One of the key events depicted in Baz Luhrmann’s epic movie Australia is the Japanese bombing raids on Darwin in World War II. And for a slice of Australia’s Second World War history, Darwin is probably the best place to head to. However, there are some other spots around the country that have a war story or two to tell as well…
World War II travel in Australia: Darwin
The Military Museum at East Point should be a mandatory first stop for anyone wanting to take a trip back in time to wartime Darwin. A series of excellent displays charts the timeline of the Japanese bombings, and the museum has plenty of military regalia. Even those not overly thrilled by battle minutae and medals can gawp at big tanks and guns.
The site, too, is an important one – the museum sits in the bunker in which the Top End defence strategy was planned by military bigwigs.
After visiting the museum, head to the WWII Oil Storage Tunnels in the Wharf Precinct. These were dug under the city during the war to protect Darwin’s oil supply from the Japanese raids. Tours tell the story of their construction.
World War II travel in Australia: Newcastle
The NSW city was also fired upon during the Second World War. A Japanese submarine made it far enough down the East Coast to launch a raid on the dockyards and the city. Damage was minimal and no-one was hurt, but it did confirm suspicions that Newcastle would be a prime target because of its coal and shipping industries.
The chaps at Fort Scratchley – Newcastle’s Coastal Defence HQ – returned fire on the sub. Following recent renovations, Fort Scratchley has been reopened to the public and it now contains plenty of World War II memorabilia as well as information on the fort’s former uses.
Near Newcastle is Stockton Bight. The long beach was thought to be the perfect landing spot for a Japanese invasion and was heavily fortified. Tank traps – concrete blocks and barbed wire – were laid along the beach, and some can still be found at Anna Bay and Stockton.
World War II travel in Australia: Christmas Island
It wasn’t actually part of Australia at the time (the Brits were in command, and the island was passed into Australian hands in 1958), but technically, Christmas Island is the only bit of Australian territory to have been occupied by the Japanese in World War II. Half of the population was sent to prison camps in Indonesia, ships were sunk, and islanders conspired against the occupying forces to prevent them from benefiting from the island’s phosphate mines.
Christmas Island is now more famous as a wildlife haven – the annual red crab migration is world famous, but there are plenty of diving, fishing and bird-watching adventures to be had.
It is a tiny dot in the Indian Ocean, far closer to Java than Australia, but regular flights to this little-known Aussie territory go from Perth.
World War II travel in Australia: Point Nepean
Right at the tip of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, Point Nepean has long been military land, and it is only in recent years that the public has been allowed in to enjoy it. Much of the military hardware remains in place – gun placements, tunnel networks, bomb-proof rooms and hidey holes for those on guard duty. It’s for a good reason that Point Nepean was once known as Australia’s Gibraltar, and the tours around it are fascinating.
One little known fact, however, is that the very first shot of World War II was fired from Point Nepean. An Australian ship, the Wonira, attempted to enter Port Philip Bay in September 1939 without realising that strict inspection rules had been put in place. Mercifully for those on board, it was just a warning shot.
World War II travel in Australia: Rottnest Island
Perth’s favourite getaway spot also has a substantial wartime history. During the Second World War, public access was prohibited as it was taken over by the military, and parts of the old prison were used to keep Italian nationals (and some Australian nationals with an Italian background) in.
Aside from being an internment camp for anyone who looked like they might make a decent coffee or knew what pasta was, Rottnest was an important strategic point.
Popping a gun at the top of Oliver Hill was a vital component in Perth and Fremantle’s coastal defence. The enormous 9.2 inch gun was placed at the Oliver Hill Battery, and it acted as a suitable deterrent to any enemy ships thinking of raiding the Western Australian capital.
It was never fired, but it is the only such gun still standing in Australia. Short tours of the battery are available for those with a special interest; others can just nip inside the gun house for a quick pic.
World War II travel in Australia: Australian War Memorial
Australia’s best war-related attraction, however, is the truly moving Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The exhibitions and collections cover all wars that Australia has been involved in, but naturally the Second World War features fairly heavily. There are thousands of artefacts, ranging from weapons to letters sent home from the frontline, and the 3D dioramas of battle scenes are particularly superb.
But the sombre highlight comes at the end of the day, when a lone piper or bugler plays by the eternal flame in memory of those who lost their lives serving their country.
This article was originally written for Ninemsn.
Copyright David Whitley
