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Tuggerah Military Airfield WW2
Google Earth image showing runway location at
Tuggerah NSW
In 1942 a single runway was
constructed by the Australian Army at Lake road Tuggerah , this was
part of a network of coastal landing strips that were used for
emergency landings by military aircraft travelling along the
seaboard.
In the case of an all out attack by the Japanese , these airstrips
were also to be used as " dispersal " airfields , larger squadrons
would split up and various aircraft would be assigned to different
locations.
Plans were made to house 8 medium bombers at the Tuggerah site , the
strip was to be used by the American Fleet Air Arm group called
Fleur , based at Penrith NSW
Locals recall several incidents at the strip during the war
involving military and private aircraft , I have posted an excerpt
from my blog article on my site visit in 2008
Mr Lake was only to happy to regale me
with his knowledge of the strip in the wartime years , it was built
by over 100 men who had a main camp in Church Road.
The strip runs right past Mr Lake's backyard and he recalls many
Catalina flying boats
doing practice " bump and run " landings on the strip ,
this was to practice landing with the planes ground landing gear.
He also told me of a British aircraft carrier borne fighter (
possibly a Supermarine Seafire ) crashing on the strip one afternoon
, with it's tanks leaking fuel and the locals being under fuel
rationing , a few locals gathered with jerry cans in anticipation of
some free juice.
The British Marines arrived soon after to guard the wreck and let
the planes tanks drain entirely into the ground before the dismayed
locals , " after that we didn't like those poms " Mr Lake remarked.
Another time a local in a private aircraft had to make an emergency
landing on the nearly completed strip at Tuggerah , Mr Lake was
watching him approach the field and was worried he was also about
the shot down by the troops guarding the area , luckily they didn't
but the plane rolled on landing and Mr Lake had to go save the
unfortunate chap from the tangled mess of his overturned craft.
After the war the runway was built
over on the southern end , the northern end is virtually fully
preserved as it lays on land owned by the Electricity Commission and
a local landowner.
It ran from Wyong Road near the scoccer fields in the south , north
east past the electrical substation on Lake road.
Google Earth image of the northern end
of the Tuggerah strip still visible , note extent of land clearing.
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