Giving up a sleep-in on Sunday morning to see aviation history being made was well worth it.

I woke up our two kids and joined other family members and thousands of people who flocked to every vantage point around Illawarra Regional Airport, to watch Qantas' first Boeing 747-400 land.

There were people everywhere and leaving home at 6.30am I thought we might have left it too late to secure a good viewing spot.

But we ended up in a prime position, at the top of the runway near Wollongong Wholesale Nursery, as the jumbo jet made its approach.

It was a magnificent sight, watching the 70-metre-long jet descend and then all of a sudden it was right on top of us.

You could feel the heat and the air vibrate, smell the jet fuel and almost wave to the pilot.

It's a coup for HARS and the Illawarra that Qantas donated such an iconic aircraft - the first 747-400 in the world to be preserved for public display.

Congratulations to HARS and Qantas for making it happen - it will do wonders for tourism and the Wings Over the Illawarra air show.