Fort Bribie was built on Bribie Island, Queensland, Australia, during WW2 as part of the Moreton Bay
harbour defences.
Photos and research by Dr. Richard Walding (copyright).
If
you worked there or have any feedback please contact me:
Email: Dr. Richard Walding (waldingr49@yahoo.com.au)
Research Fellow - School of Science
Griffith University
Home Phone: 61 07 32064976
69 Summit Street, Sheldon, Q, 4157, Australia
Note: GPS co-ordinates are based on WGD84 datum. To convert from WGD84 to
GDA94 add 180 m to the Northings and 120 m to the Eastings (or subtract 6 s to
latitude and 4 s to longitude).
Fort Bribie lies at the northern tip of Bribie Island, about
25 km along the beach from Woorim. Details of how to get there are at the end of
this article.
It was constructed at the outbreak of World War 2 as a part
of the defence of Moreton Bay. Originally it was fairly primitive but as
Japanese aggression increased the fort was upgraded to become the major
defence installation in the Brisbane - Moreton Bay area.
The map opposite shows the location of the most important
elements of the fort. The accommodation area extended from the Battery Observation
Post (7) down to the Signals Operation Room (8), on the Eastern side of the
defence installations.
The Fort is of great historical value as it provides
material evidence of the preparations for the defence of the country in
World War 2. They also provide an historical record of the technology
of defensive arrangements at the time of WW2. Land based defences such as
these gun batteries have become outdated in the defence of Australia. Those
remaining provide a vital link to the past.
They also provide a site that has been untouched since it
was abandoned in 1945 and apart from the effects of natural forces they
remain largely as they would have appeared after the army left the site.
This web page documents a brief history of the establishment
of the fort and the methods used in its construction. The photos and
commentary detail the state of the remains of the fort today.
A BRIEF HISTORY
As the tide of events in Europe and Asia in the
1930s moved the world towards war, batteries were improved or established in the
key areas of Sydney, Darwin and Fremantle. The defence of Moreton Bay had been
concentrated on the mouth of the Brisbane River at Fort Lytton. With the
push for rearmament of Australia's coastal defence and with the improvements in
weapons technologies, attempts were made to enhance the defence of Brisbane and
the greater Moreton Bay region. An artillery battery was established at Cowan
Cowan Point on Moreton Island between the wars and took over the role of
examination battery in the bay.
A ship in the main channel of Moreton Bay passes between Fort Bribie and
Comboyuro Point on Moreton Island (August 2004).
In February 1939, some six months
prior to the start of WW2, a review of the defences of Moreton Bay was
undertaken before any more money was spent on Cowan Cowan. Funds made
available by the Military Board for Moreton Bay defence included ₤13100 about to
be used for Cowan Cowan, ₤6000 for tracks and ₤1500 for water provision.
It is worth noting that £1000 in 1939 is worth about $60000 today (2004). The
report suggested that the main defence should come from 2 x 6" Mark XI guns at
north Bribie with the soldiers barracks at Caloundra. It was proposed that the
examination battery stay at Cowan Cowan (with 1 x 6" gun); and river defences
remain at Fort Lytton (1 x 4.7" QF gun).
The Commandant of the First District Base at Brisbane, Lt Col
Sir D C Cameron expressed his opinion to the Military Board in Victoria that the
defences of Moreton Bay were inadequate. Unfortunately, there was a breach of
security and word of his concerns leaked out to the Minister for Defence who
wanted to know who was responsible for this propaganda. The Military Board were
outraged and wanted to know how it was that "correspondence has been divulged".
After much blood letting, the incident blew over. Nevertheless, the claim was
clear - Moreton Bay was inadequately defended.
Soon after Australia declared war on Germany in September
1939, Army personnel were moved to Bribie Island and a second six inch battery
in Moreton Bay was commenced. It was only intended to be temporary and meagre
resources were used in the most efficient way possible. The fort was
primitive in 1940 - the guns were mounted on temporary cruciform mountings,
inadequately positioned with the formation of the sand dunes, with a projector
and lamp mounted on a 10 m high tower operating as a searchlight powered by a
Ford V8 engine. The Observation Post had not been built and the magazines
did not have floors. It was little value from a defence point of view and was
recommended to be upgraded. In the words of the Major General Robert E Jackson,
Officer in Charge of Northern Command (in July 1940), Fort Bribie was "no value
from a defence point of view" and that it should be fixed.
