Duigan himself considered his later flight of 7 October 1910 to be his first truly controlled flight.

- John Duigan makes a short first flight of the first Australian-built aeroplane at Mia Mia, Victoria.

This flight was recognized by the Aerial League of Australia as the first official flight in Australia.

- Hungarian-born American Ehrich Weiss (Harry Houdini) completes the first extended circling flight in a Voisin biplane at Diggers Rest, Victoria.

- The first attempted powered flight in Victoria by Ralph Conningsby Banks in the same Wright biplane at Digger's Rest, results in a crashed landing after an uncontrolled flight of around 300 yards (274 m).- Englishman Colin Defries makes a brief flight of about 345 feet (105 metres) in a modified Wright biplane at Victoria Park Racecourse, Sydney.- George Taylor makes the first free flight in a glider at Narrabeen Beach, New South Wales.- Lawrence Hargrave is lifted 16 feet (4.87 metres) off the ground by four tethered boxkites at Stanwell Park, New South Wales.The true honour for the first powered flight in Australia, however, probably goes to Capt Colin Defries, who on 9 December 1909 made a flight at Victoria Park Racecourse in Sydney, using the same Wright Flyer that Banks would later use at Diggers Rest.

Houdini was awarded a trophy by the Aerial League of Australia, recognising his flight of 18 March 1910 as the first successful controlled flight by a powered aircraft in Australia. Further successful flights by Houdini followed over the next three days culminating in a flight lasting 7 minutes 37 seconds that covered almost 6 miles (9.6 kms). Two further flights followed the same day lasting up to 3¼ minutes in duration and reaching a height of 30 metres.Įver the self publicist, Houdini ensured that a reporter from The Argus and photographer were present to record the event and had nine spectators, including Ralph Banks, sign a witness statement recording his achievement. After several earlier attempts were frustrated by strong winds, Houdini finally took off shortly after 8 am on Friday 18 March and flew a full circle of the paddock before landing less than a minute later. His competitor was the Hungarian-born American showman and escapologist Ehrich Weiss (aka Harry Houdini), who had personally imported a French-built Voisin biplane with the aim of achieving the first flight in Australia. Banks was thrown clear and escaped with only minor injuries, but was badly shaken, while the plane was so damaged it took weeks to repair.

He had barely covered 300 metres at a height of less than 5 metres, when a sudden wind gust forced the plane into a dive ending with a heavy landing that somersaulted the plane. Ralph Conningsby Banks was first to take to the air on 1 March in an imported Wright Model A Flyer. One hundred years ago in March 1910, two pioneering aviators were camped in a wind-swept paddock at Diggers Rest, 30 km north of Melbourne, vying for the record of being the first person to achieve a controlled powered flight in Australia.

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