No. 131 Radar Station RAAF is a heritage-listed former Royal Australian Air Force radar station at Kooragang, City of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. They are also known as the Radar Igloo and Radar Buildings. They now operate as the Estuarine Interpretive Centre.
It was formed at Richmond, New South Wales on 19 June 1942. After initial training the radar group was sent to Beverley Park, Kogarah on 14 August 1942, then Kyeemagh on 27 August 1942 and to its final posting at Ash Island, Kooragang, Newcastle from 7 September 1942.
The radar station on Ash Island was established to detect enemy airborne threats during World War II. It housed British mobile equipment and the most modern Canadian GCI set, which was well protected in two concrete reinforced igloo buildings. No. 131 Radar Station RAAF was disbanded on 18 January 1946.
The remains of the Ash Island radar station, which the unit occupied from September 1942 until January 1946, were added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 16 April 2010.
History
The earliest inhabitants of the lower Hunter River estuary were the Worimi and Awabakal Aboriginal groups. For thousands of years, these people hunted and gathered food around the many small islands within the estuary. In 1951 when five low-lying islands were reclaimed and joined to make the industrial Kooragang Island, the natural landscape underwent substantial change which has seen a significant loss in the physical remnants of Aboriginal occupation of the area.
Following European contact and Newcastle's settlement in 1804, the rich alluvial soil of the islands in the Hunter River estuary attracted the settlers who began farming and grazing the land. Ash Island was to become a significant site for dairy farming but with regular flooding with the estuary, these practices became increasingly difficult.
When Japan entered the World War II, there was widespread apprehension that Australia may be vulnerable to enemy attack and invasion. In early 1942, the armed services directed increased attention to radar for locating and intercepting enemy aircraft in an effort to protect Australia's coastline and its strategically important towns and cities. These efforts intensified again following the submarine attacks on Sydney Harbour and Newcastle on 8 June 1942.
Although the shelling of Newcastle resulted in no physical injuries and very little material damage, the event caused panic and highlighted the vulnerability of Newcastle and its industries to enemy attack. During the Second World War, the industrial city of Newcastle was at the centre of Australia's total war effort. Bullet-proof steel and armoured vehicles, heavy guns, ammunition, explosive shells, shipping and aircraft sections and a host of other essential parts and products were manufactured in Newcastle and, being strategically important, the most advanced technology was required to protect the city from any further attacks.
Only 12 days after Newcastle was shelled, 131 Radar Station was formed at RAAF Base Richmond. This mobile Ground Control Interception (GCI) unit was based on British radar practices that emerged in 1940 to detect and intercept enemy aircraft before they reached the intended target. This state-of-the-art British technology allowed the operators to obtain grid references without the need to calculate the coordinates manually thus saving critical time. 131 Radar Station also used uniquely advanced technology because the operators were able to estimate, in addition to direction and range, the size and height of the aircraft by assessing the strength of the signals received.
Originally this mobile GCI unit, made up of British Mark V equipment, was housed on the back of 4x4 Crossley trucks, camouflaged underneath netted canopies. In August 1942, 131 Radar Station was moved to Beverley Park at Kogarah and then on to Kyeemagh where a series of test flights were logged to assess the performance of the equipment and the skills of the operating staff. In September 1942, the mobile unit received instructions and were transferred to Ash Island to be responsible for the protection of Newcastle.
Upon arrival on Ash Island, the operating staff were met with swampland, mangroves and mosquitoes. Although facilities were limited, the Island was an ideal location for 131 Radar Station because the surrounding water was a good reflector, assisting the radar to detect any aircraft.