Over the next year there was much to-ing and fro-ing about the
best place for the major defence base - Bribie or Caloundra. On 17th June
1940, the Major General of Northern Command recommended Bribie Battery. On 16th
August 1940, Colonel Gwyn P.W. "Horsey" Meredith, Director of Artillery, recommended that no
more work should be done on Bribie and that the guns should be transferred to
Caloundra. The main reason was that it would be ₤64000 cheaper at
Caloundra (that's $3.5 million in today's dollars), but this included ₤54000 for
a bridge. Colonel J S Whitelaw arrived at Bribie on 14th October 1940 as OC
Coast Defences, Northern Command. He designed the layout of the fort and
recommended its completion. By the beginning of 1942, it had finally been
decided that Fort Bribie should go ahead, mainly on strategic grounds (closer to
the shipping channel). Construction of the permanent gun emplacements began and
by April were almost complete.
The concrete structures at Fort Bribie took some months to
complete and was operational by early 1942. Construction cost was ₤55,000 (about
$2½ million in today's dollars). When completed, Fort Bribie assumed Examination
Battery status within the Moreton Bay Region. Fort Headquarters were
located at Caloundra, just over the Caloundra Bar at the northern tip of the
island.
The frontal dunes at Fort Bribie as they
are today
HOW FORT BRIBIE WORKED
The Fort Observation Post (FOP) was located in
a large house (Buena Vista) near the coast at Caloundra. From here the
batteries of Moreton Bay were commanded. The positions of the targets were
deduced from the range finding apparatus (Depression Range Finder, DRF) and Barr
& Stroud telescope. This information was then telephoned to the Fort Plotting
Room (not shown on the above map) where the path of the target would be traced.
Calculations were made for the required bearing and elevation of each gun to hit
the target. Instructions were then passed to the gun crews for aiming the guns.
Communications with FOP at Caloundra would be maintained until the command to
fire was given.
The beach in front of Fort
Bribie - looking North to the Caloundra Port War Signal Station (arrowed).
Low tide - looking South at
Fort Bribie. Skirmish Battery and the RAN4 Indicator Loop Station are 18 km
South.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My thanks to Marcus Richardson (Cultural Heritage Planner, Queensland Department
of Environment & Heritage), Peter
Marquis-Kyle (Conservation Architect), Scott Rogers (EPA, Bribie Island) and Ron
Donald (Author, Fort Bribie) for their assistance in compiling this
report. "Elements" referred to in the following photos are numbered according
to the Bribie Island Fortifications Conservation Study (Queensland
Department of Environment and Heritage, 1993) prepared by conservation
architects Allom Lovell Marquis-Kyle Pty Ltd. "Building" numbers are according
to the Fort Bribie Camp Layout - NAA File BP378/1. Copies of Ron Donald's book,
"Fort
Bribie", are available from the Bribie Island RSL, Toorbul St, Bribie Island, Q,
Australia for A$7 posted within Australia.
A useful book on Sydney's Anti-Ship Defences 1939-1945 is
"We Stood and Waited" by R. K. Fullford (Royal Australian
Artillery Historical Society Inc., 1994). Wartime comments come personally from
soldiers who were stationed there: the late Captain
John McKenna - RAA Bribie Battery 1943, Graeme Jenkinson RAE and Cpl. Peter
Pechy. My thanks to John Groves from Caloundra
State High School for providing the War Diary of Bribie Heavy Battery and help
locating the Command Post.
Note: GPS co-ordinates are based on WGD 84 datum.
GUN EMPLACEMENTS
The southern gun emplacement at full moon.
Lighting by Dave Wicks. Photo by Richard Walding.
The two gun emplacements are relatively
sophisticated structures. They are 15 m square and the roof is about 7.5 m above
ground level. The roof of the Northern emplacement can just be seen from the
beach. These emplacements were
built as two stories, with a raised concrete platform and buttressed supports,
upon which the gun was centrally located facing the ocean, with five rooms below
(see Figure 1 below) used for storage of shells and cartridges and accommodation for the duty
officer. The buildings are open to the east and curved to allow for a wide
range of sight. Steel doors were originally installed along this arc to protect
the position. External stairs to the west at the rear of the emplacement give
access to the gun level from the ground. Details about the
guns and gun histories can be found on the
Guns of Fort Bribie page.
The gun floor slab is very thick at 255 mm and has
top and bottom reinforcement in good condition. The load capacity is at least 11.5 kPa.
The roof is 130 mm thick and sits on strong seasoned hardwood about 50 cm thick.
These were 155 mm (6") naval guns with 26 foot long barrels (taken from HMAS
Melbourne) and fired 100 pound (45 kg) projectiles at between 4 to 8 per
minute at low trajectory and high velocity to a distance of about 18000 yards.
