Salisbury War Industries Heritage Trail

This area was sparsely populated and the land was used mainly for farming and grazing.

This remained the case until well into the 20th Century, when the Second World War brought dramatic changes to the district. Before the declaration of the Second World War, Queensland was not a heavy industry state and Brisbane did not have much heavy industry. At the beginning of 1941, the Commonwealth Government announced that a new munitions works would be built in Queensland. Although strategically more vulnerable than southern states, a plant here had the benefits of de-centralising munitions production, and the availability of a large workforce. In January 1941, the Director-General of Munitions, Essington Lewis, selected a site straddling Compo Road, in what is now the northern part of Salisbury, for the munitions works. Brisbane City Council later renamed Compo Road to Evans Road after Colonel D. E. Evans, a former Chairman of the State Munitions Board. The site was suitably flat, largely cleared, flood-free and close to major rail and road links.

From February 1941, plans were prepared for the approximately 80 buildings that would be required for the new factory. A huge number of associated operations, materials and services also needed to be accommodated and many buildings required fitting out with machinery and production equipment as they were built. Progress on the site was rapid and the factory commenced operations in November 1941.

The Rocklea Munitions Works produced a number of different types of ammunition and artillery. Its primary purpose was to manufacture bullet cartridges for rifles and revolvers used by Allied forces, known as ‘small arms’. The site was officially known as Small Arms Ammunition (S. A. A.) Factory No. 5. Brass cases for 25-pounder shells were also manufactured, as were 25-pounder smoke shells. Between January 1942 and October 1943, the factory turned out a total of 137,729,208 million rounds of ammunition and 1,221,122 shell cases. The Rocklea Works became the largest S. A. A. factory in Australia.

Some senior staff for the Rocklea factory were transferred from an existing munition works at Footscray in Victoria. The remainder were recruited in Queensland and due to the large number of men serving in the war, women took on traditionally male-only roles. As a result, women made up the majority of the workforce at the Rocklea factory. In addition to manufacturing roles, a large number of support and service staff also worked there. At its peak, in May 1943, the Rocklea Munitions Works employed a total of approximately 3000 people.

Part of the site was later used for the overhaul of aircraft engines and reconditioning ammunition for the Americans. This helped to reduce Australia’s war debt by providing aid to the United States of America through Reciprocal Lend Lease. The Rocklea Munitions Works provided a major boost to Brisbane’s post-war industrial development, with many of the former munitions buildings providing support facilities for Queensland’s primary industries.

Image credit: Brisbane City Council.

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This style of roof, with windows running the full length of each vertical face, maximised the natural light that entered the building. The orientation of the glass panels to the south was deliberate, as this avoided direct sunlight heating up the interior and provided uniform light throughout the building.

The Case and Assembly Shop building was used to produce ammunition for some of the rifles and revolvers (collectively known as ‘small arms’) used by Allied forces during the Second World War. It went on to become the largest S. A. A. factory in Australia. To avoid this large and crucial building becoming a target, it was camouflaged with netting and other materials to look like a quarry surrounded by scrub from the air.

Specialists were brought in from other facilities to oversee the setting up of the Case and Assembly shop. Limited production of small arms ammunition began in November 1941, even before the shop was fully equipped and associated buildings were completed. Although the number of employees working in the Case and Assembly Shop rose and fell with production demand, at its peak between January and August 1943, the total number of people at work together was never less than 1300 people. Women outnumbered men by a ratio of more than two to one.

Workers in the building made, assembled and packed bullet cartridges. These cartridges varied in calibre (size) but all consisted of four main parts: a projectile (bullet), a propellant (cordite - an explosive substance) and a primer (to ignite the propellant), all of which was housed in a metal sheath (case). As well as producing new ammunition, the Case and Assembly Shop also reconditioned and repacked carbine and submachine gun ammunition for the American Ordnance Depot in Brisbane.

The work involved numerous steps and despite many automated machines, was still labour intensive. The manufacture and assembly of the metal cartridge cases required 23 different machines and 50 operations.

Production of small arms ammunition in the building ceased in September 1943 and the building was cleared of all ammunition manufacturing plant. It was subsequently taken over by the Department of Aircraft Production to overhaul aircraft engines. After the war, the building became part of the Salisbury Industrial Estate and was occupied from the late 1940s by Rocklea Spinning Mills.

