28/04/2024, 10:56 Northern Territory News
HERITAGE ‘FIASCO’
ALEX TREACY
A former employee of the Berrimah Farm field research facility says he is “staggered” the developer that was controversially gifted the land has not maintained public access to a heritage-listed World War II site that played a vital role in the defence of northern Australia.
Rob Wesley, who worked at Berrimah Farm when it was the beating heart of the former Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries (DPIF), said he was left fuming when he attempted to access the World War II RAAF Operations Room Site only to be greeted by an inaccessible gate.
“An important, but maybe less well-known, World War II site is not accessible, and who knows what damage/maintenance is being done?” he said.
Mr Wesley took his concerns to the NT Government’s Heritage Branch, which told him that, as the declared heritage site is on private land, there is no obligation for the land owner, Halikos Group, to provide public access.
A representative of the branch told Mr Wesley he would need to follow up with Halikos to negotiate access.
Mr Wesley said such a system ran directly counter to the spirit of what the purpose of heritage-listing was: to preserve worthy buildings and sites for the enjoyment of future generations.
“I’m staggered that heritage sites on private land are limited to what the private landowners allow,” he said.
“This to my mind makes a bit of a mockery of the term, or my concept of what it means.
“The land was given to the housing company- but did this gift not require maintenance and access to this World War II site of importance?
“If not, what a fiasco.
“Does Halikos now control access to the DPIF site? “Why not give them Parliament House as well.”
Halikos acquired the Berrimah Farm land in 2016 after the 168ha site was controversially gifted to the developer, despite another group offering the NT government $3om for the property.
It is now in the process of being developed into up to 1500 residential lots alongside a retail precinct and community open space.
Halikos Group, who was asked whether access to the World War II site will eventually be restored, did not respond to requests for comment.
According to the site’s heritage listing, the Operations Room provided “a co ordinating role for the control of aerial defences, including Radio Direction Finding [RDF] and anti-aircraft defences in the North Western Area of Operations in the north of Australia during World War II”.
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