Wallaby Route

Map of Qantas' original Wallaby Route from 1952

The Wallaby Route or "Wallaby Service" is a term coined by Qantas (formerly Qantas Empire Airways), referring to the commercial passenger air route between Australia and South Africa.[1]

First flown in 1948, its name was inspired by the route's short ‘hops’ used to cover the long distance,[1] similar to the hops of the wallaby; a marsupial largely endemic to, and culturally associated, with Australia. The name "Wallaby Route" for their new Australia-South Africa service was chosen by Qantas Empire Airways after considering hundreds of suggested titles.[2] The chosen name of "Wallaby" was suggested by Major-General Christoffel 'Boetie' Venter, then manager of South African Airways.[3] The name choice was also to indicate its relationship to Qantas' famous "Kangaroo Route" connecting Australia and the United Kingdom.[3]

  1. ^ a b Qantas celebrates 60 years of flying to South Africa, retrieved 2023-04-24
  2. ^ Walkabout. Australian National Travel Association. 1953. p. 46.
  3. ^ a b Flight: The Aircraft Engineer. IPC Transport Press Limited. 1952. p. 769.