RAAF Wagga Heritage Centre (Originally known as the Wagga Wagga RAAF Museum but was officially, RAAF Museum – Wagga Annex) is a heritage centre

Heritage centre

A heritage centre is a museum facility primarily dedicated to the presentation of historical and cultural information about a place and its people, including, to some degree, natural features...

 located at the Wagga Wagga RAAF Base

RAAF Base Wagga

RAAF Base Wagga is located in the New South Wales town of Wagga Wagga, in the suburb of Forest Hill.The RAAF no longer controls the airfield which, although still owned by the Commonwealth of Australia, is currently leased to the Wagga Wagga City Council...

 at Forest Hill

Forest Hill, New South Wales

Forest Hill is a suburb of Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. Forest Hill is located approximately 10 km east of the central business district on the Sturt Highway. RAAF Base Wagga, Wagga Wagga Airport and the Bureau of Meteorology Regional Office are located at Forest Hill.Newer streets in Forest Hill...

 located approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of Wagga Wagga

Wagga Wagga, New South Wales

Wagga Wagga is a city in New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, and with an urban population of 46,735 people, Wagga Wagga is the state's largest inland city, as well as an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia...

, New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 on the Sturt Highway

Sturt Highway

The Sturt Highway is an Australian highway in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is part of the Auslink National network and is part of the main highway route between Sydney and Adelaide.-Route:...

. The heritage centre has indoor and outdoor displays of aircraft, memorabilia and photographs relating to the RAAF in the Riverina.

History

Wagga Wagga RAAF Museum was officially opened in June 1995 from items from the RAAF Base Wagga and items which was donated by the community.
The museum was closed in 2001 for refurbishment with the memorabilia temporarily relocated to the Point Cook RAAF museum but plans to reopen the museum were quietly scrapped after the RAAF adopted a new policy in 2003, which stated that the RAAF would only fund RAAF museum

RAAF Museum

RAAF Museum is the official museum of the Royal Australian Air Force, the second oldest air force in the world, located at RAAF Williams Point Cook. The museum displays aircraft of significance to the RAAF from its inception as the Australian Flying Corps to the present...

 at Point Cook

Point Cook, Victoria

Point Cook is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 25 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Wyndham. At the 2006 Census, Point Cook had a population of 14,162, now it is estimated that the population of Point Cook is 32,167...

.

AirCare and Wagga Wagga based newspaper The Daily Advertiser ran a campaign during late September and early October 2008 in an attempt to reverse the Australian Defence Force

Australian Defence Force

The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...

's decision.

On 13 December 2008, it was announced that the museum will be reopening in 2009. The Air Force would spend 75,000 completing the refurbishment of the museum building, due to be complete in 2009 sometime.

In May 2009, a public consultation meeting was held to discuss plans for the centre, including the A$130,000 set aside by the Royal Australian Air Force

Royal Australian Air Force

The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...

 for outfitting the building for a future heritage display.

On 12 March 2010, it was reported that the heritage centre was expected to reopen in Spring 2010, but the official opening date was to be announced at a later date.

On 29 July 2010, Air Marshal

Air Marshal (Australia)

Air marshal is the second highest active rank of the Royal Australian Air Force and was created as a direct equivalent of the British Royal Air Force rank of air marshal, it is also considered a three-star rank...

 Mark Binskin

Mark Binskin

Air Marshal Mark Donald Binskin AO is a senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, currently serving as Vice Chief of the Defence Force. He previously served as Chief of Air Force from 2008 until 2011.-Early life:...

announced at the RAAF Base Wagga 70th anniversary that the heritage centre will open on 15 October 2010. The heritage centre was officially opened on the 12 October 2010 and will open three days a week.