{"id":5351,"date":"2022-02-15T21:56:27","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T13:56:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/?p=5351"},"modified":"2022-11-14T19:53:16","modified_gmt":"2022-11-14T11:53:16","slug":"the-history-of-old-bar-airstrip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/the-history-of-old-bar-airstrip\/","title":{"rendered":"The History of Old Bar Airstrip"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-default\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"254\" src=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Amelia-Eyrehart.jpg\" alt=\"Aviator Nancy Bird Walton flew from Old Bar Airstrip.\" class=\"wp-image-5361\" srcset=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Amelia-Eyrehart.jpg 450w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Amelia-Eyrehart-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><figcaption><em>Aviator Nancy Bird Walton&nbsp;was born on the NSW Mid North Coast.(Supplied: National Library of Australia,&nbsp;Russell Roberts)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The history of Old Bar Airstrip is fascinating! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the&nbsp;1920s,&nbsp;George Bunyan,&nbsp;the caretaker of a reserve at the small coastal town of Old Bar&nbsp;in northern New South Wales,&nbsp;decided to create an airstrip&nbsp;for some extra revenue, a place where&nbsp;people could&nbsp;refuel and take a break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was a humble beginning for a small airfield that went on to be declared an aerodrome&nbsp;by the Defence Department in 1930 and is still in use nearly a century later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Old Bar Airfield,&nbsp;now&nbsp;heritage-listed, was a base for prominent air searches in the 1930s and played an important role in World War II, and&nbsp;has a wealth of colourful&nbsp;tales woven into its history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8216;Who&#8217;s who&#8217; of aviation pioneers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"301\" data-src=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/CaptainF-HoldenfromOldBarrAirstrip.jpg\" alt=\"Captain F Holden flew from Old Bar Airstrip during WW2\n\" class=\"wp-image-5362 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/CaptainF-HoldenfromOldBarrAirstrip.jpg 450w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/CaptainF-HoldenfromOldBarrAirstrip-300x201.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 450px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 450\/301;\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"301\" src=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/CaptainF-HoldenfromOldBarrAirstrip.jpg\" alt=\"Captain F Holden flew from Old Bar Airstrip during WW2\n\" class=\"wp-image-5362\" srcset=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/CaptainF-HoldenfromOldBarrAirstrip.jpg 450w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/CaptainF-HoldenfromOldBarrAirstrip-300x201.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption><em>An informal portrait of Captain Leslie H. Holden MC from No 2 Squadron, AFC, in a SE5A Fighter aircraft.(Supplied: Australian War Memorial P08150.065.001)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Researcher Janine Roberts, who&nbsp;co-founded the history website&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/midcoaststories.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">MidCoast Stories<\/a> and&nbsp;has investigated the airfield&#8217;s rich history. She said the list of pilots who landed&nbsp;there&nbsp;in its early days read&nbsp;like a &#8220;who&#8217;s who&#8221;&nbsp;of aviation pioneers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A 1930 event, organised by the Bunyans after the airstrip was declared an aerodrome, attracted some big names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;There was a big air pageant held where flying exhibitions happened [as well as]&nbsp;parachute drops;&nbsp;there were joy flights by well-known pilots,&#8221; Ms Roberts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;Some of the pilots that landed here included our own Nancy Bird Walton, Jean Batten, Captain Charles Ulm and Captain Les Holden.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Taking flight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At the age of 19, Nancy Bird Walton became the first woman to hold a commercial flying licence in Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She had strong ties to the Mid North Coast, having&nbsp;grown up there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her passion for flying was sparked by her first&nbsp;flight at Wingham, not far from Old Bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;Saving up her wages, Nancy enrolled as one of the first students at Sir Charles Kingsford Smith\u2019s flying school at Mascot,&#8221; Ms Roberts said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Nancy Bird Walton flew to Old Bar&nbsp;in its early days to visit friends. She&nbsp;returned in the 1990s for a celebration of the airfield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8216;Greta Garbo of the skies&#8217;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>New Zealand&#8217;s Jean Batten was another pioneering female aviator who touched down at Old Bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ms Roberts said Ms Batten broke a record by&nbsp;doing the first&nbsp;solo flight around the world, from England to New Zealand, in 1936.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"290\" data-src=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Firstsoloflight.jpg\" alt=\"Jean Batten was\u00a0celebrated for her heroic solo flights during the 1930s.(Supplied: SLSNSW)\" class=\"wp-image-5364 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Firstsoloflight.jpg 450w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Firstsoloflight-300x193.jpg 300w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Firstsoloflight-372x240.jpg 372w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 450px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 450\/290;\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"290\" src=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Firstsoloflight.jpg\" alt=\"Jean Batten was\u00a0celebrated for her heroic solo flights during the 1930s.