Adelaide River NT

Continuing on our holiday up the middle of Australia.
We stayed at Alice Springs you can view my last 2 posts from 2014 [ here ] [  here ] plus photos which are similar to this years.
We did however go to a Truck and Car museum this year.

Then onto Adelaide River in the Northern Territory.  A population of about 240 people.

Adelaide River was first settled by worker who arrived in the area to construct the Overland Telegraph Line.  During construction, the discovery of  'gold' at Pine Creek (a town below) in 1872 had a major impact on the settlement.

Adelaide River played a central role in the defence of Australia during the second world war. 
In 1939, the town was designated as a rest area for personnel serving in Darwin, Northern Territory.
Military activity around the area increased significantly following the first Japanese air-raids on Darwin on February 19, 1942.

The immediate aftermath of these attacks led to a mass-exodus of the city's civilian population toward the south, an event that would become known as the Adelaide River Stakes.  The allied response was significant increase of forces to rebuild and greatly expand defences in the region. 
A military airfield was built in the town close to the railway station, along with several others in the surrounding district including Coomalie Creek and Pell.  In addition an artillery and weapons range was esxtablished at Tortilla Flats, between Commnaolie Creek and Adeliade River.

The town became an important tactical supply and communications base for all branches of the armed forces.  In August 1942, the Adelaide River War Cemetery was established. Photos below.

While there were numerous bombing raids on the surround outstations and facilities throughout 1942 - 1943, Adelaide River itself was bombed only once, in the early hours of November 12, 1943.  This was the last Japaanese air raid on the Northern Territory.  At the hight of hostilites, there wee up to 30,000 Australian Army and United States soldiers based near the town. 

An ammunition dump, including a spur railway line, was established at Snake Creek, not far to the north.  Whilst the facility became operational towards the end of the war, it was too late to be useful in the war effort.  Additional rail sidings were built at the town station to serve ambulances or 'hospital' trains that brought wounded personnel to the field hospitals in the area.  In addition to many transient units, the 107th Australian General Hospital and 119th Australian General Hospital were set up within Adelaide River.   Taken in part from Wikipedia.