Thursday, March 19, 2009

Malabar Battery

Malabar Battery was a coastal defence battery built in 1943 during World War II at Malabar Headland, Malabar, New South Wales, Australia. The battery is also known as Boora Point Battery.


Four story observation post forming part of the Malabar Battery (below)

malabar battery watchtower


The battery was constructed to complement the existing coastal defence batteries at nearby Henry Battery, Banks Battery and Bare Island Fort.

tram line malabar battery

Two 6 inch Mark XII guns in gun emplacements on mountings were constructed at the battery. An underground counter bombardment facility, with gun crew ready rooms, ammunition supply and engine room together with a narrow-gauge tramway which was cut into the sandstone and lined with sandstone and a large battery observation post were also constructed at the battery.

tram line malabar battery1

The tramway was a single track of 560mm (22in) and was to transport the 6" projectile munitions to the shell expense stores/magazines in the base of each gun emplacement. The tramway traverses through a deep continuous cutting lined with sandstone leads from the ammunition drop off point to the basement of the ammunition supply room and up to the two gun emplacements. Before reaching the gun emplacments the line enters a rectangular section concrete tunnel which is 94m (310ft) long.

malbar battery tunnels

Also constructed as part of the battery were northern and southern searchlight blockhouses with associated engine rooms and the battery barracks and toilet blocks.

432hrty

Following decommissioning of the gun emplacements after the war, the site fell into disrepair.

WWIIBunkALaPeruseNSW0046



1 comment:

  1. This battery would have supplemented that at Shark Head, just north of Clovelly beach, that was armed with two 9.2in guns.

    The Bare Island fort was outmoded by around 1910, and most of the guns were off their mountings before WW2: in some ways the Boora Point Battery did what Bare Island was meant to do.

    ReplyDelete