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

Update October 2026

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 became a major Allied centre in the Pacific, hosting military headquarters, logistics operations, and international wartime communities. Camp Columbia at Wacol formed a key part of that network and remains one of Queensland’s most historically significant, but still under-recognised, wartime sites.

Following the success of the international symposium Allied Co-operation in Brisbane during WWII, in August 2025, discussions increasingly shifted from historical recognition towards creating a structured programme of research, education and interpretation.

The emerging partnership with UQ aims to establish a staged, multi-year programme combining historical research, student involvement, and archaeological investigation. The intention is to create an ongoing body of work that can steadily expand knowledge of Camp Columbia and its place within Brisbane’s broader wartime story. In the process, the partnership aims to develop interpretive and other resources to boost public awareness and engagement with the site.

The first phase of the partnership is now underway. During the second semester of 2026, three students from UQ’s third-year advanced history course, WRIT3613 History in Action, are working with Associate Professor Geoff Ginn and CCHA on complementary aspects of Camp Columbia’s history and evolution. Their projects build on earlier research and resource collection, providing a stronger foundation for future investigations and interpretation of the site.

Joshua Suchunow is examining governments-in-exile as a political phenomenon during World War II, placing the Netherlands East Indies government-in-exile and its presence at Camp Columbia within that broader international context.

Kahlia Mills is developing teaching and learning resources focused on postwar migrant experiences at Camp Columbia, drawing on oral history testimonies. These resources are being developed with the needs of the National Trust’s Wolston Farmhouse educational programme in mind.

Liam Edge is building on earlier mapping research to develop a detailed digital map using QGIS, a geographic information system. His project traces the evolution of camp features and built structures from the colonial period to the early 1950s.

All three projects are expected to be completed and assessed in November 2026, with each comprising around 3,500 words or an equivalent output. The research and collected resources will then be available to CCHA for use in education, heritage interpretation and further investigations.

This history work may also provide a foundation for future involvement by students in Historical Archaeology and Architecture. These possible next stages could help connect documentary research and mapping with a closer investigation of the site’s surviving features and built landscape.

Camp Columbia presents a particularly interesting opportunity for this work. While much of the original camp has disappeared through later development, historical maps, aerial photographs and documentary records suggest that important elements of the wartime infrastructure and landscape may still remain identifiable.

The partnership also draws on international approaches to heritage research and interpretation. In June 2026, Associate Professor Geoff Ginn and CCHA chair Paul Budde visited the Netherlands at the invitation of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE), exploring methodologies used in heritage mapping and wartime archaeology.

Of particular interest are interactive approaches that combine historical maps, photographs, archaeological information and archival records into layered digital systems. Such methods may provide valuable models for future Camp Columbia interpretation and educational initiatives.

Beyond research alone, the partnership also creates opportunities for student engagement, community participation and stronger links between academic work and local heritage initiatives.

For CCHA, the collaboration with UQ represents an important step towards creating a sustainable, long-term framework for research and interpretation. Rather than relying solely on volunteer efforts, the project now has the potential to develop into an ongoing educational and research programme that continues to expand and deepen understanding of Brisbane’s wartime history.

The broader vision remains clear: to ensure that Brisbane’s remarkable role as a major Allied centre of command and operations during World War II receives the recognition and long-term attention it deserves.