Brisbane Eagle Farm

  1925 to 1988

  Australia

CITY: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

IATA/ICAO CODES: Nil

OTHER NAMES: Brisbane Eagle Farm

Eagle Farm Airfield opened in 1925 next to Brisbane's Racecourse. It soon became the headquarters for fledgling Qantas. however, Eagle Farm closed down on 31 January 1931 after civil operations were relocated to Brisbane Archerfield Airport. A number of hangars were relocated to the new airport.

As World War II was looming, Eagle Farm was impressed by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) on 8 March 1940 and handed over to US forces. The Americans built all the facilities at Eagle Farm, including drainage canals to deal with the swampy areas.The runway was extended and the airfield reopened in January 1942. The aerodrome was used as a reassembly and test airfield for aircraft shipped from the United States. As such, Brisbane was a major transit base for aircraft & units awaiting deployment with the 5^th Air Force in charge of the southwest Pacific.

Eagle Farm was returned to Australian ownership on 31 January 1947, exactly sixteen years after the civilian closure, and was reopened for civilian flights on 10 March 1947. It was permanently shut down in 1988 when all airline operations were transferred to the new Brisbane Airport built just to the north of Eagle Farm.

2^nd Combat Cargo Group (transit in 1943)