VH-UMR  de Havilland D.H.60M Moth            (c/n  1399)

                                  

                                      Imported in November 1929 for A.A. Barlow of Brighton, Victoria, this Moth was sold in June
                                      of the following year to K.E. Wedgwood of Randwick, NSW and then almost immediately after
                                      that to the Central Australian Gold Expedition Co Ltd (CAGE), formed to search (both aerial
                                      and by land) for an illusive gold reef supposedly sighted by Howard Bell Lasseter.  VH-UMR is
                                      seen here in three images from the State Library of New South Wales collection whilst with
                                      CAGE, and named 'Golden Quest'.   The aircraft crashed 200 miles west of Alice Springs on
                                      9 August 1930 and was replaced in the expedition by another Moth, VH-UGX ('Golden Quest 2').
                                      In the meantime the wreckage of -UMR (not too bad as can be seen in the two photos below)
                                      was sold to Commercial Aviation of Parafield and repaired.   It was then sold to K. Gardiner of
                                      Melbourne  (and later passed to Miss D.J. Gardiner of Baradine, NSW) before being sold in New
                                      Zealand in May 1934 as ZK-ADF.      As late as 2015 the bits and pieces were resurrected and
                                      shipped back to Australia where it was restored and re-registered VH-UMK, since the rego -UMR
                                      is now allotted to a Cessna 182Q Skylane.  It is currently owned by Bill Finlen and flies from his
                                      airfield at Boonah, Queensland, as seen by the contemporary shot at the foot of the page taken by
                                   .  Ross Stenhouse in September 2015