Back in April 1924, the two-man military aviator team of Squadron Leader ‘Jimmy’ Goble and Flight Lieutenant Ivor McIntyre took off from Point Cook, Victoria, on an ambitious first-ever attempt to fly around Australia.

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Author Tom Lockley, who has written the book on the grand endeavour and its impending centennial reenactment planned for this year, is asking Myall locals for more historical information.

“After the first scheduled stop at Sydney, a nasty storm and an exploded compass forced the aviators to land in the Myall River’s estuary, most likely near the main bend from Hawks Nest riverfront out towards Winda Woppa.

“While the flight’s journal has absolutely no mention of any human contact at that time with the plane, it doesn’t mean there wasn’t any, it’s more about the way they wrote logs,” Mr Lockley explained.

“The aviators did mention having to dodge oyster lease markers, so there must have been someone there.

“It was a military flight, to open up the north and investigate the use of seaplanes for defence of Northern Australia, as there were precious few military camps right round to Darwin.

“I am asking for any local information, even about the settlement in the area at that time – local Port Stephens history books do not seem to deal with it at all.”

Presently, two groups are planned for the centenary reenactment, each flying opposite directions around the country, although, aviation being a science prone to setbacks, the exact times and dates of the visit locally are yet to be confirmed.

April will be even busier along the Myall this year with the 50th Anniversary of the Singing Bridge celebrations already deep in planning for 6 April, and, of course, ANZAC Day on 25 April.

Anyone with any historical information on the 1924 landing can contact Tom Lockley at gobleflight@gmail.com.

By Thomas O’KEEFE