Qantas Saturday celebrated 60 years of flying the Sydney–London route and takes a look back to the things that have changed on this iconic service.

Colloquially known as the ‘Kangaroo Route’, the Sydney–London service was initially launched on the 1st of December 1947. Flown in a Lockheed Constellation, the Charles Kingsford Smith carried 29 passengers.

"The service was the first scheduled Qantas flight to London on an Australian owned aircraft with Australian crew," said Geoff Dixon, Qantas CEO.

"Prior to December 1947, Qantas cooperated with Imperial Airways to provide a commercial link between Australia and the UK, with passengers flying on Qantas to Singapore then with Imperial Airways for the remainder of their journey to London."

Back in 1947, the service took four nights and some 55 hours in the air to complete; and cost around £585 for a return fare. To put it into perspective, a house in 1947 would go for a price between £600 and £800; while a typical weekly wage was £7.

"Air travel was an unattainable dream for most people in 1947, 60 years later flying between Australia and the UK has become an everyday occurrence for thousands of people, with Qantas alone operating four return services to London each day, every day of the year," said Mr Dixon.

That inaugural service had departed Sydney for a stop in Darwin, followed by an overnight in Singapore, then with stops in Calcutta, Karachi, another overnight in Cairo, then Tripoli, before finally arriving in London with a very tired 11 person crew.

"While the nature of the aircraft and the journey today are greatly different from 1947, one thing remains constant – the Kangaroo Route still provides a vital link for business and leisure travellers between Australia and the UK," remarked Mr Dixon.