Australian World War II history up for grabs with sale of Murchison POW camp at 410 Wet Lane
If you want the “perfect weekender” in the Goulburn Valley, one of Australia’s largest PoW camps — which housed about 4000 World War II prisoners — could be yours. And the 23ha property costs less than most Melbourne real estate.
Goulburn Valley
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If you’ve ever wanted to own a significant piece of Australian World War II history, your opportunity has arrived.
The Murchison POW camp at 410 Wet Lane is now on the market for $280,000 to $305,000.
Vendor Tim Ewert said he had owned the land for about five years and was disappointed to let go of the 23 hectare property.
“I don’t really want to sell it, but changing circumstances need me to move closer to my business,” he said.
The site – known as Camp 13 – was one of Australia’s largest POW camps during the war.
It housed 4000 prisoners mostly from Italy and Germany, including some aboard the German Raider Kormoran which sunk the HMAS Sydney in 1941.
The camp also notably held some Japanese prisoners involved in the 1944 Cowra breakout, which was known as the largest and bloodiest prisoner escape in World War II.
The block was sold off as farmland and divided into four after the war ended, with Mr Ewert’s portion the largest.
Mr Ewert never got the chance to build his dream home, but there is plenty of space for the new owner to do so, alongside the heritage-listed remnants from the past.
These include the camp’s original gate posts, the stone guardhouse, the dams, the water storage and water supply, as well as an Italian memorial.
Mr Ewert said one of the best things about owning the property was learning about its history.
“Once I realised its significance, I was disappointed I didn’t learn about it at school,” he said.
Despite the camp being the site of numerous escapes and shootings, a drowning and a knife murder, and attempted suicides, Mr Ewert said the property was “quite peaceful”.
“Everyone has said the people buried there were removed after the war,” he said.
“It’s quite peaceful and quite nice.”
Cardamone Real Estate’s Peter Cardamone is selling the Murchison property and he said it was the “perfect weekender”.
“This unique property has so many stories to tell,” he said.
“If you’re into your camp fires and love your cattle, this is an affordable option in the heart of the Goulburn Valley.”