During World War II, the Darra Ordnance Depot—situated along Archerfield Road—played a crucial role in the South West Pacific war theatre. Constructed in early 1942, the site quickly became the largest munitions depot in the region, supporting the vast logistical needs of Allied forces.
Military operations and infrastructure
The Depot was operated primarily by the United States 636th Ordnance Ammunition Company, a segregated unit made up of African-American soldiers under white officers. They were responsible for maintaining and distributing weapons systems, vehicles, and military equipment, and for the safe handling, storage, testing, and disposal of munitions. Supporting units included the 577th Ordnance Ammunition Company, the 28th Chemical Company, the 48th Quartermaster Truck Regiment, and the 5203rd Quartermaster Truck Battalion.
Due to the dangerous nature of its operations, the site had minimal infrastructure—only a fire tower and a command post, the latter located on the grounds of the former Archerfield Homestead. Today, Homestead Park preserves part of this history as the site of the homestead’s former gardens.
Access and transport
The Depot’s main entrance was on Archerfield Road, with additional gates at Progress Road (Wacol Gate) and Blunder Creek Road. Day and night transport operated to the Wacol train station and Brisbane wharves, highlighting the site’s importance in regional supply chains.
Security and community presence
Security was tight, with around 70 civilian guards—including several locals—patrolling the extensive perimeter on horseback. Nearby Richlands, Inala and Forest Lake hosted accommodation camps, including one near present-day McEwan Park, consisting of wooden huts, bell tents, a parade ground, and an open-air cinema.
Life at the Depot and community relations
Despite the wartime tensions, local residents were often invited to Saturday night screenings at the camp’s outdoor theatre. These events helped build goodwill between the American troops and the Richlands community, though they also exposed locals to the strict racial segregation of the U.S. military.
Accounts from the time reflect both positive interactions and concern over the harsh treatment of African-American soldiers by white officers. Instances of mistreatment and outbreaks of violence were reported, though such events were usually suppressed swiftly by military police.
The Darra Ordnance Depot remains an important part of the region’s WWII heritage, reflecting both the strategic role Brisbane played in the Allied war effort and the complex social dynamics within the wartime U.S. military.
Freak War Dump Blast
| Courier Mail Brisbane 24 January 1947 QUESTIONS about a Dutch dump of 300 tons of ammunition at Darra, which was the scene of a violent explosion yesterday, were answered last night by Dutch and R.A.A.F. officials. Yesterday’s explosion was a freak, and unlikely to occur again, and probably was caused by water mixing with chemicals in the ammunition, said the R.A.A.F. officer in charge of the dump. Dutch authorities to-day will investigate the explosion, which, occurred soon after 11.30 a.m. yesterday. A Dutch Army spokesman said last night that 300 tons of Dutch ammunition were stored at Darra. Of these. 180 tons had been marked for disposal. It had not been decided what was to be done with the remaining 120 tons, which was still usable. The Australian Army had undertaken to dispose of the useless ammunition. Quantity of ammunition lost in yesterday’s explosion was not known. The dump consisted chiefly of mortar bombs, hand grenades, and rifle and revolver cartridges.Two other dumps of about equal size, both of which were within 20 yards of the explosion, remained intact. Fireman’s Escape The explosion started a fire, flames from which rose 20 feet in the air. Firemen who were called were powerless to fight the blaze.A piece of shrapnel smashed the windscreen of the fire truck, which was parked more than 200 yards from the dump. A fireman who had been sitting where the shrapnel struck had just descended from the wagon and was lucky to escape serious injury. Rain prevented the flames, from spreading through the surrounding bush, and the fire burned itself out within two hours. Flying-Officer Dutton, the R.A.A.F. officer in charge of the dump, said that Dutch ammunition was stored at Darra because there was no other dump available round Brisbane. He had made repeated efforts to get the Dutch to remove the ammunition, because plans had been made for closing the dump. No Dutch ammunition had been taken away, but some had been brought in since he took over command of the camp about nine months ago. The Darra unit was known as a replenishment centre. It supplied ammunition to the R.A.A.F. for training, and also served as a store. Source: Trove – National Archives of Australia |
Eye witness account: Explosion at Dutch ammo depot
| “Next grenades started to explode followed by small arms ammunition.Shrapnel was flying everywhere ruining the roof of a nearby house and smashing the windscreens from the approaching fire brigade vehicles. They obviously didn’t enter the site. The carnage went on for 4 hours and fortunately the nearby stockpile of 250lb bombs didn’t go off.“Eyewitness account from Keith Brough published in the book World War II stories from Brisbane’s South West by Vicki Mynott. |
The cause was indeed that after a heavy storm, rainwater had seeped through the tarpaulins covering mortar bombs, the water reached a Seamarker flare and made it to go off. These markers alert rescuers for pilots who crash in water After the war the RAAF cleaned up any remaining dangerous ammunition.