Graytown Prisoner of War Camp
Hidden away in the Heathcote-Graytown National parks lies the remains of a 'Prisoner of War' camp from World War Two. German prisoners captured after the battle between the HSK Kormoran and HMAS Sydney off the coast of Western Australia were transferred via Freemantle and Murchison to the Graytown timber cutting camp. The German Prisoners spent their time in the camp collecting firewood to address the firewood crisis of the time. In their downtime many prisoners worked on upskilling, painting, and drawing and cooling off with swims in the nearby creeks.
Still standing today the barbed wire fence marks the remainder of the site, with cement foundations laid by Italian and Finnish internees scatter across the site. The old tennis courts and market gardens long overgrown still discoverable by the stonework paths. A short trip from both Heathcote and Nagambie this is a great site to explore some forgotten Australian wartime history.
There is an unmarked 1km trail around the site. You may follow it to complete a loop or stick to the old roadways for surer footing. Be careful when exploring the site to avoid injuring yourself or damaging the historical features.
Track Notes
1. Entry - The trail starts at the current Parks Victoria signage located in the carpark.
2. Camp Entrance and Compound Fence -Walking away from the signage along the road you will walk through the original entrance to the camp. To your left you will see the historic barbed wire fence. Follow this fence for this portion of the trail.
3. View of Garden - Now overgrown, there was once a market garden which provided fresh produce, eggs and poultry for the guards and prisoners alike.
4. Foundations - The foundations of this end of the camp make up the showers, toilets, dental clinic and other unknown buildings. Follow the line on the map to the next features.
5. Mess and Canteen - With over 250 prisoners being fed each night there was a dedicated staff of prisoners as waiters and chefs who would provide hospitality. The waiters would play music during dinner service and practice during the day.
6. View of Recreation area - Looking behind the market garden is where the recreation area and tennis court once was. Follow the road way from this point.
7. Guard Tower - Barely visible the stump holes of where the guard tower once stood can be seen in the ground to the left of the path. The perimeter was guarded all the time with electric lighting at night. Continue along the road towards the dam.
8. View over prisoner camp - From this point you can look over what was once a cleared camp, now a scrub covered forest. Follow the road toward the carpark and loop back to the next feature.
9. Guards Mess and Canteen - This collection of foundations makes up the Guards mess and canteen. Social events held in the mess including dances with the local community raised funds towards the war effort.
10. Guards camp - The hill above here is where the guards camped.
11. Guards shower block - This is the foundation of the guards shower block. The guards entrance to the site was at the bottom of the hill.
12. Latrines - More latrines can be seen in the bushes here. Be careful!
13. Office blocks - This is where the camp site was administrated from.
14. School - Located just a few metres away from the camp was a school yard. With an initial objection appeased the school had a working relationship with the prison camp. Prisoners would drop off candies and even ships in bottles for the children whilst being transported from the site.
Location
Cnr Polkinghorne Street and Heathcote-Nagambie Road, Graytown 3608 Map
Web Links
→ Military History Trail
