Qantas Founders Museum Guide and Review |

If you are trying to decide which tour to take at the Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach, Queensland, hopefully, this review will help you decide.

My family visited Longreach right before the beginning of “the season,” which runs from April to October each year.

We heard that attractions in Longreach are booked out in advance, and while that was not the case on our holiday, make sure you book your top picks well in advance if you are visiting Longreach during their busy season.

While Qantas officially began in Winton, Longreach is home to the Qantas Founders Museum, which is not owned or run by Qantas Airlines in any way.

In addition to a museum, there are quite a few tours and experiences available at Qantas Founders Museum. Keep reading to find out which tours or experiences are best for you.

Arriving at Qantas Founders Museum

Outside of the Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach

The Qantas Founders Museum is located at 1 Hudson Fysh Drive, next to the Longreach Airport.

It is impossible to miss the museum as there is a very large plane with the Qantas logo of a kangaroo located right next to the road.

Parking is free in the parking lot by the museum, and there are signs pointing toward the museum. All tours begin at the museum, and you need to check in at the welcome desk.

If you need to rent a car in Longreach, check current prices with Rentalcars.com.  After arriving in Longreach by train, we rented a car with Avis.

Qantas Founders Museum

Admission into the Qantas Founders Museum does not include any additional tours or experiences, but some tours do include entry into the museum.

After checking in at the front desk, visitors are given a wristband for museum entry that allows guests to go in and out of the museum for the entire day. The day of the week is listed on the wristband.

The Qantas Founders Museum tells the story of Qantas Airlines over the past 100 years. Qantas began in Outback Queensland in the 1920s.

There is a wide variety of interactive exhibits and displays about the history of plane travel with Qantas.

The Economy Experience option includes museum entry only. It does not include access to the 747 or 707, which are visible from the road and the parking lot.

Tour Options

While the museum is informative and enjoyable, there are a few tour options that let you see inside the planes at Qantas Founders Museum.

Preflight Breakfast Tour

small plane inside the heritage hanger at Qantas Founders Museum

For those looking for a quick tour early in the morning, check out the Preflight Breakfast Tour at Qantas Founders Museum.

This tour does not include museum entry, though it can be added on.

The Preflight Breakfast Tour is a 30-minute experience that includes a tour of the National Heritage Listed Qantas Hangar, which was built in 1922, and then breakfast at McGuinness Restaurant inside the museum.

This tour runs with a minimum of 4 guests and a maximum of 20 guests.

Premium Economy

Inside a plane at Qantas Founders Museum

Up to 32 guests are welcome to join the Premium Economy Tour, which includes museum entry and a 1.5-hour-long guided tour of the airpark.

While this tour includes museum entry, the museum is on your own time and can be viewed before or after the tour. You are welcome to stay in the museum as long as you would like.

The tour begins in the Qantas Hangar and then continues to the larger planes, which are in a fenced-in area that can not be entered unless you are on a tour.

Tour members can go on 3 of the 4 planes, including the Boeing 747, Boeing 707, and the Super Constellation.

There is a lot of information given on this tour on the history of Qantas, as well as the history and design of the planes that you see.

During the busy season, there are 4 Premium Economy tours each day, while in the summer months, there are 2 tours a day.

747 Wing Walk Business Class Tour

wing walk on a boeing 747, on the ground at Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach — Wing Walk on a Boeing 747

The Wing Walk includes an hour-long tour of the Boeing 747 and includes a wing walk at the end.

Up to 6 guests can join this tour, but all participants must be at least 12 years old. Anyone aged 12-17 needs to be accompanied by an adult who is also on the tour.

Everyone on the Business Class Tour needs to wear closed-toed shoes.

The Business Class Tour takes place 3 times a day during the busy season and twice a day in the summer.

In addition to getting to walk out on the wing of a 747, participants get to sit in the Captain’s chair in the cockpit.

in the captains seat in the cockpit of a boeing 747, longreach Qantas Museum — In the captain’s seat on a Boeing 747

First Class

For those who are interested in multiple experiences, First Class includes museum admission, the guided airpark tour that is included with Premium Economy, and the wing walk tour that is included in Business Class.

