27th July

Ross and I visited the ruins of what was left of a Military Hospital in Merriden the town we have just spent two days at. As unbelievable as it may seem, at the height of World War ll an army hospital was based not near the fighting but at the base of a granite outcrop in WA's Wheatbelt. Water was one of the reasons, but the other reason was it would have been too far enemy planes to reach without refueling.

You can drive or walk around the site to read signs that reveal its history and how it was laid out with nurses' quarters, a surgery and wards.

For about eight months in the middle of World War II the 2/1 Army General Hospital was stationed not at the battlefront, not even close to the battlefront, but at Merriden, about as far away from the scene of fighting as it is possible to imagine.

The unit was formed at the outbreak of war with orders to have a 600 bed hospital ready to embark for Gaza in the Middle East on the first convoy in January 1940. When Australia came under attack from the Japanese in 1942 and invasion seemed imminent, the unit was immediately returned home.

An area of lightly wooded land at the base of Meriden Peak was cleared and a tent hospital erected. The wards consisted of 24 large tents, each holding 20 patients. The staff lived in smaller tents, each containing four or six camp stretchers. At the beginning the floors were simply dirt but these were later replaced with timber. Kerosene lamps were used until electricity was connected. The corrugated iron ablutions block, consisting of showers, wash troughs and deep trench latrines, was located in front of the wards.

The 221 patients who were admitted in 1942 were joined by another 267 in January 1943. They were transported to Merriden by special ambulance trains and then transferred to the hospital by ambulance. The staff consisted of five medical officers, 9 other officers and 188 enlisted personnel.

Ultimately the anticipated invasion of Australia did not occur, thank goodness, and, in August 1943, the 2/1st Army General Hospital left Merriden, first for Port Moresby and then the Solomon Islands. It returned to Australia in 1945.

Saturday 28th July

Today we spent the night at Meckering a town which offers camping for a donation. Spotless toilets are provided but no water or power. Meckering is the town that suffered a massive earthquake in 1968 which pretty much wiped out the entire town.

Sunday 28th July

Today we left reasonably early to head for Yerecoin on our way north west which will eventually take us to the west coast of WA. Verecoin is also a small town that offers camping for a small fee. We were expecting only toilets. When we got here we were pleasantly surprised to find they had installed power for eight vans. There is also access to a tap for water if needed. Toilets and shower are also extremely clean and we have mobile and internet connections. Sitting here in our caravan, Ross waiting for the Bulldogs and looking over beaultiful green paddocks which we presume is Canola yet to flower we ask ourselves what more could we ask?