THE HISTORY OF SHORTWAVE RADIO IN AUSTRALIA

1940 - RAAF Receiving Station at Werribee (Victoria)

Home
Project Overview
1800s - Land Telegraphy
1874 - Guglielmo Marconi - a Tribute
1895 - Wireless Telegraphy
1901 - Wireless Telegraphy
1902 - Wireless Telegraphy in Australia
1904 - Australian Coastal Radio
1906 - Wireless Telephony
1912 - Melbourne Radio - VIM
1914 - Shortwave Wireless Telephony
1920s - Commercial Shortwave Telephony Development
1920s - Receivers
1920 - The huge RCA Longwave Station in New York
1920 - Wireless broadcasting in Australia
1920s - First shortwave stations in Victoria
1921 - Discovery of Shortwave Propagation
1921 - Koo Wee Rup (Victoria) Experimental Wireless Receiving Station
1923- Longwave Broadcasting in Australia
1923 - Evolution of Australian Domestic Radio
1924 - 3LO - Melbourne's Second Broadcaster
1924 - 3AR - Melbourne's first broadcaster
1924 - The Braybrook (Melbourne) Transmitting Site
1925 - First Shortwave Stations in Western Australia
1926 - First Shortwave Stations in New South Wales
1926 - RAAF Communications - Laverton (Vic)
1927 - Beam Wireless Worldwide
1927 - Beam Wireless from Australia
1928 - ABC Lyndhurst (Victoria)
1930 - AWA Receiving Station at La Perouse (Sydney)
1930 - AWA Radio Centre at Pennant Hills
1933 (to 1969) - Shortwave Radio Clubs in Australia
1936 - Ship Broadcaster - the MS Kanimbla
1939 - Belconnen Communications Station (Canberra)
1940 - RAAF Receiving Station at Werribee (Victoria)
1941 - RAAF Frognall (Melbourne)
1941 - ABC Brisbane
1942 - Army Wireless Chain - west of Melbourne
1942 - Dutch Stations in Australia
1943 - ABC Radio Australia - Shepparton (Victoria)
1943 - Army Shortwave HF Stations in Melbourne
1944 - ABC - Radio Australia - Looking Back
1945 - PMG Receiving Station - Highpark (Victoria)
1945 - Radio Australia - DXers Calling
1946 - Radio Australia - Communications Programs
1946 - VNG Time Signal Station
1948 - Radio Australia QSL Cards
1948 - ABC Sydney
1966 - ABC Cox Peninsula (Darwin)
1970 (to 2012) - Shortwave Radio Clubs in Australia
1975 - ABC Gnangara (Western Australia)
1975 - ABC Carnarvon (Western Australia)
1978 - Omega Navigation Station - Woodside (Victoria)
1985 - ABC Northern Territory
1989 - ABC Brandon (Queensland)
2003 - Private Shortwave Broadcasters
Timeline - Part One - 1839 to 1927
Timeline - Part Two - 1928 to 2012
SPECIAL - Licencing of Shortwave Broadcasters
SPECIAL - Radio Receivers for Shortwave
SPECIAL - Radio Monitoring as a Hobby
Epilogue
Bibliography, References and Resources
Links to the author's personal websites

werribee1944receivingroom1.jpg
1944 - RAAF Werribee receiving room - photo from Australian War Memorial

Background
The RAAF Radio Receiving Station and Airfield was located at Werribee, 35 km west of Melbourne, in WW2, built in 1940.
 
The facility was located west of the town, next to the Werribee River, in Farm Rd, just off the Old Geelong Rd. The site was later used for the present-day Water Treatment Plant of Melbourne Water, adjoining the recently opened (2012) Werribee Regional Park.

Werribee airfield was built as a satellite field for Point Cook and Laverton. It was used for the storage of aircraft produced by CAC at Fisherman's Bend until required by the RAAF for night fighter operations. It had an all over grass runway area with no defined runways.

Werribee airfield was also used for the assembly of aircraft coming from the UK as was the International Farm Machinery factory at Geelong.

There were four large hangars built at Werribee.

It closed down in 1947.
 
This was the main Australian Central Receiving Station for the RAAF. There were 52 AR7 receivers in racks, and 31 Rhombic antennas.

B24 Restoration and Museum
A legacy of the facility is a large aircraft hanger, which is located just off the Old Geelong Rd next to the entrance to Melbourne Water.

This is a Museum, housing a B24 bomber, which is being carefully restored.

 
 
Werribee RAAF Receiving  Station - antenna switching panel - 1944 - photo from Australian War Memorial
 
Adjusting receiving antenna feeder lines - photo from Australian War Memorial
 
The receiving room, showing the  52 AR7 receivers - photo from Australian War Memorial
 
Click For Enlargement

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