Waranga’s wartime heritage

By Contributed

Apr 23, 2024

With Anzac Day approaching, Goulburn-Murray Water has partnered with Tatura Irrigation and Wartime Camps Museum to tell the unique history of the Waranga Basin internment camps.

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In the latest episode of G-MW’s podcast, George Ferguson from Tatura museum discusses what life was like in the camps and what remains of the camps today.

Work to build Waranga Basin was completed more than a century ago and it has a rich history, particularly with the nearby internment camps it supplied water to during the World War II.

When World War II broke out in 1939, four internment camps were established around the basin to hold people from Germany, Italy and Japan captive.

Camp one from above: Waranga Basin internment camp one site as it appears today. Photo by Contributed

Rather than being prisoners of war, the internees were people living in Australia but were from or had ties to Axis nations (countries that opposed the Allies).

There were 18 such camps set up throughout Australia, but the first four were established around Waranga Basin.

“There ended up being about 18,000 people involved with the four camps near Waranga Basin, so having a reliable water supply was a crucial factor in their location,” Mr Ferguson said.

Security at the camps was high, with double barbed wire fences and watchtowers with searchlights that operated all night.

But Mr Ferguson said life inside the camps was different to what might be expected from a typical prisoner of war camp.

“Camp three was a family camp, and they actually had a school there with a really high standard of education, going right up to university level,” he said.

“The foundations of camp one are still intact, and if you visit you can see where the bowling alley and tennis courts were.

“They were prisoners who were kept behind barbed wire, but often when we have heard from internees’ relatives, they have said the internees felt they were treated with respect.”

Historic site: The remains of camp one, including the remains of a bowling alley that was in the camp. Photo by Contributed

The remaining infrastructure from the camps is now on private land, but Tatura museum representatives regularly takes tour groups to some of the locations.

Today, Waranga Basin remains a critical part of G-MW’s delivery network, supplying water to the Central Goulburn, Rochester and Pyramid Boort irrigation areas and to nearby towns of Rushworth, Kyabram, Stanhope and Tongala.

People can listen to the podcast episode on the internment camps via the G-MW website: www.g-mwater.com.au/podcast

More information on the internment camps can be found on the Tatura museum website: www.taturamuseum.com