Lake Boga and its flying boats
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325105)
Rockingham, Australia
July 6, 2018 5:09pm CST
Lake Boga in Victoria, Australia, is both a lake and a town. Its main claim to fame is that during World War II, it was a highly secret air force base for flying boats. There is now a very well appointed museum at Lake Boga displaying many items from this period. We watched a 20 minute video before wandering round the various displays.
There is a Catalina flying boat on display. I had no idea of the vital role these cumbersome flying boats played in keeping the Japanese off Australian shores during the war.
While I’m trying to get my facts straight about how they operated, here is a photo of cement blocks, each weighing two tons. These were placed at various points in Lake Boga with a huge balloon attached and were used as anchor points to moor the flying boats.
It is a great shame that so many of these historical places seem to be abandoned when their purpose vanishes and are left to wrack and ruin. These blocks were salvaged when the lake dried up many years later.
20 people like this
19 responses
@amadeo (111948)
• United States
6 Jul 18
Oh yes.I grinch when they take all the wonderful statue of Civil war down.
But you have these protester yelling take it down.they do not know the history of Civil war and have no clue
It is a shame.Why do they not give it to someone or sell it.Such a great piece of art
3 people like this
@RasmaSandra (73102)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
6 Jul 18
Love the photo. Interesting story. Yes, I think historical places should be better preserved if possible.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118300)
• Gainesville, Florida
7 Jul 18
It is very interesting how far spread the Japanese aggression was during WWII. There was no way that tiny island nation could have kept control of all the territory it was pursuing. They had their hand in China, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, all the Pacific Islands, Russia, and all the while fighting major battles against the US. It's crazy to think that they thought they could take us all on.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118300)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Jul 18
@JudyEv I'm pretty sure that was a real quote by the Admiral. It was a calculated risk by the Japanese, because ultimately they knew that the "sleeping giant" would get the best of them. They were just hoping to strike a mortal blow to us when we weren't expecting it.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325105)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Jul 18
I'm not sure if this is a 'real' quote or just from a film but it's attributed to Isoroku Yamamoto,Japanese Marshal Admiral of the Navy. He said: 'I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve'.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325105)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Jul 18
@moffittjc If the USA hadn't entered the war, the outcome would have been totally different.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (169476)
• United States
7 Jul 18
Never heard of flying boats..however, my former father in law was in Australia during WWII. He was a radio operator and set up his audio equipment to transmit info. after skirmishes.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (169476)
• United States
13 Jul 18
@JudyEv I really have no idea.I never heard. I think he was basically kind of a floater, and went to where any trouble or skirmishes were. When I was in Oregon, we went to Battery Russell which is the only place the Japanese fired on the U.S. mainfland. There are marks from shelling there.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325105)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Jul 18
@snowy22315 They were certainly making inroads into Australia although no-one knew too much about it at the time. It was all kept very quiet.
1 person likes this
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
9 Jul 18
I am not familiar with flying boats and how they did that or why.
1 person likes this
Just teasing. 
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
7 Jul 18
I have never heard of flying boats but planes that can land on water.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (325105)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Jul 18
That's what flying boats were - planes that could land or take off from water.
@kobesbuddy (74327)
• East Tawas, Michigan
6 Jul 18
I love hearing about the History, of your country. I know a little about European history, but almost nothing about Australia! Thank you, this is very interesting material and I enjoyed reading it:)
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (74327)
• East Tawas, Michigan
13 Jul 18
@JudyEv While in school, I thought history was a big waste of time. Now, I realize it's value and eat it up like candy!:)
1 person likes this
@Letranknight2015 (51487)
• Philippines
7 Jul 18
I hope those tourist spots would be taken care of and promote it again to tourist.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325105)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Jul 18
It is being well looked after now and it seems a lot of people go through the exhibits.
@JamesHxstatic (29233)
• Eugene, Oregon
10 Jul 18
I was inspired to read about the flying boats and they have a fascinating history.
? ?The PBY Catalina is the world’s most successful Flying Boat with 3,272 examples being built, including 1,418 built as amphibians. Developed from two earlier flying boat designs previously...
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325105)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Jul 18
Thanks for the link. There were several different 'brands' and the part they played in fending off the Japanese was very significant.
@DeborahDiane (40009)
• Laguna Woods, California
8 Jul 18
@JudyEv - How interesting! I am glad you are keeping history alive by reminding us of these interesting places!
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
6 Jul 18
My kind of place to visit.
1 person likes this
