Kurana Memorial is situated in the Cross Reserve to commemorate the DC3 “Kurana” aircraft disaster in 1948.
The Kurana Memorial recognises the 50th anniversary of the incident.
8th November 1948
The Kurana: The DC-3, VH-UZK Kurana took off from Essendon Airport on its way to Deniliquin.
Flying at 3,000ft in misty conditions and light rain, passengers were alarmed to see trees less than 100ft below them. Suddenly the engines increased in power and the aircraft was pulled steeply nose up.
Seconds later the starboard wing struck the trunk of a tree with a loud crash, and the DC-3 fell violently into a firebreak in a pine plantation on the southern slopes of Mt Macedon.
With the cabin in chaos and passengers bruised and shaken – two with broken bones – there was a stunned silence. The injured hostess forced open the cabin door, and under her direction they began leaving the aircraft. Suddenly, fire erupted at the front of the cabin and the DC-3 began burning.
Escaped passengers quickly pulled the captain and first officer from the crushed nose of the plane, but both were fatally injured.
