In 1939, with the commencement of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the Chief of the Air Staff of the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF) identified the necessity to increase bulk storage and supply of

aviation fuel Aviation fuels are petroleum-based fuels, or petroleum and synthetic fuel blends, used to power aircraft. They have more stringent requirements than fuels used for ground use, such as heating and road transport, and contain additives to enhan ...

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 ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, six in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, four in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, four in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

, four in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...

, one in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

and one in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

. 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 United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

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.

Names and locations

The following list gives details of Inland Aircraft Fuel Depots across Australia during World War II:

Names and locations

References

Further reading