Southern Gun Emplacement (Element 1)
The Southern (No. 1) Gun Emplacement is still
relatively intact and the duty roster can be still seen on the Gun Floor Shelter
(Room C). Shells were stored in the Room F (Shell Store) and passed up to the
gun floor by a hand-operated hoist. The Magazine (Room E) contained
the cartridges which were made up of sticks of cordite bound into
cylindrical-shaped cloth bags and stored in metal tubes. They were passed
through into the hoist room (Room D) via a flash-proof door and were
then hand-hoisted up to the gun floor. The roof of large timber logs,
concrete and concrete filled hessian bags remains virtually intact.
In the photo opposite, the termite eaten timber beams and spalling concrete can
be seen.
Left: Canopy of Southern (No. 1
Gun) Emplacement Right: Buttresses at the NW corner.
Left: Gun mount at the Southern Gun Emplacement - looking
east towards Moreton Bay. Note that it is on a concrete plinth which was used to
allow a greater elevation of the gun Right: The BL (breech loading)
cartridge was hoisted up from
the magazine below through the opening on the left.
The Shell Tube is on the right of this photo. Shells were hoisted up through this opening from
the Shell Store (Room F) on the ground floor.
Left: The Gun canopy as seen from gun mount position (looking towards the
ocean). Right: the gun floor roof looking west. Note the bags of concrete
used as infill, and the decaying wooden roof.
The entrance to the Cartridge
Magazine has a metal door frame sheathed in copper (see below).
Entrance to the Gun Floor
shelter (duty room) has a wooden door frame.
Flash-proof cartridge tube (measuring 42" high and 16"
diameter) shown from the cartridge magazine side (Room E).
Cartridge tube: a cartridge is inserted into the tube
which is then rotated so that the opening faces the hoist room (D) where it
is then removed. It is then passed up to the cement stand on the left of the
photo and hoisted up to the gun floor by hand.
Rusted steel door frame to the
cartridge magazine (about 5 cm wide). Note the copper sheathing in the middle between the
concrete and the metal. This was an anti-sparking covering which has since
been stripped off.
Northern Gun Emplacement (Element 3)
- is 117 metres to the North of the Southern
Gun Emplacement. It is also called the No. 2 Gun. The roof collapsed in the
1990s thanks to a Caloundra helicopter school which used to do practice landings
on the roof (so it is said).
Northern Gun emplacement - view from the
front
Northern Gun emplacement - from the NW
corner
Left: a metal gate was added in 1994 to keep sightseers out of danger. Right:
Duty Roster in the Gun Floor Shelter is still readable. Across the top the headings
read: Duty Watch, Alarm, Manning (No. 2), Reserve, Watch. Men would sit, sleep,
relax, listen to the radio, drink tea and coffee here while on duty. The room
was lit with a red bulb to keep the soldiers' eyes dark-adapted. A lookout would
always man the gun floor.
The 13th Garrison Battalion were here in July 1942: Capt L A Culpitt, Lt
E Wasei, Lt Stanley Jack Grace (N105821), Lt J Gaskill, S J MacDonald, F Moore, L/Cpl A McKinnon, Sgt
H N Patteson, CSM L Askew, G Burns, A H Burton, H A Savell (N104295), J
A Savell (N277990), W Willis, G
Battick, H Sutton, A South, A O Napper (N277924), B J Coust, P L Scobie, W J Irving, J
Chantrill (N277998), H G Arnull (NX152746
(N278065) ), P L Pearson (N277939), D A Pope
(N104304), A G Baxter (N350768), T A Kimber
(V91018), T R C Swann (N104371), G
C Goodchild (Q201279), E F Butt (N391384), L R Ford
(V361766), J Hornsbrook, R Hart.
Six-inch gun being used at Cowan Cowan
battery similar to that used at Fort Bribie.
The Artillery Store (Building 48) was about 50m to the west of the Signals Operation Room. Here, the
concrete stumps can easily be seen. It contained spares,
tools, cleaning and lubricating supplies needed to keep the
guns in good condition and to make good any damage incurred
in action to the extent possible in the circumstances.
The Auxiliary Magazine -
slab behind No. 1 gun
COASTAL ARTILLERY SEARCHLIGHTS (CASL)
The Coastal Artillery Searchlights (Elements 7
and 2) were located at either end of the Fort.
They are two stories high, rectangular in plan, with an enclosed lower level to
house a generator, and an open-fronted upper level to house the searchlight.
