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Alice Springs
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=== World War II === [[File:Dowling_066.jpg|thumb|Army camp in Alice Springs during World War II, photo taken from the top of ANZAC Hill]] [[World War II]] brought significant changes to Alice Springs. Prior to the war, Alice Springs was an isolated settlement of fewer than 500 people. During the war, however, the town was an extremely active staging base, known as No. 9 Australian Staging Camp, and a depot base for the long four-day trip to Darwin. The railway hub in Alice Springs was taken over by military operations, and the number of soldiers posted in Alice Springs grew rapidly, as did the number of personnel passing through on their way to and from Darwin. When Darwin was threatened by Japanese forces, the sea routes—the Northern Territory capital's primary means of transportation and resupply—were cut off. The evacuation of Darwin first brought a large number of civilians including elected officials and many of the territory government's records. Alice Springs became the war-time civilian capital of the Northern Territory. When Darwin was bombed by Japanese air forces, a large number of military personnel and their heavy equipment were rapidly moved south to Alice Springs. The number of soldiers posted in Alice Springs peaked at around 8,000, and the number of personnel passing through totalled close to 200,000.<ref name=thewaryears>{{cite web |title=Central Australia the war years 1939–1945 |url=http://www.thewaryears.alicespringsrsl.com.au/townlife.shtml |work=RSL On-Line Museum |publisher=RSL Sub Branch Alice Springs |access-date=8 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217185555/http://www.thewaryears.alicespringsrsl.com.au/townlife.shtml |archive-date=17 February 2011 }}</ref> Once the war ended, the military camps and the evacuees departed, and Alice Springs' population declined rapidly. After being visited by nearly 200,000 people, including the American General [[Douglas MacArthur]], Alice Springs gained considerable fame. The war years also left behind many structures. The historically listed [[Totem Theatre]], created for the entertainment of this camp, still exists today. The [[Australian Army]] set up the 109th Australian General Hospital at Alice Springs. [[Alice Springs Airport|Seven Mile Aerodrome]] was constructed by the [[Royal Australian Air Force]]. War-related operations necessitated the first sealing of the road between Alice Springs and Larrimah, expansion and improvement of Alice Springs' water supply, and improving the rail head. The war-related operations left behind thousands of pieces of excess military equipment and vehicles and a marked increase in Alice Springs' population.<ref name=thewaryears/><ref>{{cite web |title=Alice Springs (Mparntwe) NT |url=http://www.southaustralianhistory.com.au/alicesprings.htm |work=Flinders Range Research |publisher=Flinders Ranges Research |access-date=8 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716051742/http://southaustralianhistory.com.au/alicesprings.htm |archive-date=16 July 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> During World War II, Alice Springs was the location of [[List of RAAF inland aircraft fuel depots|RAAF No. 24 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot]] (IAFD), completed on 20 May 1942 and closed in November 1944. Each IAFD usually consisted of four tanks; 31 fuel depots were built across Australia for the storage and supply of aircraft fuel for the [[RAAF]] and the [[US Army Air Forces]], at a total cost of £900,000 ($1,800,000).<ref>{{citation |author1=Australia. Royal Australian Air Force. Historical Section |title=Logistics units |date=1995 |publisher=AGPS Press |isbn=978-0-644-42798-2}}</ref>{{Clarify|reason=modern currency conversion?|date=August 2024}}
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