Fort Kissing Point Bunker, Townsville

FORT KISSING POINT BUNKER
TOWNSVILLE, QLD
DURING WW2

visits since 3 October 2000

Local community involved in developing
future options for Jezzine Barracks site
is the site under threat of development?

Make sure you have your say

Future Options Study for Jezzine Barracks
including Kissing Point
Part 1

Part 2

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Fort Kissing Point at bottom of the photograph which was taken by a Catalina A24-82 of 11 Squadron RAAF while it was flying from Rathmines to Cairns on 30 Oct 1945.

Fort Kissing Point was located overlooking Cleveland Bay, just behind the Rock Pool on the Strand in Townsville. It was actually built as a Fort in the late 1800's as a defence against the Russians.

By 1880 a Volunteer Garrison Artillery battery was formed to man two 64 pound guns on wooden platforms that were positioned at the top of the cliffs at Kissing Point in Townsville. These two 64 pound guns are now located at the entrance to the Jezzine Barracks HQ building. In 1888 work began to upgrade the battery position at Kissing Point, Magnetic Island and build a magazine at Brookhill. Two new 6" Mark IV breech-loading guns and two Nordenfeldt ten-barrelled machine guns were installed at Kissing Point by 1891 as part of establishing an operational fort at the site.

In 1905 a new battery command post was built. In 1936 the two 6" guns were replaced with 4.7" quick firing guns.

During World War 2, the Queensland Main Roads Commission built permanent foundations and engine rooms for two searchlights at Fort Kissing Point along with 4.7 inch gun emplacements with shell and cartridge magazines, ammunition stores of re-inforced concrete with steel-lined doors and window shutters, a battery command post, anti-aircraft gun positions, and access roads.

In 1943 the guns and the coastal artillery searchlight unit were relocated to a new battery at Pallarenda. The Fort ceased operations in 1945.

In 1968 the Fort was partially destroyed and backfilled as it had become a hangout for vagrants etc.

In 1980 the old Fort was restored and was used to house the North Queensland Military Museum.

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United States L.S.T. Landing Craft at Kissing Point
in the location of today's Rock Pool in early 1943

I can remember there used to be a few concrete block houses (pill boxes) half way up the slope almost directly behind the Restaurant buildings at the Rock Pool.

I spoke to someone in Brisbane October 2000 who told me that he remembered:-

"one day breaking into the Kissing Point pill boxes and someone had removed a bricked up passage. I remember entering the passage and coming out around on the Rowes Bay side, and also there was a large underground room which the Army had Land Rovers stored in. I also remember the big concrete building on Ingham Rd you talk about on one of your web pages , I went for a wander around that and also the buildings down at the far end of Pallarenda."

When John Barr was a small child, coming to Townsville from Ayr was a big deal. After seeing Dr Shelberg he would go to The Strand. They would explore the Forts on the hill at Kissing Point. One of the lookouts (now destroyed) had a tunnel which ran back into the hill. John said:-

"It was a scary thing but we used to crawl along it to the Ammunition storage area. There was a large long thin room with three other rooms attached. These rooms were locked with huge locks and they had steel mesh over them. They were directly under the Gun positions. We were told that they were where the shell, powder bags and projectiles were kept. The next room up was where the rounds were assembled then sent up to the Gun. Existence of these deeper rooms is now deigned. However, the Fort at Kissing Point was built to a set British universal design. If you go to Singapore and visit the forts (or any British late 19th. Century Fort anywhere in the world) you will find the same design, complete with the three levels and explanation of how it all worked.

So folks. What happened to all these Jeeps? Are they still there?

Unlikely!

Photo: Peter Dunn