The Phillip Island museum packed with Vietnam War tanks, helicopters and memorabilia

Over the years, the National Vietnam Veterans Museum museum in Newhaven has received several donations from the Australian Defence Force, including a tank, an Armoured Personnel Carrier, two field artillery Howitzers and an enormous carrier plane.

Vietnam veteran and museum volunteer Russell Jackson showed the Monitor around the displays. Take a look at a video about the exhibits and the collection’s history below.

How did the collection get started?

In 1996, Vietnam Veteran John Methven and his wife Krishna joined a “Vets Connect” ride around Australia, where they toured the country in their Land Rover with a display trailer full of his personal memorabilia.

• During and after the tour, the Methven’s received a growing collection of donated memorabilia from veterans they had met on the road.

In March 1998, after they had retired to San Remo, the Methven’s decided to open a Vietnam war museum in an old shed.

• Donations continued to roll in so the Methven’s had to continue to expand.

In 2003, the museum moved to a space next to the Phillip Island airstrip. And that’s where it is now.

In 2019, the museum’s board decided to purchase land directly opposite the current museum where they plan to build a new exhibition space to house their historic collection.