The market is flooded with fitness trackers. They come in various shapes and sizes and each with their own set of unique functions designed not only to entice you as a consumer but to get you moving about more in the name of a fitter, healthier version of yourself.Fitbit is, without doubt, the most well-known name in the fitness tracker space (the Apple Watch is technically a smartwatch, not a tracker) and Fitbit’s Charge family of trackers is the most recognisable on shelves (and wrists) world-over. The company caters for a number of style preferences and budgets with its other trackers, but the Charge can be regarded as one of the more well-rounded offerings.Fitbit has recently launched its latest fourth-generation of the Charge and on the face of it, not a lot has changed. However, some changes have been made under the hood and it’s these we were keen to take a closer look at, since we’re already Fitbit converts, having made the switch from Apple to the Charge 3 in 2019.We therefore put our body through the most exercise it’s seen in some time due to the lockdown, in order to bring you our definitive opinion as to whether you should upgrade if you’re a current Fitbit user, or if you should make your first investment.

Yes, We Know It Looks The Same

But hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We always thought the Charge 3 was a handsome device. The rectangular shaping keeps it slim on the wrist, with the display showing you everything you need to see and nothing you don’t (it can show even less, but more on that later). What we continue to love it for is its ability to simply blend in with our daily outfits as an accessory, and it means we can still wear a mechanical watch on our other wrist.

GPS Is The Star Of The Show

Perhaps the biggest update with the Charge 4 is the inclusion of built-in GPS. For those who workout outside on a regular basis, this is a feature long in the making. Previously, in order to track where you’ve cycled, walked or run, on a Fitbit Charge, you needed to take your phone with you to handle the location tracking. With GPS now built-in you can leave your phone at home.

Unless You Want Music

We say you can leave your phone at home if all you care about is tracking your workouts. If you want to listen to music however, you’re going to need to take your phone with you still, as the Charge 4 doesn’t offer offline playback functionality. Offline playback is supported on some other Fitbit devices, however, but we imagine it’s still been left out here to help differentiate models.

But At Least Spotify Is Better Supported

The Fitbit Charge 4 does have the power to have the Spotify app downloaded to it. If you’re a Spotify Premium user, you’ll want to make sure you do this, as you can now control the playback of your playlists much more intuitively. And if you stream a playlist of new songs, you can quickly add them to your personal library by liking them in the same way you would on the smartphone app. You can also choose where you want music to play using the Spotify Connect feature – for example, you can select your Bluetooth headphones when heading outside and quickly switch to playback on a Bluetooth speaker when you get back home.

Active Zone Minutes Can Be Confusing

With the Charge 4, Fitbit has also updated its in-app workout-tracking data, evolving Active Minutes into Active Zone Minutes. This now rewards you for getting into fat-burning zones (based on your personal health data). There’s more we could say about it, but we’d a) run out of space on the page and b) probably make it sound even more confusing.Essentially, it’s meant to help motivate you to reach your fitness goals and present the data in a fun, understandable way. The jury’s still out as to whether it’s understandable, and as for fun, well, if your idea of fun is the device constantly buzzing on your wrist then you’re going to have the most fun ever.

Is It Us Or Is The Screen Better?

It shouldn’t be any different since Fitbit has used the same OLED screen in both the Charge 3 and Charge 4. But having used both devices we definitely prefer the look of the latter. There may be some tweaking with the backlighting which can make a difference, but otherwise, it’s probably just a placebo effect.

Smartphone Notifications Can Be A Buzzkill

In a similar vein to the Active Zone Minutes, having notifications on meant the Fitbit kept buzzing on our wrist. We get the feature can be handy, allowing you to quickly see who’s messaged you or who’s calling, but for us, it’s not what we want a Fitbit for. Fortunately, you’re given the option of turning them off. Nice going, Fitbit.

So, Should You Buy A Fitbit Charge 4?

