Sunrise
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First day here I got up early due to no Rooster to wake me and went over to the beach and too these photos at about 20min apart it was overcast but the sun forced it way though the cloud to show itself to us.
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Late Tuesday afternoon sun setting in west and this is just before wind picked up for next day a little after I took this.
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It was a very windy Day, and I have left the sound raw so you get n idea how windy looking seaward from the lookout with Bowen in back of me.
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Down town Bowen it was very Quiet around town when we were there
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We are staying in the Big 4, here in Bowen and it is still got men working around the park tree chopping and trimming back the trees were salt has killed off some and on the front areas needing to remove the soil where the saltwater got onto the grass area and killed the plants so it needed to be replace before grass will grow again.
We visited a number of beach's and places around Bowen today and it has taken a big hit with trees etc. down all over town and houses with tarps still on roof's. We got to walk around town and mixed in well with the locals, We are off in Morning on the next leg of our travels making our way up to Atherton. |
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History of The War Catalina's in Bowen
A Japanese attempt to capture Port Moresby and gain a foothold in the Solomon Islands was thwarted in early May 1942 during the Battle of the Coral Sea. RAAF Catalinas flew many hours of reconnaissance missions over the Coral Sea searching for the Port Moresby invasion fleet. As the battle began
an urgent request was made by the RAAF for a flying boat slipway at Bowen to maintain the Catalinas of Nos. 11 and 20 Squadrons, based there. The first slipway was built at the harbour end of Brisbane Street, north of the town jetty. This section of Brisbane Street is still of concrete construction. The slipway was prefabricated with heavy timbers bolted together in sections. The majority of the structure was underwater and suffered badly from marine borers.
In August 1942 RAAF No.22 Operational Base Unit was established at Bowen to undertake administration and maintenance of the base. The RAAF took over the local picture theatre as a maintenance workshop and most of the squadron officers and ground crews were accommodated in various hotels, houses and shops in the main streets of Bowen. The Denison Hotel served as squadron headquarters and officer's accommodation. Adjacent shops were used as an airmens' mess, station headquarters, and station store and guard room. Private houses along Dalrymple and George Streets became airmens' barracks, electrical shops, carpenters' shops, an instrument makers' shop, a sergeants' mess, transport sections and a photographic section. Elsewhere in the town houses were converted into a hospital and dental clinic, a parachute store and general equipment stores. Many of the wartime requisitioned buildings in the town survive as private shops and dwellings.
In November 1942 Nos. 11 and 20 Catalina squadrons moved their base from Bowen to Cairns. RAAF No.43 Catalina Squadron was formed at Bowen in May 1943. The squadron moved to Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria during August to conduct night minelaying operations at Japanese-held ports in the Netherlands East Indies.
RAAF No.1 Flying Boat Maintenance Unit was formed at Bowen in October 1943. Following the decision to upgrade the development of Bowen as a flying boat repair depot, the AWC placed an order for a concrete slipway. The MRC was again responsible for supervising construction of the slipway and additional buildings erected through the Department of Public Works. From the new slipway and concrete maintenance hardstand, additional roadwork was undertaken along Thomas Street and Sinclair Street to provide access within the town, for up to four aircraft hideouts with maintenance hardstands and tie-downs.
Requisitions for additional buildings and services including two cantilever maintenance hangars at the repair depot were received by the AWC in April 1944. The cantilever hangars were designed to cover and shade the nose and wings of the flying boats during maintenance. No.1 Flying Boat Maintenance Unit was disbanded in March 1947. Following the war one of the hangars was dismantled and re-erected at the Rose Bay flying boat base at Sydney. Part of another wartime building is now incorporated in the clubroom of the Port Denison Sailing Club.
Source
Pearce, Howard (contributing author).
Allied Works Council (Queensland), AWC Minutes (1942–1945) BP1/1, National Archives of Australia, Canberra.
Australian War Memorial, War diaries and photographic collection, Canberra
an urgent request was made by the RAAF for a flying boat slipway at Bowen to maintain the Catalinas of Nos. 11 and 20 Squadrons, based there. The first slipway was built at the harbour end of Brisbane Street, north of the town jetty. This section of Brisbane Street is still of concrete construction. The slipway was prefabricated with heavy timbers bolted together in sections. The majority of the structure was underwater and suffered badly from marine borers.
In August 1942 RAAF No.22 Operational Base Unit was established at Bowen to undertake administration and maintenance of the base. The RAAF took over the local picture theatre as a maintenance workshop and most of the squadron officers and ground crews were accommodated in various hotels, houses and shops in the main streets of Bowen. The Denison Hotel served as squadron headquarters and officer's accommodation. Adjacent shops were used as an airmens' mess, station headquarters, and station store and guard room. Private houses along Dalrymple and George Streets became airmens' barracks, electrical shops, carpenters' shops, an instrument makers' shop, a sergeants' mess, transport sections and a photographic section. Elsewhere in the town houses were converted into a hospital and dental clinic, a parachute store and general equipment stores. Many of the wartime requisitioned buildings in the town survive as private shops and dwellings.
In November 1942 Nos. 11 and 20 Catalina squadrons moved their base from Bowen to Cairns. RAAF No.43 Catalina Squadron was formed at Bowen in May 1943. The squadron moved to Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria during August to conduct night minelaying operations at Japanese-held ports in the Netherlands East Indies.
RAAF No.1 Flying Boat Maintenance Unit was formed at Bowen in October 1943. Following the decision to upgrade the development of Bowen as a flying boat repair depot, the AWC placed an order for a concrete slipway. The MRC was again responsible for supervising construction of the slipway and additional buildings erected through the Department of Public Works. From the new slipway and concrete maintenance hardstand, additional roadwork was undertaken along Thomas Street and Sinclair Street to provide access within the town, for up to four aircraft hideouts with maintenance hardstands and tie-downs.
Requisitions for additional buildings and services including two cantilever maintenance hangars at the repair depot were received by the AWC in April 1944. The cantilever hangars were designed to cover and shade the nose and wings of the flying boats during maintenance. No.1 Flying Boat Maintenance Unit was disbanded in March 1947. Following the war one of the hangars was dismantled and re-erected at the Rose Bay flying boat base at Sydney. Part of another wartime building is now incorporated in the clubroom of the Port Denison Sailing Club.
Source
Pearce, Howard (contributing author).
Allied Works Council (Queensland), AWC Minutes (1942–1945) BP1/1, National Archives of Australia, Canberra.
Australian War Memorial, War diaries and photographic collection, Canberra
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The ramps and concrete areas the planes used is still here and a road cuts though the middle they have a building with an outline of the planes which was damaged during the recent storms.
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the building which shows the planes on glass which is a little damaged from storms.
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While we were out and about we visited various places and one was the shopping Mall in Bowen, which Ellen near had a heart attack when she saw how big it was, the walkway is less than 12 feet wide the entire place and she was so stunned with it and everybody round her thought her shock was so funny even the store keepers were laughing at her
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We walked about town and saw the old building about and took a drive over to one of the oldest picture theatres around and the place where the Movie "Australia" was first shown to the world and parts were made including the Australian Pub and the main street.
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Now the Strange Places You See
While driving around Bowen, eagle eye Ellen spots this house on one of the beach street and saying what was that, turn around I want to see as you will hear in Video and wait till you see the pictures
Now don't say I did not warn you that it is a bit strange to see the whole front and back yard is covered in them.
Now don't say I did not warn you that it is a bit strange to see the whole front and back yard is covered in them.
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I did say strange things some people do
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Ellen's best sayings
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Photo's over The Two Days in Bowen
Push Play, sit back and watch and Enjoy the Show