Historic warbirds to buzz the Riverina this Anzac Day

AFTER missing out last year, Junee is back on the Anzac Day flypast schedule, with a historic Spitfire set to thunder over town during Saturday’s main service.

The return of the much-anticipated flypast will see a Spitfire Mk VIII buzz Junee at 11am, coinciding with the town’s main Anzac Day service.

The aircraft is expected to pass overhead as the town gathers around the Cenotaph in Broadway, adding a powerful aerial tribute to one of the most solemn and significant days on the national calendar.

The flypast, delivered by the Temora Aviation Museum in partnership with RAAF No. 100 Squadron, forms part of a wider program of commemorative flights across the Riverina and South West Slopes.

Scroll down for a full list of towns and times!

The special aerial tribute will see iconic Spitfire and Wirraway aircraft pass overhead at key Anzac Day services throughout the morning, bringing a dramatic and deeply symbolic link to the wartime past as communities gather to remember those who served and sacrificed.

The Junee flypast will come midway through the Spitfire’s late-morning regional run, with the aircraft due over Harden at 10.30am, Cootamundra at 10.45am, Junee at 11am, and Wagga at 11.10am, before returning to Temora.

CA-16 Wirraway | Image: Temora Aviation Museum

A separate CA-16 Wirraway will also conduct flypasts elsewhere across the region, including Uranquinty, Wagga, The Rock, Lockhart, Coolamon, Ariah Park, Ardlethan, Yenda and Griffith.

An EC-135 Royal Australian Navy helicopter will also thrill crowds in Tumut at 11am.

For many, the sight and sound of the warbirds overhead has become a deeply moving tribute, connecting modern-day commemorations with the legacy of those who served in the air during times of war.

Organisers have noted that all aircraft movements and timings remain subject to change depending on operational requirements.

TOWNS & TIMES

Spitfire MK VIII Flypasts

• Depart Temora – 9:05am
• Springdale – 9:15am
• Wallendbeen – 9:30am
• Boorowa – 9:50am
• Return Temora
• Depart Temora
• Harden – 10:30am
• Cootamundra – 10:45am
• Junee – 11:00am
• Wagga – 11:10am
• Temora – 11:30am

CA-16 Wirraway Flypasts

• Uranquinty – 9:00am
• Land Wagga – 9:10am
• Depart Wagga – 10:35am
• The Rock – 10:45am
• Lockhart – 10:55am
• Coolamon – 11:10am
• Ariah Park – 11:25am
• Ardlethan – 11:35am
• Yenda – 11:50am
• Griffith – 11:55am
• Return Temora – 12:30pm

EC-135 Helicopter

• Tumut – 11:00am