For more information about this Local Heritage Place, refer to Local Heritage Places online.

Note: This is a private property and is not open to the public. Please do not enter.

Image credit: National Archives of Australia.

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Ensuring workers took breaks and ate at a separate mess building, reduced the risk of them eating or smoking at their workstations or making mistakes due to being tired. The provision of mess areas was an important safety measure, as well as caring for the staff’s welfare.

All munitions staff were required to bring their own meals to work, but they had to eat them at their designated mess building. Hot water for tea, coffee or hot chocolate was provided, along with other facilities such as some crockery, cutlery and washing-up items. As was the case across Brisbane, wartime food rationing meant that the workers’ meals were often less varied and of a lower quality than before the war. Tea, sugar, butter and meat in particular were in short supply, and eggs and milk were also restricted at times. This meant that many households needed to come up with new meals and recipes that didn’t include foods that were hard to come by.

As the Rocklea Munitions Works operated 24-hours a day, the messes also operated all day and night to provide facilities for each of the three eight-hour shifts.  This S. A. A. Mess primarily serviced the northern side of the munitions site and was mainly used by the workers from the Case and Assembly Shop, Lead Press Building, Sawdust Preparation Building, the Chronograph House, the Main Store and the Magazine Area. When in full operation, it is recorded as being able to seat 200 men and 800 women, suggesting that the sexes were separated while dining.

The mess also became a social centre for the munitions workers. Noticeboards provided information on matters affecting the workplace, wartime gossip was exchanged and ‘whip-arounds’ were held to collect money for special occasions, such as a worker’s wedding, or to assist a worker who had lost a family member due to the war.

This building was designed by Brisbane architect, Horace G. Driver and included several interesting features. The eaves (roof overhang) were battened rather than sheeted, allowing for natural ventilation and the use of wide span trusses allowed for a large open central area inside.

For more information about this Local Heritage Place, refer to Local Heritage Places online.

Note: This is a private property and is not open to the public. Please do not enter.

Image credit: State Library of Queensland.

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Production of a single bullet required multiple steps and many different machines. The lead tips were then transported just up the road to the S.A.A. Case and Assembly Shop, where they were inserted in the cartridge cases, along with the cordite and other components to form the final ammunition round.

The bullet manufacturing process began by compressing a large cylinder of lead, which was extruded into a long thin rope. This rope was then cut into small segments, each of which would be shaped into an individual lead bullet. These were then encased in a metal jacket that would eventually form the tip of the completed cartridge. The final step was the lead press turnover unit, which sealed the end of the bullet, ready for insertion into the cartridge case. This building was therefore responsible for producing a crucial component of the estimated 127 million rounds of ammunition for .303 rifles manufactured at Rocklea Munition Works.

Following the war, both the Lead Press and Oil Store buildings were leased to American, Arthur Levin and his American-born, Australian business partner, engineer and former Australian serviceman Alexander Roby. An ex-US Marine, Levin had spent time in Australia during the war, married an Australian, and later returned to establish a lead manufacturing business with Roby, called Rocklea Lead Products Pty Ltd. Rocklea Lead Products Pty Ltd continued to use the munitions lead press, but instead of bullets, it was used for manufacturing lead solder, pipes and other products.

For more information about this Local Heritage Place, refer to Local Heritage Places online.

Note: This is a private property and is not open to the public. Please do not enter.

Image credit: Australian War Memorial.

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It had a floor area of 1180 square feet (110m²) when built and was one of the smaller buildings at the Rocklea Munitions Works.

This building was an early building constructed on the Rocklea Munitions Works site, as fire and explosion were a major risk at the complex. The Fire Warden’s Post was also located immediately across the road for additional safety. To ensure that the building was made as fire resistant as possible, it was constructed of brick with a corrugated iron roof. It is one of the few brick buildings in the complex, as timber, steel and concrete structures were generally cheaper and faster to erect.

Fuel stores also needed to be secure, as during the Second World War, petrol supply was restricted in order to control the supply of Australia’s limited reserve stocks. Civilians and businesses were issued with ration tickets for ‘Motor Spirit’ (petrol) but many found the amount they were allocated was insufficient. Petrol theft became an ongoing issue throughout the country.

Early images of Rocklea Munitions Works indicate that what is now a verandah along the front of the building was probably a loading dock to the Oil Store, used to transfer large drums of liquid directly off the back of a truck. The two wide doorways on this side of the building would also have made it easier to get them inside.