There are window openings on each of the northern, southern and eastern sides,
and a large doorway on the current ground level of the southern side. In the
time of its operation (1942-1945), stairs led from the existing ground up to
this doorway. There is a large flat concrete roof 6" thick. The structure is
dangerous because of cracks and spalling and there is a serious risk of concrete
failure and collapse.
The Southern Searchlight (Element No. 2) from the
ocean side (left) and from the rear. It is behind the dunes and now just
visible from the beach. Until 2001 it was not visible but storms and wind have
lowered the frontal dune. The concrete structure is fairly complete, although it
is leaning 5º to the south. GPS co-ordinates (WGD84):
S26°51.986' E153°07.806'.
The Northern Searchlight (Element 6, Building 53) was about 1.2 km
north of its companion. In 1944 it was about 50 m from the beach but shifting
sand, (awash at high tide), wave and wind action have eroded this section of the
island and it now makes long-term preservation difficult. It will continue to
deteriorate and the local Council can do no more than protect the public from
dangers. It marks the northern-most point for four-wheel drive access. GPS
co-ordinates (WGD84): S26°51.247' E153°07.768'.The
remaining 5 km to the northern tip of Bribie Island is on foot only. The third
photo was taken at full moon. Lighting by Dave Wicks. Photo Richard Walding.
90 cm Coastal Artillery Searchlight
- Moreton Bay 1943
MINE CONTROL HUTS (RAN 2)
Two reinforced Mine Control Huts were located at Fort Bribie. In planning they
were known as "Operation Duncan - Control Station No. 67". They were operated
by the Royal Australian Navy and became known as RAN No. 2 Station. The
controlled mines in the bay consisted of two mine loops, each with a "guard
loop" - essentially the same as an Indicator Loop as used at RAN4. When a
submarine was detected by the "guard loop", the operator would wait
until there was also a galvanometer "swing" on the mine loop and then the mines
would be detonated by
sending a current down the mine loop. There are thus two loops (a) the guard
"indicator" loops used for first detection; and (b) the
mine loop which is used for secondary detection and this was located directly
over the mines. Cables used included ADM Patt.
2865/4, 7408, 9610, 660.
A brief history: The Minelayer HMS
Atreus departed Melbourne on Saturday 2nd May 1942 to lay controlled mines (CM)
covering North West Channel of Moreton Bay with a Controlled Mining Operation
Post (CMOP) and two Mine Control Huts in the vicinity of Fort Bribie (Bribie
Island Battery). The huts were not to be put in operation until a code signal
"Affirmative Duncan" was despatched by the Naval Board. The CM was originally
intended for Hobart but when Japan entered the war the decision was changed.
On 9th May 1942, Capt. John Campbell, Captain of the HMAS Atreus,
reconnoitered the area for a suitable location for the huts and decided not to
build a CMOP but to use the Battery Observation Post instead and build the the
Mine Control Huts nearby. On May 10th (Sunday) Capt. Campbell landed all of the
CM equipment and on the following day began the hydrographic survey of the
channel and started construction of the control station. Over the period 18th to
29th June 1942, the guard and mine loops were laid. On 13th September 1943 the
CM station was transferred to Fort Cowan Cowan, half way down the western side
of Moreton Island. It still retained the designation RAN2. Towards the end
of the war when the mines were recovered it was found that 6 were missing (1
each from the Tangalooma M1 and M8 fields, 1 from Cowan Cowan (M5 minefield) and
3 from the Pearl Channel minefield (M11). One of these was found at Tewantin on
1st March 1945 (possibly from the M5 or M8 field) but the army was quick to add
that they weren't certain.
RAN staff manning the Mine Control Huts (RAN2) during WW2 were as follows:
Lieutenant (S) Michael Daniel Connaghan
AB
Watchkeeper(Cm) John Patrick Collins
AB Watchkeeper
(Cm) James Thomas Calvert
AB
Watchkeeper(Cm) William George Dundas
Able Seaman
Lennox James Ellen
AB W/K (Cm) John
Joseph Gillies
Ldg Wireman (Cm)
James Joseph Goss
Wireman
Albert Ernest
Henry
Lieutenant
Douglas Henry Newman
Ldg
Sea (Watchkeeper) Raymond Oswald Poole
Able Seaman
Percival Thomas Priday
AB W/K Cm
William Sinclair Robson
Steward
Alexander Graham Reardon
Lieutenant (SP)
John Henry Saxe
Steward Allen
Vincent Stenson
Cook (S) Arthur
Edward Jackson
Ldg Smn
Watchkeeper
Kenneth Vincent Norman Treloggan
Lieutenant
Eric
Archibald Wilson
Northern Mine Control Hut The Northern Mine Hut (Element 4) and its eastern interior wall. Splayed
battens were cast into the walls for the wall linings and the cables
in the wall are still visible. There was a vent pipe in the ceiling for
ventilation. Drainage channels in the floor can be seen. There were 3 ceiling
lights and one wall light inside and a ceiling light in the entrance (as
evidenced by the remains of 2-core lighting wire jutting out of several holes -
see top right-hand corner of the photo above - the light wire is hanging down).
