Essendon Airport

I have been coming to Melbourne every month now for the last 18 months and I have never been anywhere near Essendon Airport. I said to my rep last time I was down I want to go there next time I am down so can you plan your day around Essendon and I will stay in the area. So after a busy productive day we got to the airport around 4pm and we stayed for an hour having a good look around. Essendon Airport (IATA: MEB, ICAO: YMEN) is a 305 ha (750 acres) public airport serving scheduled commercial, corporate-jet, charter and general aviation flights. The airport has two asphalt runways, the main one 08/26 being 1,921 metres (6,3012 feet) long. The second runway 17/35 is a little shorter at 1,504 metres (4,934 feet) long. The airport sits at 86 metres (282 feet) AMSL. It is located in the northern suburb of Essendon Fields of Melbourne. The airport is the closest to Melbourne's City Centre, approximately a 13 klms (8.1 miles) drive north-west from it and 8 klms (5.0 miles) south-east from Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport. In 1970, Tullamarine Airport replaced Essendon as Melbourne's main airport. Essendon became Australia's second, and Melbourne's first, international airport in February 1950. The airport was renamed Melbourne Airport, and the first international commercial flight arrived from New Zealand a year later. In the 1950s Essendon Airport was too small for the larger pure jets, such as the Boeing 707. The airport was surrounded by housing and expansion was impossible. In 1959 Cabinet approved the acquisition of 2,167 ha (5,350 acres) in Tullamarine for the purpose of a new international airport, which began construction in the 1960s and was ready to handle aircraft by 1967. At this time, Essendon was no longer named Melbourne Airport, with the new airport rapidly taking shape. Commercial international flights were transferred to the new airport in 1970, with commercial domestic flights following the next year.
Below are some photos from this afternoons quick visit.

ESSENDON TOWER

AMBULANCE VICTORIA BEECH B200C VH-VAE (CN BL-155)

PEARSONS AVIATION DIAMOND DA42 VH-ZIU (CN 42.N313)

COBHAM SAR SERVICES BOMBARDIER CL-600 VH-XND (CN 5634)
FLYING FOR SURVEILLANCE AUSTRALIA

SHARP AIRLINES FAIRCHILD SA227 VH-SWK (CN DC-826B)

SHORTSTOP JET CHARTER DASSAULT FALCON 900
VH-OAA (CN 188)

AMBER AVIATION CESSNA 172RG VH-LGI (CN 172RG0377)

AMBER AVIATION PIPER PA-38 VH-UFA (CN 38-79A0556)

AMBER AVIATION CESSNA 172M VH-MOU (CN 17264583)

AMBER AVIATION PARTENAVIA P.68C VH-UUP (CN 220)

AUSTRALASIAN JET DC 3R 1830 VH-TMQ (CN 32884)

AUSTRALASIA CESSNA 337G VH-NRE (CN 33701807)

AUSTRALASIAN JET PIPER PA-31 VH-TTM (CM 31-301)

AUSTRALASIAN JET BEECH B200 VH-ZMW (CN BB-1460)

PRATT AVIATION BOMBARDIER BD700 VH-FGJ (CN 9163)