Marrangaroo, New South Wales
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Marrangaroo New South Wales |
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 Marrangaroo
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| Coordinates | 33°26′0″S 150°07′0″E / 33.43333°S 150.11667°ECoordinates: 33°26′0″S 150°07′0″E / 33.43333°S 150.11667°E | ||||||
| Population | 869 (2006 census) | ||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2790 | ||||||
| Elevation | 1,200 m (3,937 ft) | ||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Lithgow | ||||||
| State electorate(s) | Bathurst | ||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Calare | ||||||
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Marrangaroo is a small town in the Central West of New South Wales, Australia in the City of Lithgow.
Marrangaroo is located a few kilometres or 5 minutes west of Lithgow. It is accessible from the Great Western Highway, and has no rail station and little bus services. Jones Bros Bus Company run buses between Lithgow and Bathurst, which makes limited stops at Marrangaroo on the Great Western Highway. A main feature of Marrangaroo was the Trout Farm which was opposite the Lithgow Correctional Centre. At the 2006 census, Marrangaroo had a population of 869.
Marrangaroo Army Camp situated at the end of Reserve Road used to be a major ammunition depot from 1941 to the late 1980s. It is now used for demolitions and various training by all three Australian Defence Force services. During the World War II it housed chemical warfare facilities; at the time, one of Australia's best kept secrets. Marrangaroo was the administration headquarters for all of the Royal Australian Air Force Chemical Weapon Stores which were kept in tunnels and sidings at Marrangaroo (old tunnel and siding near correctional centre), Glenbrook tunnel in the Blue Mountains, Clarence Tunnel (that is now part of the Lithgow Zig Zag railway) and Picton tunnel in Sydney's south.
During an interview with Plunkett in 2005, chemical warfare armourer, Geoff Burn mentioned he had been involved in the burial of 250 pounds (110 kg) phosgene bombs near the entrance to the headquarters in 1943. He was subsequently recalled from Cairns in 1944 to identify the site but was unsure as to whether and if the bombs had been extracted. After Burn marked the site on an aerial map a ground search revealed they were still there. The legacy of these weapons remains with several hundred empty chemical munition containers being found buried at Marrangaroo Army Camp from May 2008 to February 2009.
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