Bombing of Darwin 75th anniversary: Darwin’s underground shelters

STILL hidden within the hilly terrain and dense bushland are a network of bomb storage shelters that reveal a desperate cat-and-mouse tale of hide and seek from Japanese bombers

A mural of Japanese war planes at a World War II ammunition storage facility at Charles Darwin National Park. PICTURE: Helen Orr

STILL hidden within the hilly terrain and dense bushland are a network of bomb storage shelters that reveal a desperate cat-and-mouse tale of hide and seek from Japanese bombers.

It’s a tale that born-and-bred Top End man Dean McAdam knows all too well.

Dean holds Darwin’s World War II history close to his heart.

As a young lad growing up in Darwin, the 50 year-old remembers a coastal reserve playground full of World War II remnants.

Old rusting jeeps, cliff face bunkers, lookout posts, gun turrets and the like were all ripe for exploring.

Little did Dean know that one day he would be the custodian of many of those precious historical sites.

Chief District Ranger Darwin/Urban Parks Dean McAdam is surprised many people don’t know the story of the NT’s war history. PICTURE: Helen Orr

Dean is the chief district ranger Darwin/urban parks and is responsible for the care and upkeep of the parks which were his childhood playground.

“Charles Darwin National Park and its Bombing of Darwin history really does surprise a lot of locals,” Dean said.

And Dean should know. He’s been there since the park opened in 1998.

“It is one of the best kept secrets in Darwin … everyone knows about the East Point gun emplacements but a lot of people don’t realise what they have here on their doorstep,” he said.

“School groups come and look at mangroves and do spotlight talks but the war history is absolutely fascinating.

“When I was a kid we would all play on the clifftops and find old World War II guns and discarded equipment. I didn’t know anything about this place until the 90s.

“It was used by the RAAF right up until the 90s. The stories from this place and the whole World War II story is getting more traction.”

Dean says he is surprised at how many Australians do not know the full story of the Territory’s war history.

“I think people don’t realise how much World War II changed Darwin,” he said.

“All of our urban parks have a strong link with World War II; Berry Springs and Howard Springs were all created for the war effort.”

A superbly painted mural by local Territory artists is the first inkling that this park, just minutes from the heart of the Darwin CBD, is more than just your run-of-the-mill picnic ground.

Emblazoned on a wall it encapsulates the rich flying history of our long association with RAAF base Darwin.

Nearby the story unfolds in one of the park’s many historic bomb storage shelters.

It reveals why the secret bomb storage shelters were built out of necessity well away from the city of Darwin.

These were munitions sites where deadly bombs would be stored.

But importantly, they had to be kept well camouflaged from Japanese reconnaissance planes that flew regular missions over Darwin targeting sites to strike to hamper our war effort.

These ammunition stores extended the Navy’s Francis Bay storage area built where the suburb of Bayview now stands.

The secret underground shelters were built because Darwin was the main base for all naval forces in the north of Australia.

The alternative of a naval armaments storage ship in the harbour would be too easily spotted by Japanese reconnaissance planes and vulnerable to attack.

The other advantage of the underground storage shelters was that they could also provide bombs for the planes based minutes away at RAAF base Darwin.

The bombs were transported by rail to Darwin and quickly transported by trucks to their hidden location.

Remarkably, the storage shelters remained undetected and are good condition still today.

■More info on Charles Darwin National Park, nt.gov.au/leisure/parks-reserves/find-a-park-to-visit/charles-darwin-national-park.

Originally published as Bombing of Darwin 75th anniversary: Darwin’s underground shelters