The Rowville and Lysterfield Military Camps

In 1955 Councillor Violet Lambert, who was one of the councillors representing the South Riding of the Shire of Ferntree Gully, was the chairperson of the council's Historical Records Committee. The committee was responsible for the publication of the history of the shire, "Story of the Dandenongs", and assisted its author, Helen Coulcon in her research. Cr Lambert was particularly active in chasing up information for the book and the article below records the response from Sir George Knox to her enquiry about his wartime role in the Rowville and Lysterfield district.

Sir George Knox had served with distinction in WW1 as commander of the 23rd A.I.F. Battalion at Gallipoli and in France. When Japan entered WW2 in 1941 he was appointed - with the rank of Brigadier - to command the military forces deployed in the area from Point Nepean to Western Port.

The City of Knox was named in his honour.

Bryan Power

Ferntree Gully
26.7.55

Dear Councillor Lambert,

This is a short item on the camps at Lysterfield and Rowville. To us, this period had some significance possibly worth recording in our Shire History - but in the overall war effort it was a very small matter and quite unrecorded in our war history.

The tactical position referred to briefly in the attached small article is well known as I was in command of this coastline at the time. Perhaps one day, an American mother may enquire where her dead son stayed while in Australia. Many of these Americans from Lysterfield were killed in action.

Kind and good wishes,

Yours sincerely,

G.H. Knox.

Rowville and Lysterfield
The War (second World War) 1939 - 1945
Establishment of Military Camps

The departure of the 2nd A.I.F. overseas, left Australia dependent upon its militia forces, then very much depleted in trained personnel. Existing training camps were few and many more were required and had to be hastily provided. In 1941 a "tented" camp was laid out in the Churchill National Park on a slope of the Barry Ranges some two miles from Rowville, and some short time later in that year a more permanent "hutted" camp was built on the rising ground along the Stud Road and close to Rowville. This was used as a training centre for the Australian Military Forces. It also had a tactical significance in that the troops there could be utilised as a highly mobile tactical reserve to reinforce troops already in position along the coast from the Heads at Point Nepean to, and including, the whole of Western Port Bay.

It was considered that if a landing by Japanese troops came, then this coastline was a likely area for an attack on Melbourne. When this possibility did not materialise, the Rowville camp was utilised as a training and reception depot for American troops. These troops went north as the American bases moved further away in their victorious "island hopping" campaign.

Later in the war and for sometime after the armistice, Rowville camp was used as a depot for Italian prisoners of war pending their repatriation. Lysterfield camp was abandoned sometime beforehand.

The passing out of both camps however left a memorial for the all time use of district residents and farmers, that was, the large water pipeline which served Rowville camp in particular - as it now serves many of those engaged in the peaceful avocation of primary production.

Reprinted with the permission of John Knox, son of Sir George Knox.

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