World War II Manbulloo Airfield Operations Centre and Abattoir

The World War II Manbulloo Airfield Operations Centre and Abattoir precincts, both constructed in 1942 and located adjacent to the Victoria Highway approximately 14km west of Katherine, are rare and relatively intact examples of a wartime airfield control and communications centre and a fresh food processing and supply base. Both sites played an important role in the Allied Force’s campaign to drive back the invading Japanese in the South West Pacific Region during World War II.

The site includes the Manbulloo Homestead and WWII water tank, the remnants of the old WWII Abattoir and the WWII Manbulloo Airfield Operations Centre. The Homestead was established in c1917, being excised from the nearby Springvale Station, and the homestead buildings date from the c1920s. The original homestead burnt down and a new homestead was constructed in the 1950s. The Army occupied the site during WWII and constructed a significant timber-framed water tank stand on the site.