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Charters Towers Airfield
The Charters Towers airfield was constructed in early 1942 to provide dispersal facilities for the main Townsville air base at Garbutt. During 1942 the US 3rd Bombardment Group was based at Charters Towers, and from 1943 the airfield served as a US aircraft replacement and training centre. It is located on the northern outskirts of Charters Towers, about 1km north of the suburb of Richmond Hill, and is currently operated by the Charters Towers Regional Council.
Surviving World War II infrastructure includes the two main runways; a bore sight range, located west of Weir Road near the north end of the north-south runway; and a compass swinging platform, midway along the north side of the SW-NE runway. There are also traces of wartime taxiways and dispersal bays around the airfield.
The bore sight range includes a raised concrete platform approximately 15 metres square. An adjustable metal plate, which can be raised or lowered, is set at the front of the raised hardstand to carry the nose wheel of aircraft fitted with tricycle undercarriages. A cleared range extends east about 360 metres to the original earth butt.
The compass swinging platform, about 850m south-east of the bore sight range’s hardstand, comprises a circular concrete slab 120 feet 6 inches (36.7 metres) in diameter with a compass rose inscribed on the surface.
Place information
Location
Place type
Airfield
History
In late 1942 Townsville was the principle port for those Allied troops serving in the New Guinea campaign and Cleveland Bay between Magnetic Island and Townsville was an important assembly point for shipping. The Australian forces chose Townsville as the Area Combined Headquarters for the North East Area, while the American forces used Townsville as the headquarters of the United States Army Base Section Two and the Fourth Air Depot of the United States Army Airforce (USAAF).
There was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) station at Garbutt, and a number of air bases used by Australian and US aircraft were...
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