Gailes Airfield

Gailes Airfield
Wivenhoe Hill, Queensland in Australia
Gailes Airfield Shown within Australia
Coordinates	27°22′11″S 152°33′35″E
Type	Emergency Landing Ground
Site information
Owner	Australian Defence Force
Operator	Royal Australian Air Force
Site history
Built	May 1942 (1942)
Built by	Hornibrook
In use	1942 - 1944 (1944)
Constructed for the American military, but never reported to be used by the RAAF.

Gailes Airfield (also known as Wacol or A-9) was an Emergency Landing Ground built in 1942, Wivenhoe Hill, Queensland, Australia.

History

In May 1942, Gailes Airfield was constructed by Brisbane based contractor Hornibrook for the American military, however it was never reported to be used by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The airfield was built with a hangar and camouflaged hideouts. The airfield was also under control by the RAAF, and was designated as a B-1 type airfield which means it had one runway greater than 800 yards long. In August 1943, a detailed RAAF inspection reported a cleared and graded runway which was unusable due to the growth of plant suckers and log barricades, which was removed in September 1943. However, in May 1944, a large 7.6m wide and 3m deep hole existed in the centre of the strip.

Adjacent to the airfield was the Darra Ordnance Ammunition Depot, built by the Thiess Brothers in the 1940s.

Closure

According to a U.S. report in April 1944, the project was abandoned after preliminary work, was declared open land, and that nearby facilities had since ceased operations. The suburb of Carole Park was built over the site of the airfield, and no trace remains.