SYDNEY.- The historic Qantas Avro 504K aircraft, a replica of the airline’s first plane will feature in the major opening exhibition, Task Eternal. The Avro is suspended above a Cierva C.30A Autogiro — a forerunner of the helicopter — and the Skycraft Scout Mark 1, an ultralight aircraft designed and made by Australian Ron Wheeler.

Featured in the new museum’s largest exhibition space, Task Eternal will explore the intersection of design, innovation and technology and trace humanity’s quest to defy gravity, take flight and journey into the sky.

The Avro aircraft is one of two replicas of the airline’s first plane, built in Mascot by Qantas engineers and apprentices in 1988. Weighing more than 760 kilograms and at almost 9m long with a wingspan of 11m, the aircraft is one of more than 750 objects that will feature in the foundational opening exhibition, Task Eternal.

The Avro installation marks the beginning of a landmark 10-year partnership, bringing together two iconic Australian institutions — Qantas, the nation’s flagship airline and a global leader in aviation innovation, and Powerhouse, one of the world’s leading museums of applied arts and sciences. The collaboration will see Qantas become Presenting Partner for Task Eternal, a large-scale, multi-year exhibition offering visitors unique insights into aviation, space, design and innovation.





The exhibition will explore Qantas’ long‑standing history of aviation innovation and how it continues to shape the future of flight. Alongside the evolution of the Flying Kangaroo and landmark moments in design including Qantas’ iconic uniforms, interiors and inflight dining and the upcoming Project Sunrise. The exhibition will examine the science, research and innovation behind these ultra‑long‑haul flights, reflecting Qantas’ ongoing commitment to innovation in aviation. The partnership will see the creation of the Qantas Terrace, a prominent public square overlooking the Parramatta River.

More than 6000 objects from the Qantas Heritage Collection, spanning more than a century of aviation history, will be conserved and digitised at Powerhouse Castle Hill.

Developed over four years, Task Eternal is one of the most ambitious aerospace exhibitions ever staged. More than 750 objects on display including 350 objects from its own collection, and more than 250 objects on loan from more than 120 Australian and international lenders, plus 12 new commissions will be presented in the new museum’s largest exhibition space.

The exhibition reflects the scale and ambition of Powerhouse Parramatta, Western Sydney’s first State Cultural Institution.