Three Bristol Tourer replicas were built in Australia. A static display replica was built over 18 months during 1980-1981 as a project by the Civil Aviation Historical Society (WA Division) by Ansett WA carpenter Frank Matthews, under supervision of Ansett engineer Billy Tilly, with help of Frank Colquhoun, a former West Australian Airways mechanic/engineer. It was built for display at the Ansett terminal at Perth Airport (now Terminal 3) and was unveiled in the terminal on 5 December 1981, painted to represet G-AUDK. The Ansett terminal was expanded in the mid-1980s, so in 1986 this replica was donated to the RAAF Association Aviation Heritage Museum at Bull Creek, WA, where it is displayed with part of the fuselage and wing unskinned to reveal the structure.
In 1984-1985 an Australian company called A Thousand Skies Ltd had two airworthy Bristol Tourer replicas built in Brisbane, QLD by Air Charter Pty Ltd for a television mini-series “A Thousand Skies”, a story on the life of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. They were registered as Air Charter Bristol F.2b Tourers, VH-UDC (c/n QA-32-1, painted as G-AUDK) and VH-UDR (c/n QA-32-2, painted as G-AUDJ). These aircraft were powered by 172 kw (230 hp) Continental IO-520 six-cylinder engines, the fuselages being of steel tube construction and the wings of wood, with fabric covering overall. These aircraft were later seen at a number of aviation events but suffered their share of problems.
On 1 June 1992 VH-UDC (painted as G-AUDK) was on a 70-year commemorative flight by owner/pilot Barry Hempel when it suffered engine trouble and was damaged in a forced landing on North West Coastal Highway, 100 km (62 miles) north of Geraldton, WA. The aircraft was restored by Mid West Aero Club and the Shire of Greenough donated it to the Western Australian Museum at Geraldton, where it is now displayed suspended from the ceiling. This is a fitting location, given that the first scheduled air service in Australia by Bristol Tourers of West Australian Airways began at Geraldton Airport on 5 December 1921.
The second aircraft VH-UDR (painted as G-AUDJ) was registered in March 1985 and was withdrawn from service in March 1986. It was converted to a Bristol Fighter F.2b configuration, painted in military markings to represent C-4623, and was placed on display at the Army Aviation Museum at Oakey, QLD.
All Aero 