The need for a RAAF base in Brisbane was identified in the 1930s. of land c. 8km south-west of the city of Ipswich was gazetted for defence purposes on 12 December 1938. The
original land-owners, the Jagera, the Yuggera and Ugarapul clans, called the area Jeebropilly, which denoted the flood plain in the region. The base was initially planned to house a general-purpose squadron with 300 officers and men. At the outbreak of
World War II the handful of brick buildings was still incomplete and many extra buildings were constructed quickly using wood and
fibro. The base opened in June 1940 with the first occupants being
No. 24 Squadron. From May 1942, the base changed roles from being a centre of flying operations to assembling and repairing aircraft. On 13 September 1942, MacArthur ordered parts of the 32nd Division to Papua New Guinea. Because the situation was critical and time was short, 5th Air Force commander, General
George Kenney, suggested that he could transport the first regiment by air. That had never been attempted before, so Company E, 126th IR, was used to test the concept. At dawn on 15 September 1942, the unit was flown from Amberley Field to
Port Moresby. Beginning on 18 September, the remainder of the 126th IR boarded ships in Brisbane, bound for Port Moresby. On the same day, the 128th IR began the move to Port Moresby from
Townsville, Australia. The 126th IR were the first troops to be airlifted into combat. Known
Fifth Air Force units assigned to "Amberley Field" were: The US transferred the facility to Australia in 1947, and it became the base for the RAAF's heavy bombers, operated by
No. 1,
No. 2 and
No. 6 squadrons. The reserve
No. 23 (City of Brisbane) Squadron relocated from
RAAF Station Archerfield to Amberley in 1955. In 1965, the US extended a "Joint Research Program for Measuring the Physical Effects of Disturbances in the Atmosphere or in Space with particular emphasis on their effect on Radio Communications" from
RAAF Base Pearce to the base at Amberley. ==Current layout==