Darwin remembers, Northern Territory, Australia - Half lap, Part 6

Hi everyone, and welcome back to my Half Lap of Australia. A couple of weeks ago we took a "quick" side trip to Uluru in central Australia, but now we are back on the road and heading from our last stop, Litchfield National Park, up to Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory. 

Here is the map to get you orientated. Darwin is up on the north coast, and is the most northern capital of the Australian mainland. 

Darwin is only about 115km from our last stop, Litchfield, so it was an easy drive, and we arrived at the caravan park late morning. 





Today, 11 November, is Remembrance Day in Australia and other Allied Nations, when we remember our fallen - United Kingdom, New Zealand, United States, Canada, Belgium, France, and the Cayman Islands. 



Darwin was extensively bombed during World War 2, and so there is a lot of history to be learned in Darwin about this time. As it is Remembrance Day today, I decided to look at some of the places you can visit in Darwin to discover some of that history. 

 As a strategic Allied military base, Darwin was the target of Japanese air raids in February 1942, with more bombs dropped on the city than on Pearl Harbor. Air raids continued across the Top End during World War II, leading to a repositioning of armed forces in the Darwin region to Adelaide River, 113km south of Darwin, which became the base for Australian and American headquarters. The Territory Military Trail

Many of the historic sites can be explored on the Territory Military Trail. If you go the website, above, you can download a trail map.

Part of Darwin waterfront today.

* Adelaide River -  In October I showed you the beautiful Adelaide River War Cemetery  established in 1942 for the burial of service personnel who died in northern Australia in World War 2. There are 434 military burials and the adjoining Civil Cemetery honours 63 civilians including the nine post office workers who were killed in the 19 February 1942 bombing. The Memorial to the Missing remembers 292 service personnel who lost their lives in Timor and other northern regions and were not returned to Australia.

So your exploration of Darwin's war history starts here.  
Soon after the initial bombing of Darwin the military headquarters was moved to Adelaide River and civilian administration to Alice Springs. 

 
* WW2 Airfields - About 45km south of Darwin, you will see wide strips of gravel on either side of the Stuart Highway.  Take time to pull in when you see the cut-out shapes of aircraft along the north-bound side of the road. The information panels tell the story of the highway’s former role as the Strauss Airfield, used by Australian, British and American aircraft during the war. 

Built in 1942, this airfield had a 1.5 km long, 30 m wide runway, as well as huts, tents, mechanics sheds, and parking bays for the aircraft providing a base for the ground crews and pilots of P40 Kittyhawk and Spitfire fighter squadrons. Camouflage was strung between the trees over the planes and facilities to hide them from aerial view. This is just one of these airstrips. Other WW2 airfields such as Livingstone, Hughes and Fenton can also be visited.

* Bombing of Darwin - Royal Flying Doctor Facility, Stokes Hill Wharf -  (Entry fees apply).
The Darwin Waterfront is the site of the first bombing of Australia during World War 2.  At the Royal Flying Doctor Tourist Facility you can experience the history of the RFDS which began in the Northern Territory in 1939 and the Bombing of Darwin in 1942, through two short movies. 

You can also don virtual reality glasses to experience the bombing of Darwin. I had never tried virtual reality glasses before, and recommend you try it, as it is an amazing experience. The glasses had you sitting in a pilots seat, and you could swivel around in the chair and look up, down and around to the side and in front. 

Here is a photo of the first bombing of Darwin on 19 February 1942 when 188 Japanese bombers attacked Darwin just before 10am, from the archives of the Australian War Memorial collections. There were 292 fatalities on the first day of bombing, including 23 waterside workers and 48 seafarers.   There is a memorial on the waterfront.

Photo of the bombing of Darwin from the Australian War Memorial records

While you are there take a look at the RFDS aircraft and how it is fitted out to transport patients across Australia. 

* World War 2 Oil Storage Tunnels - Located beneath the cliffs of Darwin on Kitchener Drive, near the Darwin Waterfront Precinct, the World War II Oil Storage Tunnels were built during the Second World War by the Civil Construction Corps. 

After 7 of Darwin's 11 above ground storage tanks were destroyed during the bombing of Darwin, an underground tunnel was built to store oil. 172 metres long and 4 metres wide, concrete formed and steel lined, there were however many problems with construction including soft, unstable ground and cave ins during the wet season. Despite the thousands of pounds spent on construction the tunnels were never used for oil storage until the 1950s and then only for 3 years. 

Visitors can now enter two of the tunnels and find out more of the history of the bombing of Darwin through the interpretive panels and photographic displays.  (entry fees apply)

* Darwin Military Museum - To really get a sense of that time in history, visit the Darwin Military Museum at East Point. (entry fees apply)

The Northern Territory was bombed over 70 times between February 1942 and November 1943. 188 aircraft were deployed to attack Darwin at 9.58am on 19 February 1942 dropping 681 bombs on the city, and 54 aircraft attacked in a second raid on 11.45am. 

The Northern Territory was raided 64 times and the Top End of Australia over 107 times. 

I had always heard about the bombing of Darwin, but until I visited Darwin, I had no idea of the extent of the bombing. 

All of this and more can discovered on your visit to the Darwin Military Museum. Inside is a vast collection of uniforms, weaponry, artifacts, photographs, interviews, and propaganda pieces that tell the stories that chronicle Australia’s involvement in international conflicts from the Boer War to the present day, including the Vietnam War collection, whilst outside in the gardens are military vehicles and larger artillery pieces. You can also climb up to a gun deck. 

There is also a Japanese Peace Garden.

In the theatre you can watch a fascinating wide screen 12 minute film that combines modern technology and 3D animation with still photography and first hand accounts from the attack to depict the bombing as it happened over 75 years ago. You can click here to see the video at The Pod.com. Then scroll down to the "Bombing of Darwin Experience"

 Other places to explore Darwin's military history include: The Darwin Aviation Museum, Darwin Cenotaph, Charles Darwin National Park, and the Batchelor Museum. Find out more at: Northern Territory's Military Heritage, including downloadable map. 

There are also tours of Darwin including a Bombing of Darwin Tour and a tour in a WW2 army truck!

there is also a Hop-On Hop-off Bus which takes you to some of the sites. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

   
All Seasons
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf

Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

ThroughMy Lens 

Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity.

The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit

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