The million-dollar question. Or rather, in this case, the $250 question, should you get a Charge 4? In our opinion, it’s a resounding yes. Despite the buzzing feedback becoming annoying, we continue to find Fitbit’s device unquestionably useful as an everyday fitness tracker.We think it’s excellent value for money, it can be worn in addition to a mechanical watch and it gives us a simple rundown of our daily activity such as steps taken and calories burned.You might be able to make more sense of the Active Zone Minutes.

Read Next

• I Wore Stupidly Expensive Gym Shorts For A Month & This Is What I Discovered
• The Cold Hard Truth About Ditching The Apple Watch For A Fitbit
• This Oversized Smartwatch Could Be The Best Apple Watch Alternative Yet

The post Fitbit Charge 4 Review: The Good & Bad appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Formerly known as winter, Beard Season is a melanoma awareness movement encouraging guys to grow a beard from June 1st to August 31st and to get a skin check with their GP. The beard is then there to spark conversation and inspire others to do the same.

Jimmy Niggles, Beard Season ambassador and CEO, founded the movement in 2010 after his mate, Wes Bonny, died from a melanoma. Since then the challenge has grown into a global movement. As Jimmy says, “We now have ambassadors in over 24 countries, (have) amassed a community of over 80,000 people and (have) gained millions in earned media.”

“But by far our proudest achievement is that we now potentially save a life a week.”

Testimony to Jimmy’s hard work is the number of Australian men who have jumped on board (from Chris Hemsworth to Hamish Blake to – hopefully – your neighbours and mates). In fact, even Richard Branson has got involved in recent years.

This – and the steadily growing ‘beard season’ hashtag (which has been posted to Instagram 248,738 times and counting) – suggests men worldwise are neglecting their razors in unprecedented numbers.

Of course, the important aspect to this movement is the health. However, the ‘beard season’ hashtag, which has seen an uptick in America and Europe (two places where, as time and time again, we’ve seen Australian style and grooming trends originate) also suggests some interesting new trends could soon be seen on Aussie mens’ faces in the coming months.

RELATED: David Beckham Shines Bright With Next Season’s Suit Trend

To spare you the scrolling, we’ve picked out The Big Three beard types from Europe and America’s winter just gone, which we’ve seen crop up post and post again, and which we’d bet our rusty razor will soon be seen in the antipodes.

The Viking by day, f*ckboi by night

 

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A post shared by @bearded.nation.pl on Jun 1, 2020 at 1:37am PDT

 

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A post shared by @thekingsofbeards on Jun 1, 2020 at 12:00am PDT

The mountain goat

 

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A post shared by Beard Brothers (@brrbeard) on May 31, 2020 at 10:35pm PDT

 

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A post shared by Haircuts For Him (@stylish_haircutsforhim) on May 31, 2020 at 11:15pm PDT

The ‘what I lack up top I make up for down below’

 

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A post shared by Beard Model (@beardedleader) on May 31, 2020 at 1:15pm PDT

 

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A post shared by Man’s Hair Styles (@manhaiirstyle) on May 31, 2020 at 1:39pm PDT

Moving away from trends, the following post, featuring Mike Goldman, the host of Big Brother AU, which Beard Season recently posted to their Instagram page, proves how the movement is more than just fluff.

 

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Another of our #BeardSeasonVictories… this is @MikeGoldmanLive. You may recognise Mike as the host of @BigBrotherau and nuuuuumerous other radio and TV gigs – plus he’s got an awesome podcast called #OnTheMike. A hilarious talent and beaming ball of energy. ⁣ ⁣ We met Mike last year at the @amexau lounge in Sydney Airport (those were the days…) and got along instantly. ⁣ ⁣ Thankfully, we managed to stay in touch because he just recently discovered a few suss looking spots on his face which he’s getting treatment for now. ⁣ ⁣ As a golden son of Queensland he’s extra prone to #skin cancer and we’re glad he got onto them early. Thanks heaps for asking about #BeardSeason and following through on a #skincheck mate. We wish you (and #TigerKing) a speedy recovery and look forward to catching up again soon. ⁣ ⁣ Fine form indeed. ⁣ All the best!!

