During World War Two, a large paddock at Chermside became the largest Australian Military Forces camp built in Brisbane during the war. Thousands of troops would eventually pass through the site for training, staging and other military duties.
On 7 August 1940, the Commonwealth requisitioned Alonzo Sparkes’ paddock under National Security Regulations. The location provided access to nearby Geebung Railway Station, while Gympie, Hamilton, Murphy and Geebung Roads were already sealed. On 12 June 1941, the Commonwealth formally acquired more than 401 acres bounded by Ellison, Murphy, Gympie, Hamilton and Geebung Roads.
The camp initially accommodated the 7th Brigade, an all-Queensland militia force. Soldiers undertook day and night route marches through surrounding streets, sometimes carrying full kit and camping overnight. As modern equipment arrived, universal or Bren-gun carriers were tested along the banks of Downfall Creek. During exercises, soldiers fired blanks and used roadside embankments as makeshift trenches.
In 1942, the 7th Brigade left Chermside for Nambour and then Townsville before travelling to Milne Bay in Papua. There, the Brigade helped inflict the first land defeat suffered by Japanese forces during World War Two.
Training Hub, Camp Life, and Post-War Legacy
After the Brigade left, Chermside became a training centre for specialist units and a staging camp for troops heading north. The site also accommodated military hospitals and continued to expand. By March 1945, around 5,000 troops were based there. The upper and lower sections of the camp were connected by a narrow bridge across Downfall Creek, which ran through the extensive military site.
The camp had grown into an extensive military complex, with tennis courts, a boxing ring, a cricket pitch, vegetable gardens, messes, workshops, recreation huts, a theatre and hospital.
In 1943, tragedy struck when a US P-47 Thunderbolt fighter crashed inside the camp. The aircraft struck the officers’ latrines before crashing, killing both the trainee pilot and his instructor.
There were lighter moments too. Local families attended films at the camp’s open-air amphitheatre until increasing numbers of civilian vehicles led to restrictions.
At the end of the war, Chermside became a demobilisation centre for returning Australian soldiers. The camp formally closed on 30 April 1946.
Read more stories from the Chermside Guide’s print magazine here:
- Chermside Connect: Updates from the Community
- What’s Hot Around Town
- Organic Gardening in October
- Fish of the Month: Fringefin Trevally
- Brisbane Writers Festival Returns With Big Stories
- Preserving Stories Held in Treasured Objects
- Earrings Take Centre Stage at New Northside Market
- The Prince Charles Hospital Launches Giving Day Appeal
- Families Have Their Say on Playground Upgrade
- Kedron State School Celebrates 100 Years Of History
- Experience Bushland Come Alive at Night
- Emergency Services Expo Returns to Chermside
