One hot sunny Sunday we were taken on an incredible journey!
I myself had never been four wheel driving that alone was an experience' scary & fun at the same time.The trip would be around 80 k's from Gladstone to visit a World War 11B-24d Bomber aircraft that crashed tragically in the wilderness hillside of Kroombit Tops national Park way back in 1945. It was a trip My husband & I still talk about every now & again. Thank's kids for a very ''special'' day......
The road had a lot to be desired, at one point my daughter & I got out of car & walked a little ahead to check on the road' as you can see it's really is in the middle of nowhere & I imagine you could only get there by four wheel drive on the other hand ''what do I know about car's.......
We finally arrived, only to find we had to walk a short walk to find ''Beautiful Betsy'' it was a very hot afternoon!
''And there she was'
In the middle of rugged wilderness' half a silver twisted plane with one wing resting between some very tall trees' shimmery silver, that same silver shinning through the bush that alerted the Ranger some 49 years after it crashed.
That day was the 2nd of August 1994 The Park Ranger Mark Roe spotted the slight glint of silver shinning though rugged mountain bush land the 'Sun in all it 's glory' did all it could that day to help those young men finally RIP
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On the 26 February 1945 Beautiful Betsy went missing.
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Beautiful Betsy' was was on a regular flight from Darwin to Brisbane in stormy weather transporting men & supplies.
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So very surreal......
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walking around the site you can't help but feel you are on a movie location
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Or a rustic metal fine art museum
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many many large & small pieces of metal from the plane are scattered some distance from Betsy...
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The bush setting around Beautiful Betsy goes on & on for ever, its truly nature at it's cruelest and yet most beautiful.........
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As we walked around there was a feeling of great sorrow' there were eight young men' six Americans & two British who's lives were taken from them to soon, The heartache they left behind for their loved one's. The not knowing what happened to their men all those year's ago!
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Officer Roy Cannon was to marry his Australian sweetheart Daphne. As I stood reading this plaque with sadness ' I wondered about Daphne & hoped that though it all & with terrible heartache & unbelievable grief, That in time somehow some where she manged to have a nice life.....
As sad as it all was. There truly was a real feeling for me anyhow' that Beautiful Betsy (although an American plane) is at peace lying in beautiful Australian bush-land. Among huge tall gum trees that now protect her.The sun that warms her' the rain that keeps her shinny, The wildlife that rest beside her.
THE BIRD'S THAT SING TO Beautiful Betsy