There are no remains of the mine control cables left.
The cable ducts in the eastern wall. Armoured tail cables for the guard and mine loops
and detonation cables for the controlled minefield were positioned here. The
6" exit and entry holes for the cable are visible.
Southern Mine Control Hut
The Southern Mine Hut (Element 5) and its western interior wall. There
were two vent pipes in the ceiling for ventilation. The red spray on the wall is
red paint not blood. The black things are moths.
Figure: Southern Mine Hut plan.
Operation of the Controlled Mining Station at Fort Bribie (and later at Cowan
Cowan):
The men stationed at the CM station had to perform daily and weekly tests on the
equipment to make sure it was in good working order and had to record
perturbations ("perts" - the swings of the galvanometer spot due to the tides)
every 5 minutes to the hour. These had to be recorded in the log book. At the
end of each watch, the Handbook of Controlled Mining Confidential Book (CB) had
to be mustered and had to be locked in a CB chest and then placed in a locked
cupboard.
The guard loops were to the north of the mine loop so that if a submarine
entered the bay it would cross the guard loop first and alert the CM operators.
If a swing was detected on the guard loop, the operator would close the control
switch to start the 300V generator and then ring one long bell to the power hut.
The operator would then ring the Battery Observation Post (BOP) and report
"Mines to Active" and would say the number of the guard loop giving the swing.
He would then check to see if the correct voltage was showing on the voltmeter.
Then they had to wait.
If a swing was detected on the mine loop after a swing on a guard loop it meant
that a submarine had passed over the loops. The operator would then report to
the BOP "Mines to Active" again, shift the selector switch to the number of the
mine loop involved and fire the mines as the galvanometer spot crossed it's zero
after it's first displacement. He would then ring the BOP and say "Mines
to Active, mine number XX fired". After 5 seconds, the firing release lever
would be released and the selector switch replaced. If there was just a swing on
the guard loop they took no chances. The operator would fire anyway. After a
firing took place, the fuses in the mine cable would be replaced. Of course, if
a boat was sweeping for mines in the area, they should have told the XDO of the
fact. In the three years of operation, the mines were never detonated. As
Capt. John Campbell
of the Atreus said "make sure you look at it if they are ever detonated - it'll
be a spectacular show". Quoted by Sapper Graeme Jenkinson RAE Fortress
Engineeers.
BATTERY OBSERVATION POST (BOP)
GPS co-ordinates: S26°51.475'
E153°07.781'.
As with all counter-bombardment batteries, the Battery
Observation Posts used in Australian Coastal Defence in WW2
was displaced from the guns. This was to remove it from the
flash, blast, vibration and noise of the guns firing as well
as gaining height for the depression range finder (DRF).
Like all BOPs, it was housed in a concrete blockhouse with a
cantilevered flat roof giving an observation window opening
which allowed an unobstructed 200 degree arc for
range-finding and observing instruments.
Its task was to provide target bearing and range data (by
depression position finder) to the Battery Plotting Room; to
provide course and speed data (by the Inclination Officer)
to the BPR; to observe fall-of-shot and to order spotting
corrections to the BPR (done by the Battery Commander); to
be the communications centre of the battery. When in
counter-bombardment mode, the Duty Battery Commander was
stationed at the BOP.
The staff of the BPR was four: the Battery Commander (who
would wear a head and breast set for communication with the
BPR), the Battery Commander's assistant who would record
orders and fall-of-shot; Fire Command telephonist,
Inclination Officer who would also wear head and breast set
for communication with the BPR.
The following were housed in the BOP: depression range
finder, indicator (time of flight), decoder (fall-of-shot),
stereoscopic telescopes (2 pairs), four desk/stools (one for
each operator). They also had various manuals: tide tables,
ship and aircraft recognition codes; message log; log of
sightings; Fire Commander's Standing Orders; silhouettes of
own and enemy warships and aircraft; International Code of
Signals; Jane's Fighting Ships; Coastal Artillery Training
Volume 3.
