HMAS
Harman provides Navy administrative functions to all Navy personnel located in the Canberra area (Australian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory. It is an inland enclave in New South Wales, and regularly referred to as Australia's 'Bush Capital'....
and southern New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
).
Harman started as the RANThe Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following federation of the Australian Colonies in 1901, the former colonial navies merged to become the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
Wireless/Transmitting Station Canberra, commencing operations on 20 April 1939. HMAS Harman
was commissioned on 1 July 1943 with Commander McLachlan as the first Commanding Officer. During World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Harman provided communications services for ships of the allied navies working in the Pacific region.
About 3 km to the west of the main
HarmanHarman is a suburb in Canberra, Australia. The postcode is 2600. The suburb is located near Queanbeyan, New South Wales, but on the Australian Capital Territory side of the border. Harman is located south of Canberra Avenue. HMAS Harman is a multi-user base for Royal Australian Navy and Australian...
complex was the Bonshaw receiving Station, in which watchkeepers listened for messages from ships on the
High FrequencyHigh frequency radio frequencies are between 3 and 30 MHz. Also known as the decameter band or decameter wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decameters . Frequencies immediately below HF are denoted Medium-frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Very high frequency...
bands.
HMAS
Harman provides Navy administrative functions to all Navy personnel located in the Canberra area (Australian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory. It is an inland enclave in New South Wales, and regularly referred to as Australia's 'Bush Capital'....
and southern New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
).
Harman started as the RANThe Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following federation of the Australian Colonies in 1901, the former colonial navies merged to become the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
Wireless/Transmitting Station Canberra, commencing operations on 20 April 1939. HMAS Harman
was commissioned on 1 July 1943 with Commander McLachlan as the first Commanding Officer. During World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Harman provided communications services for ships of the allied navies working in the Pacific region.
Bonshaw Receiving Station
About 3 km to the west of the main
HarmanHarman is a suburb in Canberra, Australia. The postcode is 2600. The suburb is located near Queanbeyan, New South Wales, but on the Australian Capital Territory side of the border. Harman is located south of Canberra Avenue. HMAS Harman is a multi-user base for Royal Australian Navy and Australian...
complex was the Bonshaw receiving Station, in which watchkeepers listened for messages from ships on the
High FrequencyHigh frequency radio frequencies are between 3 and 30 MHz. Also known as the decameter band or decameter wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decameters . Frequencies immediately below HF are denoted Medium-frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Very high frequency...
bands. This area was designated as a radio quiet zone.
Belconnen Naval Transmitting Station
About 20 km north-west of Harman, the
BelconnenBelconnen is a district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, comprising 25 suburbs with 29,900 dwellings housing 82,247 people of the 311,518 people in the Australian Capital Territory ....
Naval Transmitting Station was a sub-unit that maintained the corresponding HF and Low Frequency transmitting equipment, including the three iconic 600 foot masts of the 250
kWThe watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units . It measures rate of energy conversion. One watt is equivalent to 1 joule of energy per second....
44
kHzThe hertz is a unit of frequency. It is defined as the number of complete cycles per second. It is the basic unit of frequency in the International System of Units , and is used worldwide in both general-purpose and scientific contexts...
transmitter. The station was equipped with 40 kW and 10 kW HF transmitters that used a variety of antennas including rhombic, vertical monopole, and log-periodic antennas.
The transmitter site was surrounded by an alarmed wire fence that effectively allowed the free breeding of a mob of
kangarooA kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern and Western Grey Kangaroo...
s.
The station was initially built with small cottages flanking the eastern side of the site, housing the electrical engineer in charge and the sailors who maintained the transmitters and antennas. These were removed in the late 1980s, although the mess building remained, with personnel moving into housing in the growing suburbs that gradually encroached on the site.
The station ended transmissions on 1 June 2005; the 44 kHz transmitter had been silent for several years before that.
In December 2006, the Defence Department, after objections from former Naval staff who worked at the base, demolished the three vertical transmission antennas and remaining buildings. However because of extensive environmental damage resulting from the use of toxic chemicals to maintain the communications hardware onsite, it is unlikely the site will be redeveloped in the near future.
Modern history
HMAS Harman is currently a tri-service base incorporating a "Multi-User Depot", and is home to
Australian ArmyThe Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
and
Royal Australian Air ForceThe Royal Australian Air Force is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF began in March 1912 as the Australian Flying Corps making it the second oldest air force in the world...
reserve. in addition to the reserve "Multi-User Depot" there is also a depot for Cadet Training, this being home to Training Ship Canberra,
Australian Navy CadetsThe Australian Navy Cadets is a voluntary youth organisation sponsored by the Royal Australian Navy. Together with the Australian Air Force Cadets and Australian Army Cadets, it forms the Australian Defence Force Cadets.-Organisation:...
; 224 Army Cadet Unit,
Australian Army CadetsThe Australian Army Cadets is a youth organisation that is involved with progressive training of youths in military and adventurous activities...
and 315 City of Canberra Squadron,
Australian Air Force CadetsThe Australian Air Force Cadets , known as the Air Training Corps until 2000, is a Federal Government funded youth organisation...
.