Heritage
The Anvil Creek site holds an important place in the history of the Hunter Region and of Australia.
The land around Greta was first surveyed in 1824, land grants were allocated in 1837, and the Anvil Creek site and surrounding land were subsequently cleared for grazing. In 1939 the Defence Force Department purchased the site, erecting an army camp that housed over 50,000 soldiers between the outbreak of war and 1948. Greta Army Camp was one of Australia’s most important training facilities, with the World War II experiences of many thousands of men and women intimately connected with it.
In 1949 the Army Camp was transformed into the Greta Migrant Camp and over the next 11 years was the first Australian home for over 100,000 displaced persons and assisted migrants who contributed enormously to the nation’s post-war reconstruction. Greta Camp was the second biggest migrant camp in Australia in overall numbers housed and the site holds a special place in the hearts of many of the migrants who passed through it.
The history of Greta Migrant Camp has been commemorated in a book by historian Christopher Keating and a project to gather together the photographs and stories of former camp residents to create an online gallery of over 1,000 images. The photographic collection has been handed over to the Newcastle Regional Library to ensure it is maintained as a public resource, easily accessible and capable of growing.
A leafy setting adjacent to Camp Road has been designated as a commemorative place for former Migrant Camp residents, many of whom have continued to visit the site for more than 40 years.
Gallery
The Greta Camp Photo Gallery provides a permanent photographic record of life at the Greta migrant reception centre.
With the help of the Ethnic Communities Council Newcastle & the Hunter Region, the development team at Anvil Creek have built the gallery so that the community at large can access digital copies of original photos taken by people who lived or worked at Greta Camp during this rich period of Australia’s history.
On 3rd September 2009 custodianship of the gallery was presented to The Newcastle Region Library to ensure its continued availability and growth. New contributions and enquiries can be made by contacting the
Newcastle Region Library.
Click Here to visit the Greta Migrant Camp Photo Gallery |
