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RAAF 21 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot
The RAAF 21 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot (IAFD) was built by the Queensland Main Roads Commission (MRC) in 1942, as part of a plan to store aviation fuel away from the coastline and possible enemy air attack. Four tanks are built into the side of the hill to the west of the former railway station, on the east side of Yarraman.
The former depot is surrounded by a ruined security fence, and includes four tanks of welded steel plate set within reinforced concrete walls, floors and rooves. The tanks are accessible through concrete lined tunnels. One of the two northern tanks has been used as the base of a house.
There is also a semi-underground concrete building at the base of the hill, between the northern and southern tanks, possibly the pump house. Two associated pits, one lined with concrete and the other lined with corrugated sheeting, access underground storage.
Place information
Location
Place type
Supply facility
History
During 1942–1943 a series of Inland Aircraft Fuel Depots (IAFD) were built for the RAAF, for bulk storage of fuel in tanks, plus storage of drums of T.E.L (tetra ethyl lead) spirit to boost the octane level of the fuel. Trains delivered the fuel to the depots, from where it could be trucked to nearby airfields. The depots were built on inland railway lines, as it was thought that the North Coast railway line was vulnerable to enemy air attack. Six such depots were built in Queensland: 7 IAFD Toowoomba, 8 IAFD at Gayndah, 9 IAFD at Charters Towers, 21...
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