Australian defence facilities

Last updated: 27 August 2025

Introduction

This Briefing Book is intended to provide comprehensive information on a limited set of Australian defence facilities in Australia itself. It is not intended to cover all Australian facilities – see Australian defence facilities listings. Coverage of selected facilities is expanded as they become relevant to the wider issues of Australian defence and security, and as a companion to Australian Bases Abroad public documentation site (now archived). Some pages are more up to date than others.

Last updated: 25 August 2025

• Australian Defence Satellite Communications Station, Kojarena
• Bamaga Signals Intelligence Station
• Borneo Barracks, Cabarlah
• Bradshaw Field Training Area
• Cocos Island Signals Intelligence Station
• Cowley Beach Training Area
• Cultana Training Range
• Darwin
  • Darwin port
    • Log of US Navy ship visits to Darwin, 2000 – 2014
  • RAAF Base Darwin
  • Robertson Barracks
  • US Marine Rotational Force – Darwin
  • US ship visits to Darwin
  • Darwin-regional multinational exercises
    • ADF, Marine Rotational Forces and Japanese Self Defence Forces
• Deep-Space Advanced Radar Capability [DARC]
  • Deep-Space Advanced Radar Capability, Site 1, Exmouth, Western Australia
  • Deep-Space Advanced Radar Capability, Site 2, Cawdor Barracks, St Davids, Wales
• Delamere Air Weapons Range
• Fort Direction
• Headquarters Joint Operations Command
• HMAS Stirling
  • HMAS Stirling and Submarine Rotational Force – West
  • US and UK submarine visits to HMAS Stirling, Western Australia
• Humpty Doo Transmission Station
• Joint Combined Training Centre (JCTC)
• Joint Geological and Geophysical Research Station
• Lancelin Defence Training Area
• Lavarack Barracks
• Learmonth Solar Observatory
• Majura International Training Complex
• Modernised High Frequency Communications System – Riverina node
• Mount Bundey Training Area
• Naval Communication Station Harold E. Holt (North West Cape)
• North West Cape cluster of high technology defence facilities 
• Perth International Telecommunications Centre – Landsdale
• Pine Gap Joint Defence Facility
  • Pine Gap – introduction
  • Resources – Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap
  • Table and photokey of antennas at Pine Gap
  • Pine Gap images gallery
    • Antennas of Pine Gap image gallery
    • Kristian Laemmle-Ruff Pine Gap images
    • Felicity Ruby Pine Gap image gallery
  • Possibilities and effects of a nuclear missile attack on Pine Gap
  • Pine Gap – protests
  • Desmond Ball, Bill Robinson and Richard Tanter, The Pine Gap Project
  • Recent media coverage
• RAAF Base Curtin
  • Curtin Immigration Detention Centre
• RAAF Base Scherger
  • Scherger Immigration Detention Centre
• RAAF Base Tindal
  • Nuclear-capable B-52H Stratofortress bombers project
    • Nuclear-capable B-52H Stratofortress bombers image gallery
• Salt Ash Air Weapons Range
• Satellite Ground Station – East, Kapooka
• Satellite Ground Station – West, Kojarena
• Satellite Operations Centre – 1, HMAS Harman
• Satellite Operations Centre –  2, RAAF Base Edinburgh
• Shoal Bay Receiving Station
• Space Surveillance Radar, Exmouth
• Space Surveillance Telescope, Exmouth
• Swan Island Training Area
  • Swan Island Incursion, 31 March 2010
  • 2 October 2014 Swan Island incursion
• Yampi Sound Training Area