List of Royal Australian Navy bases

The following is a list of current and former commissioned bases used by the Royal Australian Navy.

Current bases

Establishment Type Location Period Notes
Fleet Base East Fleet Base, Depot Sydney, New South Wales 1943 – Present Major East Coast base,
Fleet Base West Fleet Base, Depot Garden Island, Western Australia 1978 – Present Major West Coast base, submarine base
HMAS Albatross Naval air station Nowra, New South Wales 1948 – Present
HMAS Cairns Base Cairns, Queensland 1974 – Present Patrol boat, hydrography, and minor war vessels base
HMAS Cerberus Training facility Crib Point, Victoria 1912–1921
1921 – Present		 Formerly located at Williamstown, Victoria
HMAS Coonawarra Base Darwin, Northern Territory 1970 – Present Former Naval Wireless Transmitting Station, now a patrol boat base
HMAS Creswell Training facility Jervis Bay 1958 – Present Location of the Royal Australian Naval College
HMAS Harman Communications facility Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 1943 – Present Is currently a tri-service base
HMAS Penguin Depot, specialist training Balmoral, New South Wales 1913–1942
1943 – Present		 Location of Balmoral Naval Hospital
HMAS Waterhen Base Waverton, New South Wales 1962 – Present Mine Warfare Headquarters
HMAS Watson Training facility South Head, New South Wales 1945 – Present

Former bases

Establishment Type Location Period Notes
HMAS Assault Training facility Port Stephens, New South Wales 1942–1945
HMAS Basilisk Depot Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea 1942–1945
1974–1983
HMAS Brisbane Depot Brisbane, Queensland 1940–1942
HMAS Carpentaria Base
Administrative centre		 Thursday Island, Queensland
London, United Kingdom		 1945–1946
1966–1981
HMAS Commonwealth Administrative centre Kure, Japan 1948–1956
HMAS Derwent Depot Hobart, Tasmania 1940–1942
HMAS Encounter Depot Port Adelaide, South Australia 1965–1994
HMAS Gilolo Depot Halmahera Island, Indonesia 1945–1946
HMAS Huon Depot Hobart, Tasmania 1942–1994
HMAS Kuranda Depot Cairns, Queensland 1944–1945
HMAS Lavada Depot Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea 1943–1945
HMAS Leeuwin Depot
Training facility		 Fremantle, Western Australia 1940–1986 Currently used by Australian Army, known as Leeuwin Barracks
HMAS Lonsdale Depot Port Melbourne, Victoria 1940–1992
HMAS Lusair Depot Torokina, Papua New Guinea
1945
HMAS Madang Depot Madang, Papua New Guinea 1944–1946
HMAS Magnetic Depot Townsville, Queensland 1942–1948
HMAS Maitland Depot Newcastle, New South Wales 1940–1946
HMAS Melville Depot Darwin, Northern Territory 1940–1975 replaced by HMAS Coonawarra
HMAS Mindari Training facility Woolloomooloo, New South Wales 1945–1948
HMAS Moreton Depot Brisbane, Queensland 1942–1994
HMAS Nirimba Naval air station
Training facility		 Quakers Hill, New South Wales 1953–1955
1956–1994		 Now a campus of University of Western Sydney (2007)
HMAS Platypus Submarine base Neutral Bay, New South Wales 1967–1999
HMAS Rushcutter Depot Rushcutters Bay, New South Wales
1950
HMAS Seeadler Depot Los Negros Island, Papua New Guinea
1950
 Name of base changed to HMAS Tarangau.[1]
HMAS Tarangau Depot Dreger Harbour near Finschhafen
Los Negros Island, Papua New Guinea		 1946–1950
1950–1974		 Base at Dreger closed in 1950, and the base name and its personnel and equipment transfered to the former HMAS Seeadler at Manus Island.[2]
HMAS Torrens Depot Port Adelaide, South Australia 1940–1964
HMAS Waratah Administrative centre Washington DC, United States of America 1966–1980

References

  1. ^ "MANUS BASE TO BE CALLED H.M.A.S. TARANGAU.". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1954) (ACT: National Library of Australia): p. 4. 21 March 1950. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2772019. Retrieved 24 October 2011. 
  2. ^ "MANUS BASE TO BE CALLED H.M.A.S. TARANGAU.". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1954) (ACT: National Library of Australia): p. 4. 21 March 1950. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2772019. Retrieved 24 October 2011.