The aircraft represented by this model is the Qantas Boeing 707-138B turbo-fan V-jet 'City of Sydney' VH-EBB of 1959. .

The first Qantas Boeing 707-138 (City of Canberra) arrived at Mascot on 2 July 1959, having broken the the trans-Pacific record in flying the 12,285 km from San Francisco to Sydney via Honolulu and Fiji in 16 hours and 10 minutes. The jet reached a top speed of 952 km/h during the flight. No sooner did it arrive in Australia than it went into service across the Pacific. In October 1959, 707s were placed on the 'Kangaroo' route through South-East Asia to London, giving Qantas a round-the-world jet service.

With the increase in passenger travel in the 1960s, Qantas began replacing their 707-138Bs with the longer more powerful 707-338cs. But the demand for passenger seats continued to rise and on 1 April 1979 the last of Qantas's 707s departed, replaced by the more economical and suitable Boeing 747.

Boeing 707-138B were all named after Australian cities or towns: City of Canberra, City of Sydney, City of Melbourne, City of Brisbane, City of Perth, City of Adelaide, City of Hobart, City of Darwin, Winton, Longreach, City of Newcastle, City of Geelong and City of Launceston.

Ref: Flying Machines from Icarus to Starwars, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, 1982.