Malabar Battery was a coastal defence battery built in 1943 during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
at
Malabar Headland
The Malabar Headland is a heritage-listed former public recreation area and military installation site and now nature conservation and public recreation headland area located at Franklin Street, Malabar in the City of Randwick local governme ...
in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, Australia. The battery is also known as Boora Point Battery.
The battery was constructed to complement the existing coastal defence batteries at nearby
Henry Battery,
Banks Battery and
Bare Island Fort.
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.
[Malabar Ammunition Tramway '']Light Railways
''Light Railways'' is a magazine produced by the Light Railway Research Society of Australia (LRRSA). The subtitle is "Australia's Magazine of Industrial and Narrow Gauge Railways".
History
The LRRSA started in the 1961 to foster interest in ...
'' issue 127 January 1995 pages 19/20
The tramway was a single track of 560mm (22 in) 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 emplacements the line enters a rectangular section concrete tunnel which is 94 m (310 ft) long.
[
Also constructed as part of the battery were northern and southern searchlight blockhouses with associated engine rooms and the battery barracks and toilet blocks.
Following decommissioning of the gun emplacements after the war, the site fell into disrepair.
]
Gallery
File:Tram line malabar battery.jpg, A tram line leading into the battery.
File:Tram line malabar battery1.jpg, Barracks located alongside the tram line and adjacent to the four story observation post.
Image:WWIIBunkALaPeruseNSW0046.JPG, The battery's southernmost gun emplacement.
Image:WWIIBunkALaPeruseNSW0133.JPG, Inside the observation post.
Citations
References
NSW Heritage Office
Friends of Malabar Headland
External links
{{Barracks Batteries Bunkers and Forts in Sydney
Batteries in Australia
Bunkers in Oceania
Forts in New South Wales
Military history of Sydney during World War II
Malabar, New South Wales