At dawn on 18 March 1910 famous American escapologist Harry Houdini made the first Australian powered controlled sustained flight of an aircraft at Plumpton Dam, Diggers Rest.

In 1909 Houdini bought a Voisin bi-plane, shipping it to Australia for the record attempt. He took off and landed successfully three times from the 18 - 21 March 1910. On one flight he made a 3 kilometre controlled circuit of the paddock, reaching an altitude of 100 feet. The Argus newspaper verfiied about a dozen people saw Houdini make the flights. Houdini's flights were recorded and officially witnessed to prove the feat to the Australian Aerial League and enter Houdini’s name into the record books.

The 100 year anniversary of this significant date in Australia’s aviation history was celebrated with a Festival of Flight from 18 - 21 March 2010. The Diggers Rest community in partnership with the Lions Club of Diggers Rest and Melton Shire Council hosted a range of commemorative activities across 3 days.