Left: Battery Observation Post
is about 170 m to the North of the Northern Gun Emplacement. It
comprises a small concrete floor slab on
supporting walls about 2 metres high. A partial wall stands on top around two
sides. The bolt holes for mounting the Barr & Stroud Rangefinder (yacht
type) can be seen
(but not from this angle). In 1994, the Department of Environment and Heritage
bolted a galvanised steel brace to the other side of the top part for safety. In
WW2, a large framed sheeted structure with fibro and steel plate stood several
stories high (10 m) behind (to the right in the photo) of the present remains.
Inside this post were accommodated the Battery Command, his assistant and other
personnel. Vital equipment, including the depression range finder (DRF), was
housed here. Range and fall of shot information would be sent to the Fortress
Observation Post at the Port War Signal Station, Caloundra. It was also used as
the Controlled Mining Observation Post (the mine control huts were 30m to the
south). Centre: BOP before being camouflaged - October 1943 (Copyright AWM). Right: BOP after camouflaging by 14th Australian Camouflage Unit
(Copyright AWM).
The photos below shows a Rangefinder and DRF in use. Note:
good photos can also be found in AWM archives: photos 63471
and 63470.
Left: A Barr and Stroud Rangefinder. Right: An observation detail
in the BOP at Fort MacArthur, Los Angeles in 1944. An
M1910 azimuth telescope
Rangefinder is being used on the left and a Model 1907 Depression Position Finder (DPF) - also called a Depression
Range Finder (DRF) - is on the right.
SIGNALS OPERATION ROOM (SOR)
The reinforced Signal Operation
Room (Element 7, Building 49) is about 30 metres South of the Southern Gun
Emplacement and was originally underground with a stairway leading down from the
northern side.
Left: SOR - view of the NW corner. At the top corner is the top of the
steps (see below).
Left: hole in the blast-proof western wall to let water out. Right: steps leading
down to entrance. Photo was taken just inside the hole.
Left: NE corner inside. Outline of equipment (and black moths) can be
seen. Water level on wall and sand on floor is obvious sign of flooding.
Right: Western internal wall with hole made to let the water out clearly visible past
entrance door. Note hook in ceiling. The door frame is made of beautiful silky
oak and is still there.
In 1943, the Australian Womens'
Army Service (AWAS) began to provide staff for the signals room.
BATTERY PLOTTING ROOM (BPR)
The Battery Plotting Room was located 80 m to the
North of the Northern Gun Emplacement - about halfway between the gun and the
Battery Observation Post (BOP). It was partly protected by the scrub ridge of
dunes and information about the position of target ships given from readings at
the BOP were plotted on a large plotting table. Of all structures, it was the
closest to the beach and has since been washed away.
Battery Plotting Room at Fort Cowan - similar to Fort Bribie.
Copyright AWM.
LIVING QUARTERS
Concrete stumps of the Orderly Room
(Building 47) - about 80 m west of the Signal Operations Room.
Each stump measures 15" x 15" and is 28" long with an underground
footing is 3' x 3' and 6" thick. These stumps are at 7' 2" centres. The
nearby accommodation huts were 18' wide by 60' long.
Left: Steps to the northern side of the Kitchen (Building 30). The kitchen
was wooden framed with fibrolite walls and a corrugated steel roof. It measured 70' x 28'.
Right:
A 4" earthenware sewer connection under the Canteen (Building 24).
The slab measures 4' x 2'.
The Mens'Mess Hall (Building 31) was a wooden framed
building with fibro walls and a corrugated steel roof. It was just a few meters
south of the Kitchen. The foundations measure 18' x 80'.
The
Officers' Mess (Building 14) is at the south west
end of the site. It measures 18' x 60'.
Left:
The Northern Well is about 40' to the south of the kitchen. It is still there and
still full of water although DEH have placed a galvanised mesh guard over the
opening (this is visible near the top of the photo). The concrete tank is 16'
(4.8 meters) in diameter and is now only some 25 m west of the frontal dune.
Galvanised pipes (2" diameter) carried the water around the camp. It is very
difficult to find as it is usually covered in leaves. I scraped some off to show
the top. Right: The Southern Well - identical to the other one but
not discovered by the DEH, hence the opening is uncovered.
Left: The Men's Latrine (Building 19) has a concrete slab
measuring 58' x 18'. The photo above (left) shows the urinal on the eastern
side. It is 4' high. Right: There were 8 pedestals in the Men's Latrine
- the remains of which can be seen in the photo above. A wood-framed fibro
partition separated the two rows. The urinals are a few metres to the left and
right.