(Supplied: SLSNSW)\" class=\"wp-image-5364\" srcset=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Firstsoloflight.jpg 450w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Firstsoloflight-300x193.jpg 300w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Firstsoloflight-372x240.jpg 372w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption><em>Jean Batten was&nbsp;celebrated for her heroic solo flights during the 1930s.(Supplied: SLSNSW)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Every time she completed a major flight, she had this white, silk outfit that she&#8217;d change into and put her red lipstick on before coming out to the audience,&#8221; Ms Roberts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;She was a fascinating woman; she was called the &#8216;Greta Garbo of the skies.'&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fighter ace&nbsp;flies in<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An Australian fighter ace of World War I, Captain Les Holden, who was awarded the Military Cross, also flew into the airstrip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He had become a&nbsp;commercial aviator after the war and took joy flights at Old Bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;He was the one who actually located Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm. They had gone missing in the Australian desert in 1929 on a flight to England,&#8221; Ms Roberts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A key refuelling point<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-default\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"290\" data-src=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Akeyrefuellingsite.jpg\" alt=\"The Southern Cross flown by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith circa 1933.(Supplied: Gerringong Historical Museum)\" class=\"wp-image-5365 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Akeyrefuellingsite.jpg 450w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Akeyrefuellingsite-300x193.jpg 300w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Akeyrefuellingsite-372x240.jpg 372w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 450px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 450\/290;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"290\" src=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Akeyrefuellingsite.jpg\" alt=\"The Southern Cross flown by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith circa 1933.(Supplied: Gerringong Historical Museum)\" class=\"wp-image-5365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Akeyrefuellingsite.jpg 450w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Akeyrefuellingsite-300x193.jpg 300w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Akeyrefuellingsite-372x240.jpg 372w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption><em>The Southern Cross flown by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith circa 1933.<\/em>(Supplied: Gerringong Historical Museum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Old Bar&#8217;s location between Sydney and Brisbane meant it played a key role in early air mail and passenger services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Captain Charles Ulm,&nbsp;in partnership with Sir Charles Kingsford Smith established the airline&nbsp;Australian National Airways in 1929. He flew into Old Bar many times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Charles Ulm was a co-pilot with Charles Kingsford Smith on many famous flights. These included the first crossing of the Pacific in 1928,&#8221; Ms Roberts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;When they were running the Australian National Airways \u2026&nbsp;they would use Old Bar as a halfway point to refuel.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Old Bar was also&nbsp;used by the Royal Australian Air Force&nbsp;(RAAF) as a refuelling base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The History of Old Bar Airstrip : Mystery Island\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the 1930s the airfield served as a base&nbsp;for two prominent air&nbsp;searches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first was for&nbsp;two actors, Australian film star Brian Abbot and fellow actor Desmond Hay (Leslie Hay-Simpson). They who had gone to&nbsp;Lord Howe Island in 1936 with a crew of 30 to film the movie Mystery Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The crew returned to the mainland&nbsp;on the SS Morinda. However the two actors decided to make the return trip in a 16-foot boat. A week later there was no sign of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;A major search was done, and Old Bar was one of the&nbsp;bases for the planes searching up and down the coast. Three RAAF planes joined in on that search,&#8221; Ms Roberts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Sadly, the men were never found again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;Mystery Island&nbsp;was actually released in 1937 and it was a pretty average movie, but I think the audiences appreciated the comparison between fiction and real life, with this mystery about the Mystery Island&nbsp;[movie],&#8221; she said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stinson search<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-default\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"516\" data-src=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Stinson.jpg\" alt=\"Bernard O'Reilly enjoying a cup of tea after finding and rescuing the Stinson survivors(Supplied: O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat)\" class=\"wp-image-5366 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Stinson.jpg 450w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Stinson-262x300.jpg 262w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 450px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 450\/516;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"516\" src=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Stinson.jpg\" alt=\"Bernard O'Reilly enjoying a cup of tea after finding and rescuing the Stinson survivors(Supplied: O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat)\" class=\"wp-image-5366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Stinson.jpg 450w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Stinson-262x300.jpg 