What an absolutely awesome place for anyone that's into aviation or what to just have a great day out, from a full size 747 to an attack helicopter you'll have a great time. guided tours are $30 for adults and worth every cent and definitely a must do!

I've driven past for years, wanted to visit for years. Finally visited. Having grown up in an aviation family I know what it's like to be an “enthusiast” for such an industry. The guides are very knowledgeable, either the hardcore enthusiast themselves or former workers from within the industry. The guided tours are amazing, you get to be hands-on with some of the exhibits and even go into a few. Some are the last of their kind so it's a special moment. A phone camera will be sufficient enough for you due to lighting restrictions and issues, however. It's a working, living and breathing museum. Oil, dirt, dust it all exist here. I've even got some oil from “Connie” on my shirt. The cafe is small, serves good quality homemade food. Do yourself a favour, by something, a sandwich or a meal. We all know the money goes straight back into the museum. The gift shop has some nice things. I assume however due to the pandemic some items are missing and therefore some shelves a bare. Fear not tho if you have a child as you'll find a great abundance of small children's aviation toys. The volunteers here are passionate and it shows. This is truly one of those things to do on a rainy day (like I did) or on a beautiful sunlit day. The second Friday of every month I am led to believe they have something called “open tarmac”. I can't wait to visit again.

An amazing range of aircraft and aviation memorabilia. The volunteers are lovely and they love what they do. if you have any interest in aviation history or engineering in general this place is a treat. It's such a shame that they don't get the support from government like they should so the cost of entry was something I saw as my donation to keeping part of Australian aviation history alive

Visited on a Friday, parking available for free in the street. Tour was about two hours and included climbing inside aircraft and sitting in cockpits. Tours are guided due to the museum hangars being accessible to airport apron. Tour guide was friendly and informative so the two hours went very quickly. Plenty of historic aircraft to see as well as maintenance being carried out. A very different experience for a museum far more immersive than I have experienced visiting similar museums for aircraft around Australia and overseas. Glad I went.

We took our 2 young boys to see the planes and they absolutely loved it, as did we!! The staff are super friendly and the detail on the tour was very informative. I didn't realise how many rare planes we have down south. The $30 price tag is amazing value for money especially considering they don't receive government or council assistance. Highly recommend!!!

Best day out ever. Well worth the $25 entry fee. The guide was very knowledgeable and answered every question. I didn't even particularly think I'd be that interested and it was fantastic. We went into the planes and heard lots of stories and facts.

Would definitely recommend for anyone! Driving up to the museum and seeing the 747's tail is quite daunting. Especially getting up close and inside of the aircraft, make you feel so small compared to the mother of the skies. The guides are amazing, they teach you so much about all the plane's historical values, and the purposes they served. With the nsw government's discover nsw vouchers , there is no reason for not coming, its free!

Excellent! Most staff are volunteering and are very knowledgeable. Wonderful experience for anyone who loves planes or aviation. I would recommend a guided tour, they have a few to choose from OR visit during Wings Over The Illawarra to watch old passenger planes to fighter jets taking off, landing and flight manoeuvres.

If your an aircraft enthusiast you could easily soak up a day here. The staff are here because the love planes. Their enthusiasm for the display is infectious, there knowledge of the equipment is invaluable. They will bend over backwards to give you a great experience. The cafe is well worth a visit. If you fly for fun it’s a great place to drop into.

I am not an aviation enthusiast, but I learn so much from the tours. They have some amazing planes on display. Some you can actually go inside. They have tours at a set time in both of the hangers, no need to book. The tour guides are very friendly and funny.

Went in on a weekday, very quiet, got a private guided tour for the family on the spot. The guide Joe was extremely informative, passionate and ready to answer any questions we had, as well as very patient as we had a toddler and a newborn in tow! The aircraft are all incredible, from the operational to the ones which are being restored and its impressive to see the dedication all the volunteers have in keeping and maintaing these machines. Although not all areas are accessible and not all aircraft are able to be entered in, there is a great amount that are and it makes the tour and experience all the more memorable. There's a lovely little Cafe on site with indoor and outdoor seating, a good amount of aviation toys and souvenirs for young and old enthusiasts. For a weekday the parking around the centre was pretty limited so I can't imagine it on a weekend or school holidays, but that's pretty much the only negative I can think of. Great experience and will definitely be back!