A post shared by B E A R D S E A S O N (@beardseason) on May 19, 2020 at 3:52am PDT

If you are interested in joining yourself, founder Jimmy says there are two ways to join: “If you’re super committed, you can sign up as a #BeardSeasonAmbassador and grow your beard – using it as a life saving conversation starter – challenging as many people as you can to get a #BeardSeasonSkincheck.”

Otherwise, “you can sign up as a #BeardSeasonGardener, and tend to the facial follicles of your friends’ – starting a team on our website and making sure your (proxy) beards are growing strong.”

Follicular glory (and a safer face) awaits.

Read Next

• Hamish Blake Reveals How Growing A Beard Changed His Life
• All Men Have An Aesthetic Obligation To Grow A Beard, Philosopher Argues 

The post Australian Mens' Grooming Habits Are About To Radically Change; Here's Why appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Whenever you buy a new car, the dealer selling it always likes to present you with a list of optional extras to make your purchase that little bit more special. But they’re usually overpriced (or oversold) by a sleazebag who would auction his grandmother given the chance.Moving out of the realm of dodgy neighbourhood lots, however, and into the more premium space, there are some cool add ons to be had. And though they may not be essential, they are more often being offered to buyers who can afford to splurge on them.In these scenarios, it’s usually the case that the more expensive the car, the more expensive the extras. Take Porsche for example and the latest 911 Carrera 4S. If you want a full leather interior, it’ll set you back AU$8,350. Adaptive Cruise Control is another $3,570 and a Burmester high-end surround sound system will cost you $6,700. Expensive? Maybe. Necessary? Debatable (apart from that sound system).But there’s one extra you may not know about that could just be the only one you’d ever want to spec with your next car: the tourist delivery program option.We’ll be honest, we’d never heard of it here at DMARGE. It wasn’t until we were browsing the Carsales pages and stumbled upon this 1976 911 Carrera that we noticed it mentioned in the description. After a bit of searching online we came to a rough conclusion as to what it was, but to find out for sure, we reached out to Classic Car Addict Damian Royce, a man who knows Porsche inside out, to get the full lowdown. (He also told us there’s more to that 1976 911 than meets the eye).Damian told us, “A tourist delivery program is where the buyer purchases the car and takes delivery at the factory in Germany, rather than ordering and taking delivery from say, Porsche Centre Melbourne.”Porsche isn’t the only manufacturer to offer such a luxury, other German carmakers such as BMW have similar programs. However, they’re usually only available if the particular model you want isn’t manufactured closer to home. We reached out to Porsche Australia for more information but unfortunately for us down under, it’s not available, it’s for North American customers only. Sorry, Australia.Damian continues, “It used to be a popular method of buying a Porsche for people who could afford the trip and process, as it adds a touch of adventure and romance to the purchase.” It also offers the owner to take his new car onto Germany’s famed Autobahns with their ‘anything goes’ approach to speed limits, to really test out just how powerful his new baby is.The tourist delivery program is still active too, as Damian tells us, “Rod Emory, the man responsible for giving the world the Porsche 356 Outlaw, recently bought a Porsche Panamera and picked it up in Germany, drove it around on a holiday with his family and then brought the car back to L.A.”You can find out more information regarding Porsche’s program on the company’s website. Not only can you take your new car on a short holiday while in Europe, but you also get lunch, a visit to the Porsche museum and a factory tour included in the price (not right now, however, due to the pandemic).The fee you pay to Porsche also includes delivery of your vehicle to your home country once you’re done blasting it around Europe’s roads, as well as insurance to cover you should anything go wrong.So next time you find yourself sitting in a Porsche dealership, ask them about a trip to Europe before you sign on the dotted line.

