Sydney Airport Plane Spotters Shelter
Interpretive Content
Development and Artwork
Sydney Airport Corporation
Sydney Airport, NSW
With three runways, more than 300,000 aircraft movements a year and a wide range of aircraft, Sydney Airport is a popular location for plane spotting enthusiasts.
In 2017 Sydney Airport renovated the well-known plane spotting location known as Shep’s Mound, commissioning GML Heritage to create interpretive displays for the new viewing shelter.
GML’s responsibilities included developing content for six panels, creating a graphical layout and concept design, and providing the finalised content and layout to the shelter manufacturer for customisation and production.
GML curated interpretive stories and content for the project, highlighting key narratives such as First People, 19th Century Industry, Joseph Hammond—The First Flight, Nigel Love—The Founder of Sydney Airport, Pioneer Pilots—Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm and Nancy-Bird Walton, Shaping the Land and Sky—Qantas–First Boeing 707 jet flies to Sydney, Next-generation aircraft arrive—Sydney Airport welcomes the first commercial A380 service in the world, and Flying into the Future.
The upgraded Shep’s Mound plane spotters’ lookout was unveiled by Sydney Airport, in memory of aviation enthusiast Bruce C. Shephard. The mound boasts two elevated platforms offering panoramic views of the airfield, expansive grassed areas, undercover shelter, and dedicated car parking.
Shep’s Mound at Sydney Airport.
Interpretive panels at Shep’s Mound.
