Brisbane Airport’s new plane-spotting destination, Fellowship Place, opened to the public on Sunday, July 19, marking the airport’s centenary.
The purpose-built site offers an elevated viewing platform with less obstructed views of aircraft arrivals and departures, along with shaded seating and an accessible pathway. To create the space, the site was reclassified from restricted airfield land into publicly accessible land.
At the center of Fellowship Place is the tail of a retired Fokker F28 Fellowship aircraft, donated by Aviation Australia, which had used the jet to train more than 3,000 aircraft engineers. More than 900m3 of fill was used to build up the viewing platform to accommodate the tail.
Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff said the space was intended as a gift to the city: “It was our 100th birthday, but the gift is for Brisbane and for anyone who loves aviation. Fellowship Place brings people closer to the action and gives them a place to share that interest together.”
De Graaff added that the airport currently supports 25,000 jobs, a figure expected to double across the precinct over the next two decades. On relocating the Fokker tail, he said, “This was a 50-year-old Dutch-built jet, so there were no handbooks on how best to crane and fix it into position, but they’ve done a remarkable job.”
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said, “Every world-class airport deserves a world-class place to watch the action, and that’s exactly what Fellowship Place delivers.”
Local plane spotter Lloyd Fox called the site a “game-changer.” He added, “I’ve been plane spotting at Brisbane Airport for more than 60 years, and this is something I never thought I’d see. Fellowship Place gets you closer to the action than ever before, and it’s not just for photographers – it’s a place where families can come, watch planes together and share that passion.”
Fellowship Place is at the end of Acacia Street at Brisbane Airport and is open from sunrise to sunset.
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