Read Next

• Controversial New Porsche Accessory Will Have The Purists Fuming
• The Porsche Factory Like You’ve Never Seen It Before

The post The Little-Known Porsche Service American Car Enthusiasts Need To Know appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

In March, the aviation industry came to a ligament-pinging halt. So even though the pandemic is now calming, as the fibres of global tourism gingerly knit themselves back together, it’s unlikely you’ll travel much for the rest of 2020.For this reason, Qantas and Virgin Australia have paused their loyal members’ status for a year. In other words: you don’t need to fly this year to remain considered a frequent flyer.However, that doesn’t mean you can’t grow your points balance. As points hacking expert (and owner of Flight Hacks, a website which shows you how to make the most of airline loyalty programs all across the world) Immanuel Debeer has told DMARGE exclusively, there are a number of smart ways you can earn Qantas Points this year – without setting a foot on the tarmac.

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A post shared by Immanuel Debeer (@flighthacks) on Nov 22, 2018 at 3:14am PST

Starting off with “on ground tricks” which can help you net points, Immanuel told us that for those in the know, this aspect of points building really hasn’t changed: “The ironic part of frequent flyer points is that most of them are earned on the ground anyway.”

“Gone are the days where you need to sit strapped into an economy seat clocking up miles. Frequent flyer credit cards are king and there have been a lot of… promos (recently) to boost our points balances.”

“Personally,” Immanuel tells us, “I’ve moved all my spend to my Amex Platinum since they are offering double points on all spend. I also keep my eyes peeled for other promotions that people can take advantage of [like] the Airwallex deal with 40k Qantas points after making an international money transfer of $4000.”

“There are plenty of bonus deals to be had in the Qantas wine store as well.”

While Immanuel, who is based “behind the iron curtain that is Western Australia” has “zero domestic trips planned” right now (“Australia might continue international travel before Western Australia opens its domestic borders”) Immanuel has his sights set on flying internationally as soon as it is permitted.

“My money is still on July for international travel to slowly open up, in which case I will be ready to go.”

“I have a lot of international travel booked for this year and I’m still staying positive that some of it might go ahead… who knows!” Immanuel added. “While I have no flights booked with Qantas I do have a bunch of flights with ANA, Swiss Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Air France, and Qatar Airways.”As for the more strategic aspect of maximising points, Immanuel told us, in his opinion, Australians seeking to get the most out of their Qantas points this year should stick to the same techniques as usual: “My strategies of earning points remain the same. I prefer to earn flexible rewards but Qantas is the next best/secure thing.”

“Unless you think travel won’t be a thing anymore after #rona, you should still focus on getting those frequent flyer points on the ground. There are plenty of deals and offers around which require no flying at all so there really is no better time than now to boost your points balance and have it ready to go when travel is a thing again.”

Keen to start booking trips? Soon after we spoke to Immanuel we received an email from Qantas notifying us of their new ‘fly well’ program, which is set to improve flexibility for customers. Granted: this comes at a time where not many people will be booking trips anyway, and as we reported last week, international travel, even once countries open their borders, will be a grey area (at best) for insurance.Not to mention, in our opinion, the rumours around $19 Sydney to Melbourne flights are vastly overhyped.RELATED: The Cold Hard Truth About Qantas’ $19 Sydney To Melbourne Flights However, for those who are using this time to take advantage of the crazy deals flying around, it makes one aspect of your decision a little bit less (financially) risky. How so, exactly?As for domestic flights, “Customers can book any Qantas or Jetstar Australian domestic flight between 21 May and 30 June 2020, for travel between 12 June and 31 October 2020, and we will waive the change fee one time if you decide to change the date of your travel,” Qantas recently announced. That said: “Customers will have to cover any fare increase (if relevant) for the new booking.”Regarding international flight credit extensions, Qantas says, “Further flexibility has been introduced for international bookings (excluding Trans-Tasman). Customers with an existing Qantas or Jetstar international flight booking, for travel between 1 August and 31 October 2020, who wish to change their plans, can cancel their booking and retain the full value as a flight credit.”

