News

Brisbane in the Second World War—from regional city to Allied headquarters

At the Home Front Festival at Wolston Farmhouse on 16 August 2026, Associate Professor Geoff Ginn of the University of Queensland and Camp Columbia Heritage Association Chair Paul Budde delivered two complementary presentations about Brisbane during the Second World War. Professor Ginn first established the broader historical setting. He explained how the Pacific War transformed […]

Brisbane in the Second World War—from regional city to Allied headquarters Read More »

Intelligence cooperation in the Southwest Pacific Area

By 1944, Camp Columbia at Wacol had become the principal Australian centre of the Netherlands East Indies wartime administration. Among the organisations operating from the camp was the Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS), the principal Dutch intelligence organisation operating from Australia. NEFIS had itself been established in Melbourne following the Japanese conquest of the Netherlands

Intelligence cooperation in the Southwest Pacific Area Read More »

$20,000 Stronger Communities grant delivers lasting legacy for Camp Columbia heritage

The Camp Columbia Heritage Association has completed a major project funded through a $20,000 Australian Government Stronger Communities Programme grant, providing new exhibition, digital and audiovisual resources to help preserve and communicate the remarkable history of Camp Columbia. The grant was secured with the support of the Hon Milton Dick MP, Federal Member for Oxley,

$20,000 Stronger Communities grant delivers lasting legacy for Camp Columbia heritage Read More »

Strong community interest in Camp Columbia at the Home Front Festival + video and photo gallery

The Camp Columbia Heritage Association’s participation in the Home Front Festival at Wolston Farmhouse on Sunday 16 August 2026 attracted strong interest from visitors and the local community. Presented by the National Trust of Australia (Queensland) in partnership with CCHA, the festival commemorated Victory in the Pacific Day and brought Brisbane’s wartime Home Front to

Strong community interest in Camp Columbia at the Home Front Festival + video and photo gallery Read More »

Mapping the road home: NEFIS, Camp Columbia and the Allied intelligence war

Among the collections preserved at the Bronbeek Museum are a series of unassuming red file folders labelled: N.E.F.I.S. Kaarten – JAVA no. 2699 N.E.F.I.S. Kaarten – MOLUKKEN no. 5999 N.E.F.I.S. Kaarten – EILANDEN in de ARAFURA ZEE no. 1999 At first glance they appear to be ordinary filing folders. Yet they contain evidence of one

Mapping the road home: NEFIS, Camp Columbia and the Allied intelligence war Read More »

Beyond Camp Columbia: The Dutch Government-in-Exile and Australia’s Wartime Alliance

A new six-part historical series on the Dutch Australian Cultural Centre (DACC) website The story of Camp Columbia is one of the cornerstones of the Camp Columbia Heritage Association (CCHA). Yet Camp Columbia was only one part of a much larger wartime network that linked Australia and the Netherlands during the Second World War. While

Beyond Camp Columbia: The Dutch Government-in-Exile and Australia’s Wartime Alliance Read More »

From Camp Columbia to Wacol Army Camp: a continuing military landscape – pictures added from 2005/6

The post-war history of Camp Columbia is best understood as a continuous evolution rather than a single transition. From 1945 onward, the site developed into a major Australian Army facility, later known as Wacol Army Camp and centred on Sanananda Barracks. Over more than fifty years, its role changed in line with Australia’s defence priorities,

From Camp Columbia to Wacol Army Camp: a continuing military landscape – pictures added from 2005/6 Read More »

Building an International Future for Camp Columbia: Lessons from the Netherlands

In June 2026, Camp Columbia Heritage Association (CCHA) Chair Paul Budde and University of Queensland historian Associate Professor Geoff Ginn travelled to the Netherlands for a week-long study visit by invitation of the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency (Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed – RCE). What began as an exchange of knowledge quickly developed into the

Building an International Future for Camp Columbia: Lessons from the Netherlands Read More »

Discover the hidden wartime history of Brisbane’s south-west at Wolston House on VP Day 16 August