Both the Oil Store and the Lead Press buildings remained in Commonwealth ownership until 1951, when the site was transferred to the Queensland Government. After three decades of government ownership, the site was sold and has been used for a variety of commercial uses since 1974. More recently, the post-war alterations to the oil store building were reversed and it was refurbished for use as a café.

For more information about this Local Heritage Place, refer to Local Heritage Places online.

Image credit: Australian War Memorial.

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Two guard houses were built to operate as checkpoints on the primary entry roads, known as Main Street North and South. All pedestrian and vehicular traffic passed through the checkpoints, which were staffed by armed soldiers.

The Southern Guard House is located on the corner of what was Compo Road (now Evans Road) and Main Street South (now Project Street). The Northern Guard House (Building 22A) had been located on the other side of Evans Road, directly opposite this building, on the corner of Main Street North (now Industries Road). There was also a small guard’s room further along Evans Road, on the eastern side of today’s Standish Street. This was situated at what was the main entry to the accommodation area, where the Officer’s Quarters and huts for enlisted men were located.

These buildings were simple, low-set timber designs and resembled other government buildings built at the time, including purpose-built post offices and schools. They contained a large number of windows and an open verandah for monitoring the site effectively.

For more information about this Local Heritage Place, refer to Local Heritage Places online.

Note: This is a private property and is not open to the public. Please do not enter.

Image credit: State Library of Queensland.

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Ammunition production by unskilled workers relied on the ability to repeat manufacturing steps accurately and consistently, so quality control was essential. Precision gauges were required to measure and assess materials, tools, machinery and the final munitions. These gauges were kept in this building, and some were made in it.

Specific tools and machine parts were required for the various equipment and functions performed at the site. As these tools and machinery were not readily available, they had to be manufactured on the site. This work was undertaken in this building. It contained equipment such as milling machines, lathes and shapers. This machinery was used to form, cut, grind, scrape and polish pieces of metal to form the required tools, machine parts and other items.

Plans for the Tools and Gauges building were completed in June 1941 and financial approval of £98,500 for the purchase of machinery and £5,400 for equipment was obtained. Some of the machinery was fabricated at the Railway Workshops at North Ipswich, and some were provided by private contractors. Due to the pressure to begin operations on the site, machines were installed in each section of the buildings as they were constructed. In the case of the tool and gauges equipment however, the machinery was temporarily installed in the S. A. A. Case and Assembly Shop until the Tools and Gauges building was finished. Like the Case and Assembly Shop, this building also features a ‘saw-tooth’ roof as part of its design.

Although tool making already existed as a trade in Queensland, fourteen tool makers from Brisbane were sent to Melbourne for specific training at the existing ammunition factory in Footscray. They returned to Rocklea and began work in September 1941, under the supervision of the manager of the Tool and Gauges section, G. A. Pitcher.

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Note: This is a private property and is not open to the public. Please do not enter.

Image credit: National Archives of Australia.

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The munitions laboratories were also sometimes used to test the cordite stored in the magazines onsite for deterioration and to check casting and welding quality. However, the laboratory at Rocklea was never used as it hadn’t been fully equipped by the time production ceased at the factory.

This delay in construction of the laboratory was the result of changes to the munitions program. Initially it had been planned to build a Shell Factory for the manufacture of 25-pounder shells at the Ipswich Railway Workshops, which already had a testing laboratory, but the production of these shells was changed to Rocklea. Construction of the Foundry and Rolling Mill to provide the metal for the 25-pounder cases took priority over the laboratory. Installation of plant in the Foundry and Rolling Mill was only one third complete, however, when the decision was made to transfer the majority of the Rocklea Munitions Works site to the Department of Aircraft Production.

By 1944, the laboratory building was converted into offices for General Motors Holden, who operated an engine overhaul facility in the large workshop opposite. From 1963, this building was the administration and design offices of the Commonwealth Engineering Company (later ComEng Holdings). They also occupied approximately ten of the larger buildings on the site and used them to construct railway passenger cars and rolling stock for Queensland Railways.

For more information about this Local Heritage Place, refer to Local Heritage Places online.

Note: This is a private property and is not open to the public. Please do not enter.

Image credit: National Archives of Australia.

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Several shelters were built throughout the large Rocklea Munitions Factory site, however, this is the only one known to survive. All of the shelters were located centrally, for easy access from multiple buildings.

