13th July
To continue with the WW2 theme, there are a couple of old Airstrips beside the Stuart Highway as you approach Darwin. They were built behind the lines so to speak, but close enough to scramble fighters if Darwin was about to be attacked. They are the Strauss Airfield and the Hughes Airfield. They are not in any condition to land a plane on anymore but you can still drive down them.

                  Looking North up the Strauss strip with the Stuart Highway to the right.

A bit of History about the place.

                                                       Looking South.

Another place worth a visit in Darwin central, is the Oil Tunnels. These were dug into the hills after they realised that the above ground oil installation were a bit vulnerable to attack from the air. There are 6 tunnels under the hill all lined with steel and all piped up ready to go, but in the end were not required.

 Some of them are not open as they have water seeping into them.

 Some interesting history and Photos on the wall.

Me standing in the hole cut in the end wall so you can walk in, instead of having to squeeze in the square hole to the left. You can also see the big pipes that were going to be used to fill and drain the tunnels. On the other side were the big valves to control the flow.

Another spot of interest was the Quarantine Anti Aircraft Battery installation.
This is the biggest surviving installation left around Darwin.

 You can see the bolts for holding the gun down still there.

There was an underground control room, but I wasn't game to go down there as it looked like a Snake Pit.
Well that's enough about the War. There are other sites but well out of town and too far to go and visit.
Cheers
Helen and Dave