Left: Mens' Shower and Latrine - facing North. The Inspection Opening for
the drainage system is at the front. Before the waste water system was
installed, men used to take waste water away in rubbish bins and dump it in
the sea three times a day. Centre:Sergeant's Latrine
slab (Building 18). It measures 20' x 20'. Right: Officer's Latrine and
Shower (10' x 20'). For all latrines - water was
supplied via 1¼" galvanised pipes and waste taken away via 4" earthenware pipe
to the Pump Hose (Building 20) and thence via 4" fibro pipe to the
Septic Tank some 600' to the North. The overflow from the Septic Tank
travelled the 1230' West to the Pumicestone Passage via 3" galvanised iron pipe.
Incinerator
- located next to the Officers' Shower and Latrine block.
Septic tanks - behind No. 1
gun. (11 Sept 2004).
Septic tank outlet pipe.
(11 Sept 2004).
Septic pipe stands head for Pumicestone
Passage about 800 m away. (11 Sept
2004).
Powerhouse slab. Steel bolts used to hold
generator down protrude from right corner.
(11 Sept 2004).
Power pole beside Powerhouse.
(11 Sept 2004).
Is this a water well or "The Jug" (underground watch-house) for
naughty boys. (11 Sept 2004).
The Machine-gun position defending the west
of the camp. The mound was supported by a corrugated iron shield.
(11 Sept 2004).
The moat around the machine gun position.
(11 Sept 2004).
Corner of the Control Post (CP) slab (note the steel plate).
(11 Sept 2004).
Concrete structure near Control Post - about
10 m away. S26°51.812',
E153°07.760' (1 Aug 2004)
"Corkscrew Cabin" is hard to picture with all
of the bush growing in it. The "Cabin" was a hole in the ground about 8'
deep and about 15' across with a ti-tree roof and a cloth door to keep
light from escaping. It was located about 20' behind the No. 1 gun. The gun
crew on duty could rest in this make-shift cabin. It was called "Corkscrew"
after one of its builders - Allan Cork - the softdrink manufacturer in
Brisbane (Cork Bros.). (11 Sept
2004).
The EPA constructed a mesh cover for the
sullage tank in 1994. Waste from the kitchen would enter the tank before
being pumped out into the passage. Soldiers would have to enter by
steps on the right (also covered) and scrape the solidified fat off the
walls which would be then burnt. (11 Sept 2004).
UNDERGROUND HOSPITAL
Many claims have been made over the years about the existence of an underground
hospital at Fort Bribie. This deserves a separate web page.
Go to: Fort Bribie Underground Hospital
AWAS - Women at Fort Bribie
By 1941, as increasing numbers of men were needed for
overseas service in PNG and the Middle East, women were accepted into the army
from July (1941). In October of that year, the army formed the Australian Women's
Army Service (AWAS). The women had to be single and between the ages of
18-45. They were paid two-thirds the rate of men. The limit was set at
1600 women but was lifted to 6000 and then 18000 as the war with Japan expanded.
Some 24000 women served in the war, including 3618 with the Royal Australian
Artillery, manning searchlights and radar at fixed defences and 3600 with the
Corps of Signals (mostly as drivers, signallers, clerks, storemen and mechanics.
Many of these women
served in the defence of Moreton Bay - at Caloundra and Bribie Island.
Those stationed at Bribie were stationed at Skirmish Battery (as switchboard
operators in the Ocean Beach Guest House and lived in the Bribie Hotel) and with various duties at Fort Bribie.
In 1945, AWAS recruits were allowed to serve overseas. The
AWAS was disbanded on 30th June 1947 - often regarded as a folly. On 13th July
1950, the AWAC was created.
Evidence of the AWAS
encampment at Fort Bribie has all but disappeared. They had 5 sleeping huts,
a shower block and a earth closet toilet about 60 m south of the Officers'
quarters. The photo opposite is of a toilet stump. There was 1 officer
and 53 ORs at Fort Bribie.
SKIRMISH BATTERY
Twenty kilometres to the south of Fort Bribie was Skirmish Battery which included
in its vicinity the Royal Australian Navy's "Indicator Loop Control
Station" RAN 4. The northern Fort Observation Post (FOP) shown below is
the only surviving element of Skirmish Battery (apart from a concrete foundation
post on the beach
8 km south belonging to the southern BOP of Skirmish Battery, and some electricity
cable in the garden of a house at Fourth Avenue). The original Skirmish Battery was first set
up in March 1942 about 2 miles south of Woorim for the purposes of maintaining
signals contact with Fort Cowan Cowan on Moreton Island.
There are two ways to get to the Fort Bribie site - by boat and by 4WD.