“Flight credits must be requested by 30 June 2020 and are valid for booking and travel across domestic and international services by 31 December 2021. Jetstar credit vouchers allow up to two years to travel from issue date. Customers will have to cover any fare increase (if relevant) for the new booking.”

Finally, Qantas added: “If a flight is cancelled by us, customers will be rebooked on the next available flight at no additional cost. Alternatively, customers can choose a flight credit or a refund.”Your next trip awaits.

Read Next

• How My First Ever Business Class Trip Ruined Me For Life
• Australian Travellers Can Now Fly To Bali In Absolute Luxury On Qantas
• Experts Reveal The Smartest Ways To Earn Qantas Points Without Flying

The post Boost Your Qantas Points Balance Without Flying appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

From Emirates’ futuristic $17,000 first class suites to Etihad’s exclusive $27,000 travel class, there are more luxurious ways to traverse the skies than you can throw an A380 at.Luxe as These Cool Offerings are though, for some wallet-heavy travellers, commercial flights just don’t cut it. For those guys (and gals), only a private jet will do.Though your coin-jangling might be on a different level to The Super Rich, you can still live their lives vicariously, with the following video.

 

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A post shared by Rich Kids Of The Internet (@rkoi) on May 30, 2020 at 1:17pm PDT

Posted yesterday by the Instagram account Rich Kids Of The Internet, is a video of a private $200,000,000 747 jet that will put your wildest first-class dreams to shame (if you can put up with the slightly irritating voiceover).The narrator takes us through what Rich Kids Of The Internet claims to be a $200,000,000 private plane, boasting a main residential area (“definitely where I would be spending all of my time if I could”), two captains chairs, a dining area, a cheese lounge buffet, accent lighting and two identical seating areas.And that’s just the beginning.The only problem we can see, which has also been pointed out by an Instagram commenter, is that much of these riches could soon be on the floor.

“Hope these items affix themselves to the tables during take-off or else you’ll be wearing your 4 course dinner.”

Other than that, optic gluttony awaits.

Read Next

• Private Jet Party Learns Hard Way What Counts As ‘Essential’ Travel
• Take A Personal Tour Inside Etihad’s Exclusive $27,000 Travel Class

The post Super Rich Traveller Gives You Sneak Peek Into Incredible $200 Million Jet appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image="248444" img_size="medium" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" link="https://www.reiss.com/us/mens/sale/"][vc_column_text]For well-made menswear essentials that effortlessly combine a mixture of classic and contemporary, look no further than Reiss...

↬ Click here to view the full article/gallery on D'Marge

 

The post Save Up To 50% Off The Finest Menswear Essentials At The Reiss Mid-Season Sale appeared first on DMARGE.

Transforming our bodies and putting them through a fitness journey almost always comes with the addition of having to count calories and putting a heavy focus on what we eat and when we eat it. Couple that with a rigorous workout routine and it can be all too easy to get caught up in a life dedicated to Maximum Gains.Gym addiction can come after that, and all of a sudden you could find you have no time for socialising or doing anything else outside the confines of the gym walls.But one fitness influencer may have put an end to that sort of life with some recent Instagram posts. Chris Clark, a San Diego, California-based influencer with a following of 770,000 at the time of writing, posts workouts virtually every day. It’s therefore incredibly easy to track his progress and notice how huge he gets.But with the lockdown forcing gyms to close, he, like all of us, has had to get inventive. But it’s also caused him to take a step back to reassess his attitude to fitness (it also caused him, temporarily, to stop training altogether).

 

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A post shared by Chris Clark (@clarkfit) on May 30, 2020 at 7:46pm PDT

His most recent post isn’t uncommon in the land of fitness influencer: a topless shot in the mirror. His caption, however, makes for interesting reading. He states it’s the leanest he’s been at a weight of 182 lbs/82kg. He adds, “Interestingly enough I’ve spent the least amount of effort on my diet and the least amount of focus on how my physique looks than I have in probably 10 years.”Contrary to what made other fitness figures tell us, these words suggest we don’t need to be so strict on the number of calories we consume, or the type of foods we eat.A look back through some of his other previous posts reveal Chris actually stopped working out for a while when the lockdown hit.

