Navigational Tower, on "Radar Hill"at Chermside West, Brisbane, QLD

NAVIGATIONAL TOWER
ON "RADAR HILL"
AT CHERMSIDE WEST,
BRISBANE, QLD

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Photo: James Meehan

Navigation Tower at "Radar Hill" on 6 January 1948.
Looking south towards Archerfield airfield

A 90 feet high timber navigational tower was built on "Radar Hill" at Chermside West in Brisbane after World War 2 probably in about 1948. I believe it was located at the very end of Florentine Street at Chermside West (UBD Page 119, Map Reference J17). This area was known by the locals as "Radar Hill".

It was built in the shape of a double ended arrow. The platform forming one end of the "arrow" is shown in the photograph above. The photographer was standing on the platform forming the other "arrow" end. Each "arrow" platform was supported by 3 large poles, one in each corner of the "arrow" platform. The straight platform connecting the two "arrow" platforms was unsupported in the middle and would spring up and down when you walked over it. The structure was possibly built by the Civil Construction Corps or the Main Roads Department for the Civil Aviation authorities.

Jim Meehan located the tower in January 1948 when he and two of his mates were shooting in a quarry in Webster Road. Jim told me that during the war, there were red fluorescent tubes mounted on these platforms as navigational aids for pilots approaching the various airfields around Brisbane. The row of lights on this tower at Chermside West were possibly pointed southwards towards Archerfield airfield.

Jim Meehan told me that there was a concrete slab at the base of the tower back in 1948. It was probably the location for a generator to power the red fluorescent tubes at the top of the tower. I believe this tower was operational until about 1963/1964.

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Photo: James Meehan