Government-built air raid shelters were constructed to various standard designs. There was a national code for the construction of shelters, which specified the building materials and other requirements. This code was influenced by British research, construction and experience. This shelter, like others at the Rocklea Munitions Works, was constructed with reinforced concrete walls and roof, a concrete floor and a single entrance door. This style was known as a ‘pill-box’ shelter and was a common style built in Brisbane.

Private businesses and local councils were also required to provide air raid shelters for their staff and residents in certain cases. Where large buildings had basements, particularly in Brisbane City, these were often converted to make a large shelter for the tenants of the building. Many families also constructed their own shelters in their back yards. These shelters varied in design and materials.

The construction of both commercial and domestic bomb shelters increased rapidly following the bombing of Darwin in February 1942. The bombing, along with subsequent attacks on Townsville, Mosman, Broome and other Australian locations, suddenly made an air raid on Brisbane seem like a distinct possibility. Many of these shelters were demolished after the war, however, some of them still exist across Brisbane.

For more information about this Local Heritage Place, refer to Local Heritage Places online.

Note: This is a private property and is not open to the public. Please do not enter.

Image credit: National Library of Australia.

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The production of shells, like bullet cartridges, was a long, multi-stage process and engaged a large number of workers. Sheets of metal were first produced from ingots in another building on the site, known as the Rolling Mill. This was done by pressing the ingots between large rollers to flatten them. The space between rollers decreased until the sheets were the required thickness. Testing was conducted on the metal at various stages to check it was suitable. If it had been fitted out in time, part of this testing would have been done at the on-site Laboratory (Stop 7).

The metal sheets were then transferred to the shell case production areas. Here, circles of brass were punched out of the sheets and these were then bent, stretched and shaped to form the cylindrical shell cases. The cases were then cut to accurate size, finished and polished. Part of this process would have been undertaken in the Shell Machining Shop. At every step in the process, the shells were examined and measured for quality control to ensure they were reliable and met the specifications when completed. The empty shell cases then needed to be filled and assembled.

In 2022, approximately one-third (five to six bays at the northern end) of the former Shell Machining Shop factory building was destroyed in a fire.

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Note: This is a private property and is not open to the public. Please do not enter.

Image credit: Queensland State Archives.

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The largest canteen building on the Rocklea site was located on the opposite side of Evans Road to this mess. It consisted of two large inter-connected buildings and was known as the QF Mess. This complex was designed to cater primarily for the large number of workers in the nearby workshops and could seat 1100 people. It has since been demolished, but these two buildings were similar in design to the S. A. A. Mess, with a high ceiling containing two-levels of clerestory (above head-height) windows, which would have provided plenty of natural light. These buildings also had verandahs encircling them, providing workers with a shady spot to rest and eat.

The remaining Staff Mess building is one of the few buildings on the former munitions site that continues to be used for a purpose similar to what it was designed for originally. Approximately 80 years after it was first built, the snack bar operating out of part of it provides food and refreshments to the employees of the surrounding commercial and industrial businesses.

For more information about this Local Heritage Place, refer to Local Heritage Places online.

Image credit: Brisbane City Council.

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This is the only surviving cordite magazine out of the three that were originally built at the Rocklea site, known as Buildings 8A, 8B and 8C. Plans for these buildings were completed in April 1941 and the floor area of Magazine 8A was 710 square feet (66m²).

Although other buildings have since been built around it, originally the magazines were located apart from the other structures in the munitions complex for safety. The magazines were also separated from each other and were each surrounded by mounds of earth to minimise the damage in the event of an explosion.

The construction of the buildings themselves included characteristics to reduce the risk of explosion. The magazines were designed with a natural ventilation system to keep their contents cool, as cordite is less stable at high temperatures. Wide eaves (roof overhang) also helped to control the interior temperature. The magazines had lighting rods and earth strapping as further safety precautions.

To minimise the risk of sparks, which could lead to ignition, ‘cleanways’ (roads constructed of special concrete) were laid between the magazines and production areas. Special electrically powered rubber-tyred vehicles were used on these ‘cleanways’ to prevent the accumulation of electrostatic charges, which could cause sparks.

For more information about this Local Heritage Place, refer to Local Heritage Places online.

Note: This is a private property and is not open to the public. Please do not enter.

Image credit: National Archives of Australia.

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