Fantastic museum. They have a nice static display, but paying for their guided tour is 100% worth it. We saw two hangars full of planes with history, some in full working condition and some being restored, and got to board a handful as well. Our guide was knowledgeable and friendly, and so happy to answer questions and share his knowledge. Clean toilets, too. The Cafe looked nice, but we got there late in the afternoon and it was closed when our tour finished (which was past closing time, so no complaints - our guide was very generous with his time).

We spent an amazing 2 hours with Rob who was so generous with his time. He knew all the aircraft and had some great stories! thanks Rob and all the team at the museum who.so.an amazing job keeping some of these iconic aircraft flying!👏

Would arguably the best and most interactive Air plane museum in Australia. You get up close and can touch the planes, it is guided and the guide we had (Graham) was very informative and super helpful and relaxed. Got to go into all of the large planes including the 747, Connie, RAAF surveillance plane and a few others, even got to sit in the F1-11 cockpit which was a long time dream for me. Highly recommended making the effort to see visit and see some of the best preserved planes in the country. Will not disappoint.

Make a day of it. Worth the price of admission. Doug is a great story teller guide. 3 hangars of many working restored aircraft, and yes a parked 747

An amazing experience for aviation enthusiasts, history buffs or anyone with a pulse! An amazing collection of artefacts and history with passionate volunteers taking you through the collection. A wonderful philosophy of keeping our aviation history in the air. Kids love sitting in the cockpit of a F-111C or climbing through an old Neptune. The 747 and Connie are awesome too!! Stop thinking "we need to visit one day" when driving past and get yourself down to HARS - a truly wonderful and inspiring place!

Parking is easy and a volunteer accompanies each (small) group to explain the exhibits, their history and plans for future restoration. Everything is wheelchair accessible except, obviously, getting inside exhibits which require stair/ladder access.

We had a great time at HARS, our 10 yr old boy is an enthusiast but we didn’t expect the whole family to enjoy it so much. David was an excellent guide and we got to sit in so many planes with accompanying great stories. Very recommended.

$25 per ticket for a personalised tour is well beyond expectations! John was our guide, he was great & shared in depth knowledge & stories about the planes. You also get to go inside some of them - how cool. The tour took about 2 hours. It’s lovely to see that the place is ran by passionate volunteers. Definitely recommend to visit!

An absolute must to visit!!! So many aircraft and aviation items to be seen. Alot of the aircraft you can go into which is fantastic. Tours are run by friendly and knowledgeable volunteers.

We did the guided tour around the hangers and outside areas. Our guide, John's knowledge, experience and stories of the vast number of aircraft was impressive, super interesting and very engaging. The team of volunteers were all working on restorations and upkeep. The HARS museum seems to have the most amount of flight worthy planes I've seen in years. I highly recommend the HARS museum to anyone who likes aircraft or enjoys time learning Australian Aviation history and/or spending time in museums. It was a great day out and the cafe, food and staff was also enjoyable. Great work to the team, thank you!

My second visit and enjoyed it just as much as the first time. So very interesting, the guides are so knowledgeable and the guided session is over far too soon. It is so amazing to learn that this museum holds the only 2 flight capable aircraft in the world. (Caribou). Will look forward to my next visit.

An excellent collection of preserved, historical aircraft that are maintained for the benefit of future generations. The HARS Aviation Museum is also located at a fully operational airfield - with many of the displays being flight-worthy. The large, white QANTAS Boeing 747-400 overhanging the road is a striking waypoint marker for the Museum entrance, clearly visible upon arrival. This majestic aircraft is usually part of the regular tour but is also available for an advanced tour for enthusiasts wanting even more. Take a guided tour through the hangars and numerous displays to discover the incredible history behind many of the aircraft on show. There's a cafe with beverages and ice-cream available at the entrance that is also furnished with a gift shop. One of the knowledgeable and helpful volunteers will be happy to assist with a guided tour through the hangars at various times throughout the day. The weather should have no impact on daily tours and there's plenty of opportunities to photograph exhibits that catch your eye. Many thanks to our terrific guide (Bill) for his tour of the establishment last Saturday. Highly recommended.

