Many grey nomads have a keen interest in Australia’s military past and visiting war memorials and historical sites is an important part of their Big Lap.
Of course, large numbers have served their country and previously been deployed to places like Vietnam and elsewhere. But the desire to learn and to honour is pretty widespread across the entire nomad community.
And that explains in part why the Northern Territory Government is putting a renewed focus on promoting what it calls military tourism.
As part of a $3 million initiative, an updated Military Heritage Tourism Action Plan has just been released.
A well-maintained Vietnam War memorial near Muswellbrook, NSW. PIC: Cizza
The first stage will see the rollout of new Military History Tourism Grant program, with a $1 million funding pool to help tourism operators develop new military heritage tourism products, expand existing offerings, and enhance visitor experiences.
Additionally, an audit of 30 key military heritage sites will be undertaken to ensure they are accessible and engaging for visitors. Upgrades to sites may include improved signage, interpretation panels, shade, shelter, rubbish collection, and walking paths.
The heritage-listed Strauss Airfield, one of Northern Australia’s last surviving World War II pursuit fighter installations, is an example of the sort of spot on the list of potential sites for inclusion.
The NT Government is also developing a cutting-edge AI trip planner to harness digital information about military heritage sites, experiences, and products to generate personalised itineraries.
Minister for Tourism and Hospitality, Marie-Clare Boothby, said some important military sites had been left to deteriorate.
“Now, we are restoring them because we want to tell the world: if you’re looking for war history, you come to the Northern Territory,” she said. “More bombs were dropped in the Territory than Pearl Harbor including hundreds of kilometres from Darwin with historical sites right along the Stuart Highway.”
Ms Boothby told the Grey Nomads that, in the year ending September 2024, the NT welcomed 59,000 interstate leisure visitors who self-drove, and it was expecting another bumper drive season this year.
“Our self-drive market is a huge part of our tourism industry, and grey nomads are absolutely a target group for our military tourism,” she said.
Of course, there are countless well-cared-for war memorials in towns and cities across the country … and military sites, too.
The WWII Secret Base in Charleville in Outback Queensland, for example, has become a major tourist drawcard over the past few years. During the war, the town welcomed 3,500 American servicemen and the entire community was sworn to secrecy about the top-secret military operations taking place in the ‘vault’ … a building that still stands today.
Long-term traveller, Mark David has no specific military connections but says visiting war memorials and learning about Australia’s military past is an integral part of his Big Lap travels. “There is so much I don’t know and the more I learn, the more I feel an incredible gratitude and a sense of awe at the courage of those who put their lives on the line in conflict,” he said. “It is so important for me to pay my respects and simply to try to understand what it must have been like at that time.”
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A new memorial to visit is the Vietnam Nurses Memorial at Morven Qld. There is also a good Donation Camp.