Day 2 in Darwin: Bombing of Darwin stories


At the US Perry Memorial on the Esplanade


At the Cenotaph on the Esplanade



The Darwin Cruise learning about the bombing


Royal Flying Doctor Service Museum


At the gun emplacement at East Point

 

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What was said at the time. Looking at primary sources

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               Newspaper account from Trove re: Darwin bombing Primary sources are critical for us to know what people were saying and thinking at the time of the bombing. In fact, there was a concerted effort to keep the extent of the bombing away from the Australian public and much of the detail of the bombing did not come out until many years later. Imagine the panic across Australia at the time if people knew that the Japanese were mounting such a significant attack on the northern shores of Australia. Interestingly, there is a raging debate amongst historians about whether the Japanese really intended to invade Australia, despite the bombing raids in Darwin and the midget submarines in Sydney Harbour. More about that later. In the meantime, have a read of this article from Trove that was written at the time and appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on 23 February 1942 – only 4 days after the first bombing on 19 February. After these initial r...
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The cultural aspect of our tour to the Top End

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The Larrakia people are the traditional owners of the Darwin region. As shown on the above map, their country runs from Cox Peninsula in the west to Gunn Point in the north, Adelaide River in the east and down to the Manton Dam area southwards. Acknowledging when in place “You have come by way of the Larrakia Land. You will hear the voice of Larrakia ancestors. When you leave, the Larrakia message will stay with you.” - The late Reverend Walter Fejo As mentioned, this tour is more than history and will involve considerable cultural and geographical learning. In fact, we cannot understand the history of a place without knowledge of the geographical and cultural context of a place. To this end, we will be travelling quite a few kilometres and visiting plenty of locations.  During these travels we will be engaging with the indigenous culture of the area and learning about their culture. Wherever we are, we need to acknowledge the attachment to place of the Aboriginal people.  See...
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Contention - something to discuss

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                                He is coming South: Australian War Memorial Poster Collection The propaganda poster above refers to the threat of Japanese invasion. A Japanese soldier is striding across the globe towards Australia with the Imperial Japanese flag behind him. He is armed with a submachine gun and is about to stomp on Australia. This work highlights the psychological impact the Japanese advance had upon the Australian population, and the poster was considered so alarmist that it was not released in Queensland or Melbourne. During the Second World War it was assumed that the Japanese would continue their southward advance and invade and conquer Australia. It is now understood that although the Japanese authorities did briefly consider invading the northern part of Australia, they ultimately decided to pursue a plan of isolating Australia as they realised their military recourses would ...
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