As part of our symposium Allied Co-operation in Brisbane during WWII: Australia, USA, Netherlands, UK, we took the story out of the lecture theatre and into the city. This post-symposium bus tour connected the conference themes to the places where history happened, linking archives, artefacts, and personal testimonies to Brisbane’s wartime landscape.
Guided by archaeologist Ethan Devereux-Phillips, delegates visited key sites including Pooh Corner (former Camp Columbia), Anzac Square Memorial Galleries, the MacArthur Museum, Trade Coast Central Heritage Centre, and Hangar 7. At Pooh Corner—after a warm tea and coffee welcome from Wolston & Centenary Catchments (WaCC) — we explored the recently cleaned WWII sewerage site and discussed how the camp’s footprint can still be read in today’s terrain.
The tour also speaks directly to one of the symposium’s outcomes: a shared determination to put Brisbane on the map as Australia’s Allied Capital in WWII. Developing this itinerary into a high-quality visitor experience—alongside a heritage trail at Camp Columbia—could help tell Brisbane’s Allied story to a wider audience and build a lasting cultural and tourism asset for the city.
Below you’ll find the route map, site notes for locations visited (and passed), and the delegate handout. If you’re interested in helping us refine this into a public tour or educational resource, we’d love to hear from you.