Alan Bond? had an airship in Oz in the 80s? Saw it over Brisbane on scenic flights, looked fantastic.
later visited it when moored near Cairns. No ops that day due strong SE trade winds. Expensive too, for a jolly seat.
Would have been a great solution for Barrier Reef surveillance. Drift silently along on the wind and the Taiwanese, Japanese, Chinese Indo illegal fishers, no noise, no reason to look up.
Once they heard an aircraft, they just bolt for the 12 mile limit. Bit different these days with 200 kms Economic zone, but those after easy $s don’t give a stuff about that in remote areas.
One moored over the Torres Straits with radar would have given the smugglers to/ from PNG a run for their money.