New Bombing of Darwin and Royal Flying Doctor Service Experience opens at Stokes Hill Wharf

IT was a “surreal” experience for Kathryn Gugeler and Jim Young today when they saw their late grandfather depicted in a hologram

Jim Young and Kathryn Gugeler with their grandfather's hologram at the new Bombing of Darwin attraction at Stokes Hill Wharf. PICTURE: Ivan Rachman

IT was a “surreal” experience for Kathryn Gugeler and Jim Young today when they saw their late grandfather depicted in a hologram.

The life-size talking model of Rear Admiral Etheridge Grant is part of the new Bombing of Darwin Harbour & Royal Flying Doctor Service Experience at Stokes Hill Wharf, which opens to the public on Wednesday.

“It really was wonderful to be able to see him again, and ... we were happily surprised when we discovered there’s a little bit where they use an actual recording of his voice,” Mr Young said.

“It was really special to be able to tell our mother about it, and let her hear her father’s voice again.”

The new tourist attraction features holograms, virtual reality goggles — which allow visitors to see the bombings from within, on the ground, in the air and in the water — a replica Japanese war plane, and a decommissioned Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) aeroplane.

Tourism NT chief executive Tony Mayell said the new attraction was “critical” for the tourism industry.

“(Military history) is something we need to use to our advantage,” Mr Mayell said.

“Most Australians are completely oblivious to what happened up here and we want to bring that story to life and bring it to their attention, and hopefully draw them up here to experience it themselves.”

The Experience will be managed by the RFDS and Central Operations chief executive John Lynch said he was proud to be part of it.

“It’s mind boggling. It’s just one of those experiences that has a capital ‘W’ in the ‘Wow’,” he said.

Visitors can enter a decommissioned RFDS and see what the medical service really does.

“We’ve been providing aero-medical services to Australians since 1928 when we flew that first flight from Cloncurry to Julia Creek. In that first year we saw 255 patients. We now, around Australia, make over 290,000 patient contacts throughout the year,” Mr Lynch said.

“We’re there when no one else is there and we go where no one else goes. Our waiting room is as big as Australia.”

.