In 1939, with the commencement of World War II, the Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) identified the necessity to increase bulk storage and supply of aviation fuel across Australia for the purpose of defending Australia. An investigative committee was created to determine the most strategic, safe locations and the design of the storage facilities. It identified that 31 inland aircraft fuel depots (IAFDs) were required to be constructed for the storage of aircraft fuel, built from brick, concrete and steel.
The sites were to be located inland to enhance protection from air attack and would hold 20,760,000 gallons (93,420,000 litres) of aircraft fuel. Eleven were built in New South Wales, six in Queensland, four in Victoria, four in Western Australia, four in South Australia, one in Tasmania and one in the Northern Territory.
Originally some of the depots stored fuel in drums and were referred to as ‘Inland Storages for Reserves of Aviation Spirit’ and others designated ‘RAAF Inland Storage Depots’ which were later referred to as ‘RAAF Inland Petrol Depot (RIPDs)’. With another later standardisation of the name, these depots were finally designated ‘Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot’ The eventual construction of these brick and steel tanks was substantially carried out by the Allied Works Council made up of bricklayers, carpenters and manual labour.
The total 31 IAFDs were in full operation by early 1944 with all sites located close to railway lines for access by rail tankers, but were situated well away from the airfields they serviced, for safety, as these were bulk storage facilities. Fuel would be transported from the IAFD to the airfield fuel tanks by road tanker. In close co-operation with the United States Army Air Corps the costs and fuel distribution were shared with the RAAF with the USAAC having additional bulk inland fuel storages at 13 of the 31 IAFDs.Piper, Robert. RAAF Inland Aircraft Fuel Depots: Brief history of World War 2. Vol. 4 no.9 September 1987: 554, 56.
Names and locations The following list gives details of Inland Aircraft Fuel Depots across Australia during World War II:
IAFD NumberLocationStateCommissionedDe-commissionedNo. 1BallaratVictoria194229 August 1944 No. 2 WarragulVictoria194214 June 1944No. 3 CootamundraNew South Wales194214 June 1944No. 4WallerawangNew South Wales19421944No. 5MuswellbrookNew South Wales194229 August 1944No. 6GraftonNew South Wales194229 August 1944No. 7ToowoombaQueensland194229 August 1944No. 8GayndahQueensland194229 August 1944No. 9Charters TowersQueensland1 June 194229 August 1944No. 10NorthamWestern Australia194214 June 1944No. 11Solomontown (Port Pirie)South Australia194214 June 1944No. 12WolseleySouth Australia194214 June 1944No.13Violet Town (Seymour)Victoria194214 June 1944 No. 14TocumwalNew South Wales194214 June 1944No. 15DeniliquinNew South Wales194214 June 1944No. 16Lake Bathurst (Goulburn)New South Wales19421944No. 17Uranquinty (Wagga Wagga)New South Wales194229 August 1944No. 18ParkesNew South Wales194214 August 1944No. 19Narromine (Dubbo)New South Wales194214 June 1944No. 20TamworthNew South Wales194214 June 1944No. 21YarramanQueensland194229 August 1944No. 22RomaQueensland194229 August 1944No. 23CloncurryQueensland194214 August 1944No. 24Alice SpringsNorthern Territory20 May 1942November 1944No. 25NarroginWestern Australia194214 June 1942No. 26MerredinWestern Australia194229 April 1944 No. 27Boulder (Kalgoorlie)Western Australia194214 June 1944No. 28GladstoneSouth Australia194214 June 1944No. 29Yelta (Mildura)Victoria194214 June 1944No. 30Ross, Tasmania (Mona Vale)Tasmania194214 June 1944No. 31Crystal BrookSouth Australia194214 June 1944
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