Drummond Battery

The first World War II Fort built to defend Port Kembla was Breakwater Battery, completed in September 1939 as a close defence and observation battery. In 1940, a Battery Observation Post for the Breakwater Battery was built on Hill 60 to the south, above Red Point. Illowra Battery was built in 1942 so that guns and associated fort were protected and concealed from the air with two tunnels driven into the sandy headland to house the gun personnel, kitchen, gun store, magazine, shell store, fire control equipment, telephone exchange and offices. The Battery Observation Post built in 1940 on the top of the knoll at Hill 60 for Breakwater Battery was converted to a fortress Observation Post. The Illowra Battery Observation Post was built in 1942, at the same time as the Fort tunnels were excavated. The Battery Observation Post function for the Illowra Battery moved to Berkeley Hill, and the Observation Post for Breakwater moved to the Gallipoli Street, Port Kembla (aka Bowling Club) site. At the same time, Observation/Radar sites were built at Mt Nebo and Dunsten Hill. Work also commenced on a counter bombardment battery at Fort Drummond on Mt St Thomas to the north west of Port Kembla. This battery required massive excavation for the gun foundations, magazines and underground rooms. Two 9.2-inch guns, Mark-X type, were installed using overhead gantry cranes. The guns were protected from air attack by bombproof concrete arches and camouflaged from the air by concrete aprons, which were grassed over. Tunnels were driven into the hillside to house the associated equipment needed to manoeuvre the guns, store ammunition as well as to accommodate the Fortress Plotting Room and personnel facilities. Above ground between the two gun emplacements is the Close Defence Battery Observation Post. On April 15 the Works Director of NSW reported that it would take 12 to 16 weeks to fully install the battery but that they could be ready for action within 4 weeks. Excavation could be commenced rapidly, and temporary protected platforms could be set up with temporary travelling gantry cranes to load shells and cartridges. A shell store was dispensed with initially since it was found that ammunition could be in recesses in the gun battery. Urgency was the overriding consideration. Concrete pours were delayed by the lack of plans and there was a furious exchange of telegrams, letters, correspondence in late April to expedite the production and dispatch of plans. In 1946 the Mount Saint Thomas Progress Association removed a guard shed from Drummond Battery and installed it at a bus stop. It later transpired that this had been done without the necessary authorisation from the Army. In October 1951 the Army donated the structure to the Mount Saint Thomas Progress Association following representations from the local member of parliament. Drummond Battery continued to be used by the Army in the years after World War II. For instance, the Citizen Military Forces 16th Coastal Artillery Battery undertook training there in September 1953. A Mount Drummond Auxiliary Battery existed in 1954. Fort Drummond Mushrooms A Dutch migrant Frank Smith Jnr who had previously worked at the AIS Steel plant (now BHP) established a mushroom farm at Fort Drummond in 1966. His farm operated until 1972. The Smith family arrived in Melbourne in 1952 and originally settled in Wauchope. By 1954 Frank Smith Jnr had moved to Port Kembla. The farm was known as Fort Drummond Mushrooms. This is the only known NSW example of a fort being used to farm mushrooms. WIN Television Part of the site of the Fort is occupied by WIN. This land was acquired in the early 1960s by Television Wollongong Transmission Ltd and their studios were constructed on part of the site of Fort Drummond. The station at the time was owned by Rupert Murdoch who later sold it to Bruce Gordon of Paramount International Television. Television Avenue, leading to the battery reflects this phase of use of the site. These facilities are still in use today. == Description ==

This coastal artillery complex, like the Breakwater Battery, was part of Australia's World War II defence strategy. It was constructed at a time when the growing use of air power had forced designers to plan underground facilities to protect the guns, ammunition and associated equipment and personnel. The two 9.2 inch (23 cm) guns were protected by massive reinforced concrete casemates. Each stage of the construction was carried out by a long uninterrupted pour so as to ensure structural continuity and therefore great strength. The underground complex was self-contained when used in action and included its own power supply, gun crew accommodation, water and filtered air supply. In March 1943 the guns were first fired. Modifications and dates Guns removed, in 1962 other equipment was also removed. == Significance ==

As at 26 June 2014, Fort Drummond is a significant reminder of the threat to Australia's security during World War II. It was an integral part of the network of coastal batteries constructed to protect NSW's two major industrial areas, Newcastle and Port Kembla. As part of the Kembla Fortress, Fort Drummond was one of the three coastal batteries erected to protect the steel works lining the bay, all of which partially survive. The speed of construction of Fort Drummond indicates Australia's rapid response to the threat of invasion. The long-standing post war use as mushroom farm, established by a Dutch migrant, is also of significance as the only known example of the adaptive re-use of World War II gun emplacements for mushroom farming in the state. The use of the site for a TV station, reflects the clear view of Port Kembla and the good reception that could be gained from the hill. The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales. Local - Associated with the coastal defences of NSW during World War II the speed on construction indicates Australia's rapid response to the threat of Japanese invasion. Known as the Kembla Fortress, Fort Drummond was one of the three coastal batteries erected to protect the steel works lining the bay, all of which survive. '''The place has a strong or special association with a person, or group of persons, of importance of cultural or natural history of New South Wales's history.''' Local - Associated with mushroom farming activities established by post war migrants from Holland. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. Local - The vista across the steel works and associated rail yard survives today The place has strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. Local The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. Local - Considerable research potential related to its use as a coastal battery during WWII. Extensive photographic evidence of the construction of the facility survives. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. Local - A rare example of a gun emplacement within a residential suburb. This battery is one of the most accessible batteries in the Newcastle to Wollongong defences. No identical layouts have been discovered. The only known example of gun emplacements being re-used for mushroom farming in the state. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales. Local - Exhibit typical concrete construction used during World War II. ==Gallery==