World War II Airstrip Coomalie - NT

Orientation 99°. Coomalie Creek airfield was a World War 2 airfield located in the Northern Territory. The North West Area Headquarters were located approximately 6 kms south along the Stuart Highway. Coomalie Creek was located only about 10 miles from Batchelor airfield.
In the first weeks in November 1942, when 31 Squadron RAAF arrived at Coomalie Creek with their Beaufighters, Coomalie Creek airfield was still very new. Workmen were still finishing off the earthworks and the few essential camp buildings. The airfield was only available for limited use and aircraft had to take care not to collide with machinery or workmen.
When 31 Squadron arrived, everyone was in tents. The only buildings were the messes, cookhouses and a storeroom. Showers and toilets were all in the open. They were soon able to get a roof for the toilets. An orderly room, sick quarters and an operations/intelligence room were then built using voluntary labour. Slit trenches were also built in case of Japanese air raids.
31 Squadron flew their first operational mission out of Coomalie Creek on 17 November when six Beaufighters made strafing attacks on Moabissi and Bobanaro on Timor.
In late November 1944, three C-47's from 34 Squadron RAAF were detached to Coomalie airfield. 34 Squadron started to move to Morotai on 15 February 1945. They became fully operational at Morotai on 12 April 1945.
The airfield still existed in 1995 and was then part of Coomalie Farm owned by Richard Luxton, a lecturer in Architecture at the University of Northern Territory in Darwin. Members of 31 Squadron RAAF revisited Coomalie Creek Airfield in August 1995 to mark the 50th anniversary. The saw a replica of their Squadron Chapel that had been rebuilt at Coomalie Creek. They had laid a 31 Squadron RAAF memorial plaque there back in 1988.
UNITS BASED AT COOMALIE CREEK
No. 1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit (1PRU) RAAF (Wirraways, Buffalos, Lancers, Lightnings and Mosquitioes)
31 Squadron RAAF (Beaufighters)
Text only Courtesy Peter Dunn's "Australia @ War" www.ozatwar.com