Captain’s Club

The Captain’s Club is the most exclusive (re: expensive) tour offered at Qantas Founders Museum and must be booked at least 36 hours in advance.

Tours run once a day at 8 a.m. and last 4 hours. Only 6 guests can join each Captain’s Club tour.

Participants must be at least 12 years old to participate in the Captain’s Club tour, and everyone must wear closed-toed shoes.

In addition to everything offered on the First Class Tour, Captain’s Club includes a wing walk on both the 747 and the 707, as well as a meal voucher and a souvenir montage photo.

McGinness’s Restaurant

McGinness’s Restaurant, located inside the Qantas Founders Museum, is open for breakfast and lunch. You do not need to purchase entry into the museum in order to enjoy a meal at McGinness’s Restaurant.

Bookings aren’t required, though they are available.

Drinks at McGinness’s include coffee, juice, smoothies, soft drinks, beer, and wine. Meal options include yogurt, eggs, and toast for breakfast and sandwiches, salads, and hot meals for lunch.

A kids’ menu is available at McGinness’s Restaurant, and there are coloring sheets for kids to complete while they are waiting for their meals.

Luminescent Longreach

Come back to the Qantas Founders Museum at night to experience a 23-minute-long light and sound show performed on the planes.

The story of Qantas is told in this unique experience.

While this show is standing room only, during our visit, everyone took a nearby chair and sat down for the performance. We did need to turn to see when the display changed planes, but it was an easy alternative to standing.

Photographs are not permitted during this performance.

A minimum of 10 guests must be in attendance for Luminescent Longreach to run. If the first show sells out, they add another show, and then another.

Qantas Founders Museum Wrap-Up

Family standing in the engine of a boeing 747 (not in use)

My family originally signed up for the Premium Economy Tour and Luminescent Longreach.

While on the tour, I decided to do the Wing Walk, which we did not originally book, as the kids are not 12 years old. Luckily, due to it being right before the season started, I was able to join in on the tour, so our family saw the museum, went on the Premium Tour, and saw Luminescent Longreach, while I also went on the Business Class Tour.

We booked the first Premium Economy Tour of the day, which began shortly after we arrived. The tour guide is knowledgeable and full of facts about the aircraft and the history of Qantas. We were allowed on board multiple planes.

Partway through the tour, our guide arranged for me to stay in the enclosed area and join in on the wing walk tour.

My family was not allowed to stay in the enclosed area after their tour was over. They went to see the museum and came back to watch me when it was time to wing walk.

The hour-long tour before the wing walk takes place entirely on the Boeing 747. I was able to sit in the Captain’s chair, see in the back of the plane, and view different areas of the plane than we saw on the Premium Economy Tour.

The wing walk is not scary at all. You are attached to the plane, and even still, the wing is so large that falling off of it is not a worry.

I didn’t get to explore the museum for long, as my family was there for an hour while I was on the tour.

There is a movie and a large room with exhibits, some of which are hands-on. Purchasing entry into the museum includes both the area indoors as well as outdoors under the National Heritage Listed Qantas Hangar.

We stayed for lunch at McGuinness and browsed through the shop before leaving the Qantas Founders Museum about 4 hours after we arrived.

Later that night, we drove back to the museum for the Luminescent Longreach show.

Qantas Museum FAQ

How long is the Qantas Museum Tour?

Qantas Museum Tours range from 30 minutes to 4 hours long, depending on which one you choose.

The Preflight Breakfast tour is 30 minutes long.
Premium Economy is 1.5 hours long.
Business Class with the wing walk is 1 hour long.
First Class is 2.5 hours long, as it includes both Premium Economy and Business Class.
Captain’s Club is 4 hours long.

How long do you need at the Qantas Museum in Longreach?

It depends on how much you want to do, but allow at least 2 hours, not including any tours, to see the Qantas Museum.

What planes are at the Qantas Museum?

A Boeing 747, Boeing 707, Super Constellation, and a DC-3 are located at the Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach, Queensland.

What does Qantas stand for?

Qantas stands for Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services, as it was originally an airline serving just Queensland and Northern Territory.

If you are traveling with kids, find the best family-friendly accommodations in Longreach.

Qantas Founders Museum Guide and Review

Arriving at Qantas Founders Museum

Qantas Founders Museum