262w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption><em>Bernard O&#8217;Reilly enjoying a cup of tea after finding and rescuing the Stinson survivors(Supplied: O&#8217;Reilly&#8217;s Rainforest Retreat)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The airfield&nbsp;was also used in 1937, when a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2017-02-19\/80th-anniversary-of-stinson-rescue\/8281164\" target=\"_blank\">Stinson Airliner, carrying mail and passengers, went missing on a flight between Brisbane and Sydney<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Jean Batten actually joined that search that was based partly at Old Bar,&#8221; Ms Roberts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ms Roberts said the plane was presumed lost, until Bernard O&#8217;Reilly of the Lamington Guest House went looking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;There were seven passengers and by the time Bernard O&#8217;Reilly found the plane 10 days later,&nbsp;there were only two survivors,&#8221; she said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The history of Old Bar Airstrip:  As A World War II&nbsp;base<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>During World War II, the RAAF&nbsp;refuelled at Old Bar. A&nbsp;plane was based at the airfield to map&nbsp;and survey&nbsp;the coastline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The Japanese forces were actually getting very close,&#8221; Ms Roberts&nbsp;said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;A&nbsp;Wackett Gannet plane&nbsp;kept an eye out for any submarines&nbsp;that might be travelling up and down the coast.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During wartime, dramatic preparations were made for forced landings due to poor weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;In November 1940 there was one day when 15 planes had to land at the Old Bar aerodrome [and] because the weather was so bad,&nbsp;they tied the planes down,&#8221; Ms Roberts said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;There was nowhere for 57 crew members to stay at Old Bar so they were bussed to Taree and the town put on a dance that night at the [local] hall.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8216;Old Bar, 8 miles east&#8217;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In another instance, the entire town of Taree, just west of Old Bar, was blacked out so a morse code message could be sent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;In 1945 a Beaufort plane went off course during a storm and contacted the Taree control for help,&#8221; Ms Roberts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;They blacked out all the lights and were able to flash to the plane a morse code that said, &#8216;Old Bar, 8 miles east&#8217;.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;While that was happening people at Old Bar were setting&nbsp;out flares \u2026lighting the runway.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;But as it got its bearings from the flares and the morse code it made its way back to Williamtown.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8216;It&#8217;s never been lost&#8217;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-default\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"302\" data-src=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/OldBarrAirstrip.jpg\" alt=\"Old Bar Airstrip\u00a0was established in the 1920s and is still in use today.(Supplied: Janine Roberts)\" class=\"wp-image-5367 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/OldBarrAirstrip.jpg 450w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/OldBarrAirstrip-300x201.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 450px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 450\/302;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"302\" src=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/OldBarrAirstrip.jpg\" alt=\"Old Bar Airstrip\u00a0was established in the 1920s and is still in use today.(Supplied: Janine Roberts)\" class=\"wp-image-5367\" srcset=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/OldBarrAirstrip.jpg 450w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/OldBarrAirstrip-300x201.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption><em>Old Bar Airstrip&nbsp;was established in the 1920s and is still in use today.(Supplied: Janine Roberts)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The history of Old Bar airstrip is well known by locals, and the strip is now regularly used by recreational pilots.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The RAAF&nbsp;will continue its long association with the area. It runs&nbsp;flight training exercises at the airfield from late February into April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s an excitement and buzz when planes are in the town,&#8221; Ms Roberts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Old Bar is an old airfield; it&#8217;s&nbsp;never been lost and that&#8217;s really nice to see.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Check out these other airstrips!<\/strong>  <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/listing\/serpentine-airfield-western-australia\/\" class=\"ek-link\">Serpentine Airfield, WA<\/a><\/strong>   <strong>:<\/strong>    <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/listing\/watts-bridge-airfield-queensland\/\" class=\"ek-link\">Watts Bridge Airfield, QLD<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The history of Old Bar Airstrip is fascinating! In the&nbsp;1920s,&nbsp;George Bunyan,&nbsp;the caretaker of a reserve at the small coastal town of Old Bar&nbsp;in northern New South Wales,&nbsp;decided to create an airstrip&nbsp;for some extra revenue, a place where&nbsp;people could&nbsp;refuel and take a break. It was a humble beginning for a small airfield that went on to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5365,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":6,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[133],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v14.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The History of Old Bar Airstrip | Country Airstrips Australia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The history of Old Bar Airstrip is fascinating. 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