Australia So Much to See
Returning to Merredin, two large igloo shaped hangars that were part of the RAAF Number 10 Stores Depot which held bulk and technical stores, especially radar and radio spares.
Sheets of tin placed on the ground helped camouflage the site as a salt lake. RAAF personnel lived nearby.
These hangars are now used as an engineering business but can still be viewed from the road.
The majority of other former military installations are now on private property, but can be viewed from the road.
WW2 High Frequency Direction Finding Installation, is an igloo type structure. This was used to give advance warning of an impending
invasion. It is believed to have been completed in February 1945. This facility can be seen approximately five kilometres along
the Merredin-Chandler Road on the east side of the road.
Twenty five kilometres north of the junction where Nokanning East Road joins the Merredin-Nungarin Road, the neat small town of Nungarin was
the site of the Number 5 Army Base Ordnance Depot. This depot incorporated the Army Vehicle Workshop, tank workshops, five huge
storehouses, powerhouse plus administration buildings. The No. 5 Base Ordnance Depot was considered to be the largest storage
facility for Army Ordnance in Western Australia at the time.
After the war, most of the camp facilities and buildings were sold,
and the Nungarin Shire purchased the Army Vehicle Workshop for use as a Shire Depot. This building now houses the Nungarin Heritage
Machinery and Army Museum.
The red brick fire walls of the storehouses remain and can be seen in the paddocks to the west of the town.
Having spent the
previous day in the Merredin Military Museum, we did not visit the Nungarin Heritage Machinery and Army Museum which has an array
of military memorabilia including a 10th Light Horse collection. There is a rare Dingo scout car, Stuart tank, Bren gun carrier and
various army vehicles and trucks on display and undergoing restoration.
There are two memorials in town
War Memorial Cenotaph, Barrack Street, Merredin. This War Memorial commemorates those who died
in service or were killed in action in World War One, World War Two, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Malaya and Borneo conflicts. See photos on Monuments Australia
Visit the Long Tan Vietnam Memorial Reflections Pond, Roy Little Park, King Street, Merredin. See photos on Monuments Australia
Aviation fuel tanks were installed at a number of wheatbelt locations, including Merredin, often partially underground. One
is in Merredin townsite, but it has a house build over it. This can be glimpsed from behind the BP truck stop in Todd Street
(Great Eastern Highway).
Wheatbelt tourism - Military history of the Wheatbelt
Nungarin Heritage and Military Museum
Near the top right, a green rectangle shows the RAAF Number 10 Stores Depot hangars which are photographed above.
A red square marks the top story of the only two storey shop in Barrack Street, originally known as Lister House. This upper floor was used by the Volunteer Air Observers Corp during WW2. Once a pharmacy, this building is now a bedding furniture store.