“I made no attempt at building a routine going into this and the first couple weeks were not good. Probably worked out twice in that time, diet went to shit too.”

He further reveals the reasoning behind why he trains and eats like does in a separate post.“For my training the biggest thing I chase is ‘fun’. I thoroughly enjoy taking a majority of my sets to and past failure, supersets, monster sets, short rest times, etc. Definitely not always the most optimal way to train but it’s how I have the most fun.”

“And fun makes it so easy to come back to each day.”

As for nutrition, Chris says he’s put himself onto the carnivore diet – which we’ve reported on a few times here at DMARGE. The meat-only diet can have negative nutritional effects on some who try it, but it’s certainly backed up by (visual) evidence that it can make you shredded.

 

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A post shared by Chris Clark (@clarkfit) on May 19, 2020 at 1:27pm PDT

“With my nutrition I’ve almost always chased a way of eating the makes me ‘feel’ my best. Not necessarily look my best (although I’ve gone through that phase too). For me right now that happens to be carnivore.”

“It’s effortless for me to feel my absolute best and not have to think about numbers or cravings etc.”

As with any nutritional and fitness decision, it’s each to their own, and what works for someone else may not necessarily work for you. All Chris has done with his latest Instagram posts is made us rethink how we could approach keeping our bodies in top shape as soon as we’re allowed back in the gym. 

Read Next

• These Simple Calorie Swaps Could Be The Secret To Dropping Excess Fat, Says Nutrition Coach
• This Simple Test Will Reveal Your Post-Iso Fitness Level

The post Benefits Of Not Exercising, According To Coach appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

If you’re a regular at DMARGE, you’ll know we like to feature cool and interesting cars that are available to buy from all over the country. Uncovering those cool cars is one thing, but we get a lot more enjoyment from an advert when it’s written particularly well.Obviously it’s nice to know the specs of the vehicle in question and maybe a little bit of history thrown in for good measure, but never have we seen a Carsales advert like the one for this 1976 Toyota Land Cruiser, which is up for sale right now in Queensland.

It reads: “Born in the era of the longest solo instrumentals ever made, this beast will have you transported back to the 70’s!”It’s contextually relevant, too: “Fancy a simpler time when we were all safe from pandemics and fear? Here’s your new whip.”“This beast has survived since ‘76 so 2020 has nothing on her, fires, floods and pandemics are scared of this weapon.” 1976 was also the year Cyclone Colin hit the South Queensland coast“Has taken on Trumps hair, drank the Clorox (an incredibly strong bleach) and came out victorious, listened to ScoMo say ‘How good is Australia’ for the millionth time and still not thrown herself off a cliff, in fact, she never skips a beat.”

Should 28 Days Later hit Australia, the owner reckons there’s no better car to own:

“This golden goose will serve you in years to come as an ego piece and member of the family during the upcoming zombie apocalypse (aka round three). Has been sized up for a sub machine gun mount on the back.”

“Engineering says it’s a go. Also for those that prefer peace, the plans are in place for a bubble gun that shoots rainbows and joy….. your choice.”“Had a starring role in the series ‘Reef Break’ (look it up) managed to cast a shadow over all the other actors, refuses to do any more film to keep her reputation intact.”He’s not wrong…

