Prospect Air Raid Shelter (Image: City of Prospect)
Many people in Adelaide have a curious passion for underground places. Long
forgotten basements, secret
wartime shelters, and mythical or real
bunkers and tunnels in Adelaide all attract enormous interest.
The latter article was actually written in 2014, but when its content was recently recycled by ABC Adelaide it attracted just as much interest again. Many tunnel stories are myths. But wartime bunkers and air raid shelters are not hard to find even now, and the public can still get access to them occasionally.
With war in Europe looming in 1938, the State government began preparations to protect civilians with Air Raid Precautions (ARP). Eight ARP Sub-Control areas were established around the metropolitan area to coordinate civil defence responses to any attack. Each of these areas was provided with a securely protected underground bunker for civil defence communications and local Air Raid Wardens, and are usually referred to as "air raid shelters".
Thebarton Air Raid Shelter at South Road Torrensville
These heavily protected concrete Sub-Control Centres were initially built in 1942 at Glenelg, Woodville, Port Adelaide, Prospect, Norwood and Unley. At least five of these bunkers still remain in some form, with the Prospect, Thebarton and Glenelg air raid shelters surviving largely intact. The shelters at Unley and Woodville have been heavily modified, while the rest appear to be long gone.
The air raid shelters were largely a reaction to the threat of Japanese invasion after Darwin had been bombed by air. Many other precautions were taken: the beaches were fenced off with barbed wire, searchlights and anti-aircraft guns were located at strategic places including
Fort Largs, and
top secret radar stations were established to provide early warning of attack.
Fortunately, the Japanese never made it to Australia during World War 2, and these underground bunkers near suburban ovals fell into disuse. Some were briefly used for other purposes, while the Thebarton air raid shelter became home to the Australian Society of Magicians. The
Glenelg air raid shelter has been opened to the public on many occasions over the years.
Inside Prospect Air Raid Shelter (Image: History Trust SA)
Since being decommissioned the Prospect air raid shelter has housed a slot car club, was used for St John Ambulance training and served as an amateur radio operators' centre. But after a rising water table flooded the building, it was deemed unsafe and fell into disuse
Until recently the Prospect air raid shelter was derelict and suffering water and other damage. With the help of the City of Prospect, the Prospect Local History Group has reopened the shelter, and now offers free guided tours of the air raid shelter and new ground level garden on selected days - see
the Eventbrite listing for dates and to make reservations (essential).
The free tours of the Prospect air raid shelter are not held often - if you can find a suitable date, then make your bookings early to avoid disappointment. The History Group is hopeful that some local residents will come forward with their memories of the shelter, perhaps during World War 2. It will help them document the history of this wartime place and record it on interpretive panels to educate visitors.
