POSSIBLE U.S. WAY STATION,
NORTH STRADBROKE ISLAND, QLD
DURING WW2

The Redlands History Work for the Dole Project is researching information on possible troop movements or military activities on North Stradbroke Island during WW2.

They believe North Stradbroke Island was utilised during the war by the Americans as a Way Station. This allowed them to avoid having to navigate through busy Moreton Bay to the Port of Brisbane.

The Project Team have heard of a number of discoveries of Marsden Matting used by the Americans during WW2 to transport heavy equipment across Eighteen Mile Swamp just south of the causeway on the east coast of North Stradbroke Island. Once across the swamp the equipment was loaded onto trucks bound for the west side of the island to be ferried to the mainland. 

Although they have heard of accounts from people regarding the discovery of the matting and its use, The Redlands History Work for the Dole Project team would like to locate these sites and find out more about the history of this operation during WW2. 

I was contacted by Roy Wilke in March 2013 and he believes it is unlikely that the above operation ever occurred. Roy advised that the particular location ("just south of the causeway on the east coast") is also the location of Herring Lagoon, which was mined in the 1950's and 1960's. The early sandmining operations on North Stradbroke used a substantial amount of war-surplus equipment. It is highly likely that the Marsden matting was used during this post-war period of the island's history.

Please send me an e-mail if you know the location of
any Marsden Matting or any information on its use during WW2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Karen Godwin and Roy Wilke for their assistance with this web page.

Can anyone help me with more information?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 25 January 2003

This page last updated 25 January 2020