As for the car itself, it’s a J40 Land Cruiser, which was part of the J-Series, produced from 1960 all the way through to 2001. Within that period, Toyota introduced a few variations, such as those with a longer wheelbase or with four doors instead of the more-common two-door.The J40 more specifically was available was a two-door model that could be had with either a hardtop or soft top. Toyota would let you have it with either a petrol or diesel engine too, until it was replaced by the J70 in 1984. This particular model on sale has the newer 4.2-litre petrol engine that was used in models from 1975-1984 and gives out 101kW/135hp.This model for sale has had custom bucket seats finished, “zero rust”, has had some new parts fitted including Good Year Wrangler AT tyres that look like absolute beasts. There’s also the obligatory bullbar on the front for pushing those zombies to the ground.If you were to go through with the purchase of this Land Cruiser – and we really feel you should, not just for its Mustard Yellow paint job, but the fact the owner deserves money for the ad alone – you can revel in the fact that Toyota still offers parts for it as it shares more of its DNA with the J70 than you’d probably think.It’s a sweet looking and undeniably cool car, that can be yours for $21,000. Head to Carsales now to make an enquiry.

Read Next

• This 1956 Fiat 600 Could Be The Coolest Car For Sale In Australia Right Now
• Australians Can Save Big On Second Hand Cars Right Now, According To Auto Experts

The post Toyota Land Cruiser: This Advert Could Be The Most Hilarious We’ve Ever Seen appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service is invaluable for Australians everywhere, especially those who live in the Outback, thousands of kilometres from medical assistance in the nearest cities. The RFDS has been in operation for 92 years and in the years since its inception, the service has had to evolve and adapt to a growing population, everchanging medical needs and new technologies.

We haven’t all been around long enough to see just how much the service has changed, but an image posted recently on the Qantas Instagram page proves just how different the service is to how it first looked.

The image in question is from 1928 and depicts the very first plane to bear the RFDS signage – although it was originally known as the Australian Inland Mission Aerial Medical Service – which was supplied by Qantas.

The partnership was formed when Reverend John Flynn, the founder of the RFDS, was approached by Hudson Fysh, one of the founders of Qantas (then known as the Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Service) who wanted to pledge his support for the project.

 

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A post shared by Qantas (@qantas) on May 13, 2020 at 7:08pm PDT

Qantas supplied a De Havilland DH.50, with the tail number VH-UER and dubbed “Victory”. The first flight was piloted by Arthur Affleck and took off on 17th May 1928 from Cloncurry, Queensland, making an 85-mile journey to Julia Creek.

Qantas didn’t provide the plane for free, however, and charged two shillings per mile during the Victory’s first year of use (which equates to just under AU$9 per mile in today’s money, and $765 for the 85-mile trip).

Over the next few decades, the RFDS – which finally received its current name in 1955 – opened up several new sites and new airports to land at across Australia. It was also credited with world-first honours, including having the world’s first female flying doctor in Dr Jean White.

In addition, “Flying Sister” nurses were responsible for introducing new innovations such as a numbered body chart that allowed patients to better describe where their pain was being felt.

As for the aircraft the service used, in 1934 the inaugural De Havilland supplied by Qantas was replaced with a DH.83 Fox Moth, a small biplane manufactured by De Havilland. De Havilland aircraft continued to dominate the fleet until 1950 when Beechcroft and Cessna aircraft were brought into service.

Today, the Royal Flying Doctor Service has 77 planes in its fleet commissioned to fly in Australia, split across four different aircraft: two Pilatus jets and two King Air propeller-powered planes. These aircraft have all been paid for through donations (and are no longer supplied by Qantas) and all fly at least 30,000 feet in the sky, but usually higher so as to avoid any turbulence and keep passengers and medical staff safe from motion.

They’re outfitted with stretcher beds and the very latest in in-flight technologies for both the pilot and medical team. It goes without saying they’re a far cry from the original bi-plane that took off in 1928. The Pilatus jets operate in WA, SA and NT, while the King Air cousins are used in QLD, NSW, VIC and Tasmania.

Read Next

• Qantas Is Now Using This Unlikely Aircraft For Sydney To Melbourne Flights 
• The Truth About Qantas’ “Special” Relationship With The Government

The post Royal Flying Doctor Service: Historic Qantas Photo Reveals How Far They’ve Come appeared first on DMARGE Australia.