More info about the event incl tickets On Sunday 16 August 2026, the Camp Columbia Heritage Association (CCHA) will join the National Trust of Australia (Queensland) at the Home Front Festival at historic Wolston Farmhouse to commemorate Victory in the Pacific (VP) Day. The festival promises a fascinating day of living history, music, military re-enactments,

Discover the hidden wartime history of Brisbane’s south-west at Wolston House on VP Day 16 August Read More »

Wolston House and Camp Columbia: shared heritage in Brisbane’s wartime landscape – MoU signed

Wolston House at Wacol is one of Brisbane’s oldest surviving colonial homesteads and occupies an important place in both Queensland history and Brisbane’s World War II heritage landscape. Built in 1852, the house long predates the military transformation of the surrounding area during World War II, yet its wartime experiences directly connected it to Camp

Wolston House and Camp Columbia: shared heritage in Brisbane’s wartime landscape – MoU signed Read More »

Brisbane’s Three Wartime Headquarters: Australia, America and the Netherlands East Indies

When people think of the Allied command centres of the Second World War, cities such as London, Washington and perhaps Chongqing come to mind. Yet few realise that for much of the Pacific War, Brisbane became one of the most important Allied capitals in the world. Between 1942 and 1945, Brisbane served not only as

Brisbane’s Three Wartime Headquarters: Australia, America and the Netherlands East Indies Read More »

From Camp Columbia to World War: Understanding Australia’s Role in the Pacific

During discussions in the Netherlands in June 2026 between the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE), the University of Queensland and the Camp Columbia Heritage Association, it became clear that the history of Camp Columbia – also for the UQ students – is best understood within the broader context of the Second World War

From Camp Columbia to World War: Understanding Australia’s Role in the Pacific Read More »

Preserved Camp Columbia buildings at the National Service Heritage Precinct, Wacol

In 2001, when the Department of Defence proposed disposing of the Wacol barracks, Allom Lovell Pty Ltd, Brisbane architects, completed a heritage assessment of the site and concluded: “…The retention of perhaps a sample of typical buildings may be appropriate to recognise the history of this place but any listing of the site in whole

Preserved Camp Columbia buildings at the National Service Heritage Precinct, Wacol Read More »

The 99th Signal Battalion and Brisbane’s hidden communications war

Among the many American military units stationed in wartime Brisbane, the 99th Signal Battalion remains one of the least documented. Yet fragmentary records and newly identified evidence now provide a clearer picture of its role within Brisbane’s wartime military network. Signal Corps units generally worked behind the scenes, maintaining communications systems, logistics coordination and command

The 99th Signal Battalion and Brisbane’s hidden communications war Read More »

UQ and Camp Columbia: Building a long-term partnership for Brisbane’s WWII heritage

The Camp Columbia Heritage Association (CCHA) is taking an important step towards the long-term preservation and interpretation of Brisbane’s World War II history through the development of a partnership with the University of Queensland (UQ). The collaboration reflects growing recognition that Brisbane’s wartime role extended far beyond individual sites and memorials. During WWII the city

UQ and Camp Columbia: Building a long-term partnership for Brisbane’s WWII heritage Read More »

Video interview update on Camp Columbia – moving from ideas to partnerships

In this interview, from May 2026, with Peter Rasey from Brisbane WWII Story, the discussion with Paul Budde chair of the Camp Columbia Heritage Association follows on from the international symposium that was held in August 2025 and focuses on the momentum that has developed around the Camp Columbia Heritage Association and its longer-term vision

Video interview update on Camp Columbia – moving from ideas to partnerships Read More »

Camp Columbia and the Netherlands: strengthening a shared wartime heritage

The Camp Columbia Heritage Association (CCHA) and the University of Queensland will participate in a special visitors programme in the Netherlands in June 2026, organised by the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE/CHA). The programme aims to strengthen international cooperation surrounding the heritage significance of Camp Columbia at Wacol, Brisbane, one of the most

Camp Columbia and the Netherlands: strengthening a shared wartime heritage Read More »

Scroll to Top