Fort Complex, Magnetic Island

The Fort Complex is a heritage-listed fortification at Magnetic Island National Park, east side of Magnetic Island, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1943. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.HistoryThe fort complex was constructed in 1943 during World War II to protect the harbour and town from a feared Japanese invasion of Australia as Japanese forces moved south through the Pacific islands. Townsville was the major supply depot for Allied troops in the southeast Pacific and a staging post for troops moving north into the war zone.The fortifications were armed with French 155mm M3 guns on Panama carriage mounts which were commonly used on a number of Pacific islands as coastal defence weapons. The four guns on Magnetic Island had been en route to Bhutan until it fell to the Japanese. They were redirected to Townsville to protect its vital port against the expected rapid advance of the Japanese. History shows that they were not needed and after the war the guns were returned to the American forces.At this time the fort was stripped of its fittings and left to return to nature. With the establishment of the Magnetic Island National Park, the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service assumed control of the complex, installed information signs and pathways and now administers the area.