The aerodrome was constructed for use as a satellite aerodrome for
RAAF Base Richmond. Identified as a base for the
Royal Navy's
Fleet Air Arm of the
British Pacific Fleet on 5 February 1945 and
commissioned as
HMS Nabthorpe, later renamed
HMS Nabstock. HMS
Nabstock was
decommissioned on 9 June 1946 and the aerodrome was returned to RAAF control. In 1949, part of the aerodrome was utilised to house migrants, some 21 huts being outfitted as accommodation for 300 people, known as Schofields Migrant Hostel. the migrant hostel closed on 4 February 1951.
Other uses Schofields, subsequently titled Schofields Defence Depot, was used as a rehearsal ground for the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney
2000 Olympic Games. A Wall & Rose Garden Memorial to the Armed forces that have occupied the area in the past has been dedicated on the site and a Commemorative Plaque was erected on the site by The Naval Historical Society of Australia. In the late 1950s the aerodrome was used as a venue for motor racing by several Sydney car clubs, with the opening meeting taking place on 6 July 1958. The circuit used was approximately in length, and used one main runway and an access road in a roughly oval shape. While fast and open, the temporary nature of the track meant that volunteer officials had to set up and dismantle facilities such as grandstands, covered pits and timing towers all on the same day. an American military science fiction action feature film starring
Josh Lucas,
Jessica Biel,
Jamie Foxx and
Sam Shepard. The aerodrome has since now been dismantled and removed, leaving the aerodrome area of HMAS
Nirimba with just some old and weathered tarmac. ==See also==