Hidden within Brisbane’s rather unassuming industrial suburb of Wacol is a secret. Half of this secret is grown-over bushland, with the only hint of its past some concrete foundations out by the side of the road that leads to the local prison. The other half is a collection of army buildings at the former Wacol barracks, home to Australian soldiers throughout the twentieth century. These buildings still stand, having been purchased by a variety of groups, but the second half of the camp – which had been used by the Dutch – is what is now buried over. One of the owners of these buildings are the Papua New Guinea Volunteer Rifles (PNGVR), which were a military unit who served in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in World War 2 (WW2).

Today, the camp has been reimagined as a small museum, containing objects related almost entirely to this force, which goes beyond the traditional understanding most Australians have of the Papua New Guinean theatre of war which is limited mostly to Kokoda. Unlike most museums, which while valuable seem to suffer from institutionalisation, this one was curated by a PNGVR member, Paul, so everything has a personal story or connection that Paul actually knows. Our time in the museum was a curated journey, a deeply personal tour about the war and its ramifications.

It’s also a museum that is seemingly in some trouble, through no fault of its own. Although housing one of the most memorable collections of these artefacts, Wacol is not famous for being a tourist destination (unlike central Brisbane, where the MacArthur Chambers are located) and so it falls under the radar. But I would encourage all of Brisbane (and any visitors) to pay a visit to this deeply fascinating and interesting museum, and help keep this knowledge of history alive.