Air Raid Bunker

During World War 2, Australia had to prepare itself for the threat of air raids. Underground shelters were built around the city, and residents practiced evacuations at the sound of an air raid siren. At the quarantine station, an underground shelter was not possible due to the high water table. Similar above-ground bunkers can be found in Queensland.

Instead, a thick-walled brick and concrete shelter was built above-ground. As a shelter, it probably wouldn’t have offered much protection from a direct hit, but at least it was something! This building was also used as an additional fumigation and disinfection chamber facility after a conversion in 1958.

Originally there were two Air Raid Bunkers at the quarantine station, one, now demolished, was situated outside the Isolation Hospital. The bunker has a solid concrete roof and floor, with thick walls made from an outer layer of bricks covering a 20cm thick concrete wall. The main entrance to the shelter was originally 2 blast doors (located on the sides). These doorways have since been filled in. A window was installed when the bunker was converted into a disinfection chamber in 1958, and the large door at the south end was later installed to convert the bunker into a 1-person residence.

Did you know: More than two and a half times the number of bombs were dropped on Darwin on 19 February 1942, than were dropped on Pearl Harbour on 7 September 1941. Between February 1942 to November 1943, there were almost 100 air raids on northern Australia, from Exmouth in the West to Townsville in the East.