An absolutely incredible opportunity to see some (operational!) planes up close and personal. Did the premium 747 tour with a friend and the enthusiasm and the generosity of the ex-Qantas crew who spent the day with us can't be understated. What an amazing experience! If you have even a passing interest in aviation you owe it to yourself to visit.

Very detailed and engaging 3 hour tour packed with fun facts, stories and many static and live aircraft. Will definitely go back here for a tarmac day.

The best aviation museums I've been to, the variety of aircraft is astonishing (they are getting a new 707 soon as well) and you get to get up close and personal with the aircraft. I would highly recommend this museum for aviation fans.

Fantastic collection of aircraft. Friendly guided tours mean you get really close. And about half their collections flies or is being prepared to fly again. Brilliant! And, randomly, the cafe made me one of the freshest, tastiest steak sandwiches I've had in a long time.

Great to see so many planes in one place. Excellent tour guide.

I’ve been flying at Shellharbour over the last few weeks, these guys do an amazing job maintaining and bringing some of these airframes back to life. If you like aviation, go an have a look! I been watching the Catalina take shape when I fly off runway 16, it looks amazing! 15 June 2020, put it in your calendar!

great guided tours, lots to look at ?

Good

A very fantastic museum , introduced a lot of aviation history to me, the service is very great also, the man is very knowledgeable and tell me as much as he could in almost 2 hours time, let me understand a lot. Also, I visited a lot of aircraft model which knew that some can still be flying into the sky! Very great experience The ticket is 20 dollars for adult, and 15 dollars for concession, worth to pay for it!

Wow! Whether you're an aviation geek or not, this is a wonderful experience. The museum opens at 0930 sharp and everything and everyone is ready to go - there to make sure you have a pleasant experience. On my particular visit, I had the honour of being guided by Capt. (Ret.) Rob McCubbin, a rather accomplished and dedicated pilot for decades. I couldn't have wished for anyone more genuine and knowledgeable to show me and my family around a plethora of aircraft, of which Rob was all too happy to share details and stories about. From the grandeur of a 747, to the simplicity of a Cessna 310. Civilian and military aircraft - this place has it all. If it's a bit too much for anyone you can chill out and have a coffee or milkshake at the cafe. Amenities are on-site, as too a gift shop with some great quality models (not to mention a model collection of their own which is awesome). You can witness the many volunteers working hard on restoring and maintaining the aircraft. Depending on what's going on you may be lucky enough to witness some engine runs. Overall, staff were lovely and helpful. Great value for money (the stories and experiences shared are alone worth much more). If you really want to experience everything on a guided tour, give yourself a solid two hours or more for just the tour alone. However, is you want to cut it short, it's no trouble. Access and parking is no problem. I'll be making the trip down from Newcastle again another day to do it all again. This is a must for any aviation geek as there are more in-depth tours and such available to those looking for more. Rob, I haven't enjoyed something that much in a long time. It was an absolute honour and pleasure to meet you.

An absolutely amazing aviation museum! There is so much to see! One of the only places that you can go inside a plane without buying a plane ticket! The tours are wonderful and the staff are super friendly. Location is just beautiful!

Our tour guide, Stephen SWAN, was very engaging and informative during our tour. He demonstrated strong passion for what he and other volunteers do at the museum, including their future projects to have the aircraft's in working condition. Our tour took us 2.5 hours, which was well worth the small cost. Even during the time of a pandemic he allowed us the ability to sit in the cockpit of an aircraft, after sanitising of course. I would highly recommend the museum tour.

