Charters Towers’ role during World War II is seeing renewed interest with a recent approach to access the Compass Swing Platform at the city’s airport.
Local operator L&F Tourism approached the council seeking to access this rare facility to enhance their current historical military itinerary and provide a more enhanced tourism experience for visitors and locals alike.
At its February general meeting, Charters Towers Regional Council agreed to allow access to the Compass Swing Platform.
Cr Joe Cooper, whose portfolios include tourism, has welcomed the initiative from L&F Tourism to further promote the city’s role during World War II and in particular the Battle for the Pacific.
“The Compass Swing Platform was used to calibrate compasses on an aircraft during World War II,” Cr Cooper said. “These wartime features are a good talking point and will add to the overall experience for visitors to Charters Towers.
“I am confident local residents will also support the initiative and some may not have been aware of the city’s rich heritage and the role it played during the early to mid-1940s.
“Whilst access to the airport is restricted due to its airport operations, council has identified a process whereby the nominated driver can be inducted on how to safely access the site.”
The Compass Swing Platform is located about 850m south-east of the Bore Sight Range's hardstand, which is the other World War II site of interest near the Charters Towers airport.
The Bore Sight Range and Compass Swing Platform are significant as surviving evidence of a major United States Fifth Air Force Aircraft Replacement and Training Centre developed for the Townsville region during World War II. Both features are entered in the Queensland Heritage Register, further emphasising their significance.
The Compass Swing Platform was constructed on the northern side of the NE-SW runway and consisted of a circular concrete slab with a compass rose inscribed on the surface.
Aircraft were pushed onto the platform and aligned with each of the 16 main cardinal points of the compass, starting with north. Any variations in compass bearings were noted and then compass magnets were adjusted.
The Charters Towers airfield was constructed for the United States Army in early 1942 to provide dispersal facilities for the main Townsville air base at Garbutt. During 1942 the US Third Bombardment Group was based at Charters Towers while undertaking strikes against Japanese bases in the south-west Pacific. From 1943 the airfield served as a US aircraft replacement and training centre.
The facilities constructed during this period - the Bore Sight Range and Compass Swing Platform – are all that remain.
Ownership of the Charters Towers Airport was handed to the then-Charters Towers City Council in May 1971.