1. By boat across Pumicestone Passage. From the Caloundra side, go down to Military Jetty along Golden Beach
(see photo below),
hire a boat and manoeuver it south around the yellow beacon
and then head north towards Caloundra. You'll eventually reach the western side of Bribie Island
about 900 metres away.
I wouldn't try that until you know what you're doing.
Soldiers going "AWOL" (absent without leave) would often swim it.
There is a gravel path marking the old jetty (now completely
disappeared). Walk through the bush for about 150 metres and you'll reach the
surf side (GPS co-ordinates: S26°50.484' E153°07.728'. Then walk about
2 km south along the beach until you hit the searchlight tower
on the beach (see photo below). Head south a further 500 metres (550 m to be exact) and walk
up over the dunes and on the other side of the dune (about 20 metres in) you
should find a massive gun emplacement. Success!
Military Jetty - Golden Beach
The Northern CASL (searchlight) tower.
2. Drive up the beach from Woorim. Your best bet is to go by 4WD from Bribie Island (but
you'll need a beach driving permit).
Permits are available for the
following periods:
full year -
cost $102.90
weekly
daily
Permits are available from the Bongaree
Caravan Park & General Store, Welsby Pde, Bongaree 4507 (Bribie Island), phone
3408 1054 (7 days a week
7.30am to 4.30pm), cash or credit card ($2 surcharge). While you're down that end of Bribie, drop in to Stereographics (1
Toorbul Lane, Bongaree 4507, phone 3408 4225) and buy a laminated copy of the
Fort Bribie layout (about $12) and a folded map of Bribie Island ($6.95) using
the older AGD 1966 geodetic co-ordinates. However, this map has the southern
searchlight wrongly labelled as the northern searchlight, and has the location
of Fort Bribie wrongly placed by about 1.5 km (it labels the camping ground as
the Fort).
Then drive the 10 km to Woorim on the surf side of Bribie Island.
At the Blue Pacific pub at the end, turn left into North Street. Keep going until you get to the big carpark at the
end of North Street and find the start of the long sandy 4WD track (GPS
co-ordinates: S27°03.464' E153°11.370'. Set your
odometer to zero. After 1.9 km you will hit the beach. Some of the following
odometer readings may not be exact as there is a tendency for wheels to slip in
the sand and give inflated readings. At 4.6 km you will notice a concrete
Fort Observation Post (FOP) lying on it's side in the dunes. That was the
northernmost part of the Skirmish Battery. At 18.1 km (GPS
co-ordinates: S26°54.441' E153°08.321') you'll pass Ocean Beach Camping
Ground. Go to a total odometer reading of 24.0 km North along
the beach and you'll meet up with a concrete bunker on the beach as shown above
(actually only 22.6 km from the start as the crow flies).
Now turn around and head south 500 metres (550 m to be
exact) and park your car.
Walk up over the dunes and on the other side of the dune (about 20 metres in)
you should find a massive gun emplacement. If you can't see it straight away
slowly make your way south along the track behind the dune. You'll hit something
sooner or later. Take a compass and some mosquito repellent (especially in
summer). Wear shoes and long
pants are good to stop the vines cutting you.
Taking the northern CASL as zero northerly displacement,
the southerly displacements of the fortifications are as follows:
000m Northern CASL (searchlight - on
beach)
384m Battery Observation Post (BOP)
414m Northern Mine Control Hut
430m Southern Mine Control Hut 555m No. 2 Gun Emplacement
684m No. 1 Gun Emplacement
750m Signals Operation Room (SOR)
750m to 950m Fort Area: barracks, latrines, kitchen etc (about 80 m behind dunes)
950m Mess Hut
990m Concrete tank/well
1000m Underground Hospital (allegedly)
1005m Control Post (dismantled - no longer in existence)
1142m Concrete tank/well (the AWAS huts are west of this tank)
1220m Southern CASL (searchlight - just visible from beach).
4000m Bribie Front
Lighthouse (no remains visible except some timber in the swamp).
Happy hunting!
FORT BRIBIE WALK OPEN On March 29, 2007, the Minister for Environment, Lindy Nelson-Carr opened
the Fort Bribie walk that links the Ocean Beach camping ground with Fort Bribie.
It is about 1.25km S of the Fort. You can also get to the carpark via the
newly-opened inland road from White Patch (22km) but you'd still need a 4WD.
Minister Nelson-Carr opens the
walk assisted by State Member for Pumicestone Carryn Sullivan.
Ocean Beach - beautiful as
ever.
The map introducing Fort Bribie.
The start of the walk. Interpretative signs
help you work out what's what.