What a nice museum! The admission included a guided tour. The whole guided tour would last around 1.5 hours to 2 hours. Since I brought my kids there, they were not interested at all with all those historical aircrafts. Highly recommended for adults who interested in air planes of Australia and their history.

Fantastic in every way! Oustanding aircraft collection and guided tours (included in the modest ticket cost). Be sure to allow 2-3 hours to really appreciate this place - you won't regret it. Coffee's great too! Amazing that this place is run by volunteers - the passion is truly evident. (N.B rest assured this is a COVIDsafe venue with a temperature check on arrival).

our tour guide was lovely. Have no interest in aviation myself i quite enjoyed the experience and the staff. would recommend.

It's a great 'active' museum where you can tour around these incredible aircraft while engineers continue to work on them. Many of the aircraft are airworthy and if you're lucky, you may see one of them fly. They have one of only two airworthy Lockheed Super Constellations in the world and it's a pleasure to see. You can see the 747 with a standard ticket but I would encourage you to book the premium tour in advance (at least several days).

Awesome experience

Great muesum with helpful volunteers. Great to spend a day.

extremely interesting. Guides very knowledgeable, 2 hr. tour worth the money. Coffee shop on site very welcome.

HARS made for a very enjoyable, informative/educational, family morning out. Staff are very friendly and very knowledgeable, they have a variety of static and flyable aircraft, you are allowed to get in several of the planes including the F-111 and 747, we even put the little guy in the Cobra, but he didn't want to be there so couldn't get a picture of that. I believe the L-39 Albatross is even available for joy flights, if you can afford the cost of a joy flight in a jet aircraft.

Great aircraft fantastic staff and tour guides the Cafe Connie is a must for coffee and a bite to eat after your tour.

It is a working museum in that planes are being restored while you are there.

Absolutely a wonderful place to visit if you're into aircraft as not only can you get right up close to a huge variety of aircraft but the guides really know the planes and are more than happy to share their knowledge

Great place to visit. Tour guide was excellent, allowed interaction where available (F1-11 seating). Recommend a must visit for those interested in Australian aviation history.

Excellent aviation museum run by very friendly and knowledgeable volunteers who do an outstanding job preserving aviation history. Nice cafe with good coffee too! Highly recommend a visit

Absolutely fantastic, our 90 minute tour turned into almost 3 hours with an amazing guide who was a retired Qantas pilot, so knowledgeable and most willing to share it with us. So much to see, including a few cockpit visits and a great cafe to rest those aching feet, highly recommended!

Great experience with the kids. Highlights 1. Good spot to make a pleasant day trip from Sydney as it is close to Wollongong. 2. Kids went crazy after they were able to sit on the pilot seat of the jets. 3. Friendly and knowledgable volunteers- thank you Bill. Will be back with more friends. A great educational museum to get kids interested in learning more about planes and jets.

An amazing guided tour that lasts 1.5 hours and the tour guides we had are all current pilots and really knew their stuff! So much to see here.

Very interesting Aviation Museum. The volunteers were so eager to make our visit a wonderful experience. They were all knowledgeable and personable - so passionate about the place. The planes were in great condition and obviously well maintained. The coffee shop oozed with Christmas spirit. Nice cakes/biscuits and even gluten free products were available. I loved hearing the stories as we were given a guided tour of the marvellous flying machines.

A great place to visit for aircraft lovers, knowledgeable guides and a good variety of aircraft. Especially love the Qantas 747

Friendly, knowledgeable volunteers that work here. It made the visit very enjoyable

Its a great place for a family weekend getaway, especially for young kids where they would have some good fun and informativHARS Aviation Museum Alice Zhao Posting publiclyLearn more Its a great place for a family weekend getaway, especially for young kids where they would have some good fun and learn some of the aviation history.

Great place for aviation enthusiasts. Guided tours every half hour through the hangers that house many different types of planes and a few helicopters. You can also step inside a select few for a closer inside view. Our tour guide Pete was both friendly and very informative, answering all our questions in detail. There’s also a gift shop and cafe on site

An absolute Must ! My tour guide Bob was brilliant, we chatted the whole tour. It was great to see they where getting these amazing aircraft flying.

