, P/O Oliver noticed that A46-173 was strongly afire, with flames issuing from the engine on the port side. The formation was at approximately 500'altitude when A46-173 lost height and crashed within a few seconds into timbered country about 80 air miles South from Gove approximately 1 mile inland between Port Arrowsmith and Cape Shields at approximately 9:50am. The pilot F/O Roy Eric Ayre (422095) (KIA, BR) (Punchbowl, NSW) was unable to bail out at the low altitude and was killed in the crash.
The scene of the crash was inspected from the air, and it was observed that the aircraft had been completely burnt out, only the wing tips, empennage, and fuel tanks remaining – and there was no sign of the pilot. The Squadron Medical Officer F/Lt K. F. D. Sweetman and Squadron Engineer Officer F/O A. W. Bonham proceeded to the scene of the crash, arriving there at approximately 1700 hours the following day. They found the body of F/O Ayre lying amidst the wreckage of the burnt-out aircraft. Death appeared to have been instantaneous.
Roy was born on the 12th September 1920 in Bexley, NSW. He enlisted on the 25th April 1942. The remains of the aircraft have since been recovered to Nhulunbuy (Gove) airport by the local historic group. At least one of the Boomerangs operated by No. 83 Squadron remains in flying condition under private ownership. A further No. 83 Squadron Boomerang has been preserved at the RAAF Museum and the fuselage of another is at the Australian National Aviation Museum. The attached photos are of actual 83 squadron aircraft." (Paul Muchow - Arnhemland Historical Society)
[On 1/9/45 - following recovery by the RAE & Australian Graves Registry & Enquiry Unit aboard the Lady Yetive - the remains of Roy Ayres were reinterred at the Adelaide River War Cemetery at C. A. 2.]
On 22/5/44 A46-173 took off at 9:20am along with Boomerang A46-102 piloted by P/O D. S. Oliver, 411176 on a Sector familiarization and gunnery flight. When about to commence a gunnery run, P/O Oliver noticed that A46-173 was strongly afire, with flames issuing from the engine on the port side. The formation was at approximately 500'altitude when A46-173 lost height and crashed within a few seconds into timbered country about 80 air miles South from Gove approximately 1 mile inland between Port Arrowsmith and Cape Shields at approximately 9:50am. The pilot F/O Roy Eric Ayre (422095) (KIA, BR) (Punchbowl, NSW) was unable to bail out at the low altitude and was killed in the crash.
The scene of the crash was inspected from the air, and it was observed that the aircraft had been completely burnt out, only the wing tips, empennage, and fuel tanks remaining – and there was no sign of the pilot. The Squadron Medical Officer F/Lt K. F. D. Sweetman and Squadron Engineer Officer F/O A. W. Bonham proceeded to the scene of the crash, arriving there at approximately 1700 hours the following day. They found the body of F/O Ayre lying amidst the wreckage of the burnt-out aircraft. Death appeared to have been instantaneous.
Roy was born on the 12th September 1920 in Bexley, NSW. He enlisted on the 25th April 1942. The remains of the aircraft have since been recovered to Nhulunbuy (Gove) airport by the local historic group. At least one of the Boomerangs operated by No. 83 Squadron remains in flying condition under private ownership. A further No. 83 Squadron Boomerang has been preserved at the RAAF Museum and the fuselage of another is at the Australian National Aviation Museum. The attached photos are of actual 83 squadron aircraft." (Paul Muchow - Arnhemland Historical Society)
[On 1/9/45 - following recovery by the RAE & Australian Graves Registry & Enquiry Unit aboard the Lady Yetive - the remains of Roy Ayres were reinterred at the Adelaide River War Cemetery at C. A. 2.]
Inside the Control Tower & ALHS Collection
View of Gove airport from the Control tower.
Panoramic view of the Gove Tower with Paul Muchow & Maria Robbins.
The Arnhem Land Historical Society meeting room and artefacts display.
Artefacts Scatter
Recovering Artefacts
AWM image NWA0925 Gove 1945 - bomb loading gantry similar to one being recovered in image below.
Gove, NT. 1945-06-29. A Lockheed Ventura bomber aircraft of No. 13 Squadron RAAF being armed with depth charges prior to take off to give aerial cover to convoys of ships north of Australia. Left to right: 162239 Leading Aircraftman (LAC) F. G. Sedgwick of Lithgow, NSW; 20898 Corporal W. F. Newhouse of Sawtell, NSW; 38560 LAC H. S. Moir of Cottesloe, WA, and 144364 LAC G. S. Alley of Prahran, Vic.
