From the ABC.Net.Au www site...
The Catalina that's flown into Darwin today wasn't used to defend Australia, but was found in Portugal and lovingly restored by a group of enthusiasts and the Sydney based Catalina Flying Memorial.
It uses 400 litres of fuel every hour in-flight and has cost more than $350,000 to restore and bring from Europe to Australia.
The Catalina flies to Cairns next and will travel down the east coast until it reaches a museum in Rathmines in New South Wales.
It's now the second operational Catalina in Australia, but the only one that can operate from the land and the water.
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I remember seeing these giants land and take off from the Swan river in Perth in the early 1950's.