Very interesting place to visit

Interesting, interesting, and interesting. A definate got to do.

Loved it

I never thought the history of planes would be so fascinating! Would recommend to people who are looking for something to do on their way through the area!

I like aircraft

What a great experience. Loved every moment. Our tour guide took us around and explained everything in detail. I would recommend this place to anyone and everyone who has a fascination with planes and aircrafts. 5 stars from me

Always a great place to visit

Great staff, well worth a visit

If you love aircraft, it’s your place.

Had a fantastic tour with Ed. Hour and a half of all kinds of planes and the kids loved going in the 747 and military aircraft. Cafe is also reasonably priced. A must see if you have kids interested in planes.

Awesome place to visit with the family.

Amazing place for aviation enthusiasts. The aircraft are well kept and the place is organised. The guides are friendly and knowledgeable.

Excellent collection of aircraft nearly all of which allows entry to the cabin and/or the cockpit, very informations rich tours about the location and the planes inside, given by guides that are super helpful and friendly, a very good place to visit if you're a aviation enthusiast or if you want to learn parts of the history of aviation

We had a nice time nice food. Nice cappuccino

Has a great time. The guides were very knowledgeable and I learnt a lot of information about the planes there. Would recommend!

Absolutely loved every minute of my time at the museum and I could easily spend the whole day there, if not all the time. Staff and volunteers alike are incredibly keen to tell you everything you need to know about the history of the aircraft there, but also about themselves as the majority of them are Qantas employees, both past and present. It's the perfect day trip for any aviation fanatic, or just a normal person seeking something new to learn. The highlight of the whole experience was the 747, and the history behind the very special aircraft that once flew millions of passengers during her 25 year career with Qantas. The tours are worth every penny, as all the aircraft have been lovingly restored to their former glory, and the friendliness and enthusiasm of both the staff and volunteers. I will be definitely visiting again in the near future!!

Hidden gem! Must be on your to do list if visiting the region.

For an old aviator, this place is hog-heaven! So much to see I have a sore neck for all the neck rotation. Complete aircraft; aircraft in bits; heaps of parts; mystery remains wrapped up; aircraft to crawl through - and I mean crawl because the insides of Neptune anti-sub plane are so packed tight with kit, a set of kneepads are necessary. At least those aviators were young! So much to take in.

Absolutely marvelous a real living restoration society

We really enjoyed Sunday off from work at HARS Aviation Museum just loved it and the reception ladies were just awesome and the cafe staff was really nice helpful 🙏guide tour staff also does their job perfect you can ask as many questions about the planes ✈️ or about the museum. Thanks everyone

Great collection and many are still airworthy. Being able to get in / under / up close to aircraft is a bonus, and the guides give some great added context.

Loved it. The tour guides, who are all volunteers, are amazingly passionate and knowledgeable. The planes are great.

Amazing museum that has lots of old military aircraft's. The tour was definitely worth it 25$ for adults and cheaper for concession and kids. Peter was an amazing tour guide.

Excellent place. Our tour guide Phil was extremely informative and very helpful with any questions asked. The aircraft on display were amazing! A must visit for anyone!

Amazing museum, but pilots beware that apparently you are no longer welcome to arrive and enter via the hangar to access the museum or coffee shop. The sign “Visiting Pilots and Passengers Welcome” pointing inward to the hanger we were told is incorrect and will be removed. A little disappointed with the frosty reception as we had always been received warmly in the past and ushered through to the beautiful cafe. However, otherwise a great museum.

One of the best aviation museums I have visited so far. A great collection of aircrafts from World War time with the history that will get you goosebumps. The very friendly staff who walked through the 1.5 hr tour is worth the time spent. A small cafe and a souvenir shop is a great way to finish the visit. A definitely must go place. I visited it on my way to Jervis Bay.

Top team maintaining our aviation history, restoring historic aircraft to flying condition wherever possible.