Antill Plains Aerodrome was a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

military aerodrome located south of

Townsville, Queensland The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

, Australia. It takes its name from the nearby Antill Plains railway station (), which takes its name from pioneer Edmund Spencer Antill, who established the Jarvisfield pastoral run in 1862. It is now at 1259 Old Flinders Highway, Oak Valley. It is often misspelled as ''Anthill Plains'' due to the

termite mounds Mound-building termites are a group of termite species that live in mounds which are made of a combination of soil, termite saliva and dung. These termites live in Africa, Australia and South America. The mounds sometimes have a diameter of ...

in the area (locally known as anthills). The aerodrome was constructed in 1942, during

, for the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

as part of a group of airfields to be used as aircraft dispersal fields in the event of

Imperial Japanese The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From 1910 to 19 ...

attack on the Townsville area. It was leased to the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

. The aerodrome had two runways, one running east–west and the other northeast–southwest. It was abandoned after the war. Today, the airfield is in regular use by the Barrier Reef Adventure Trikes (B.R.A.T.S) who fly their ultralights. There are numerous hangars and a model aero club at the end of runway 27. The airfield is now owned and operated by Andrew Hicks and is referred to locally as Montpelier Airpark.Montpelier Microlights
It is the closest ultra-light airfield to town of the three in the area.

Units based at Antill Plains Aerodrome

* 33rd Bombardment Squadron of the 22nd Bomb Group – (

B-26 Marauder The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in t ...

's) 7 April 1942 – 20 July 1942.

Aircraft crashes

* 12 May 1942 –

, Serial Number #40-1477 crashed on landing.

Notes

;References

External links

OzatWar website
Former Royal Australian Air Force bases Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Australia World War II airfields in Australia Buildings and structures in Townsville Defunct airports in Queensland Airports established in 1942 1942 establishments in Australia Queensland in World War II {{mil-aviation-stub

Units based at Antill Plains Aerodrome

Aircraft crashes

See also

Notes

External links