Cootamundra

28 The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage citation states that the depot was ‘of state significance as a representative mid-twentieth century industrial site and an intact remnant of an Australia-wide network of World War II technical infrastructure’. ‘Because of its strategic location on the railway line nearly mid-way between Sydney and Melbourne, Cootamundra became the first of 11 “safe inland locations” in NSW chosen for the bulk storage of aviation fuel during World War II.’ ‘The site remains an example of the positive result of effective wartime decision-making, where the fuel tanks and other structures were conceptualised, designed and installed within a very short span of time.’ ‘Also of historical interest is the evidence of consideration about the safety of personnel working in the depot during the war and safety measures undertaken at the time of de-commissioning the remediation of the structures in 1947.’ ‘The site with its five fuel tanks, the Fuel Pump House, the Foam House, pipelines and fencing was only used for its intended purpose for a short period in 1942 but then was acquired by Ampol after the war and put into in commercial use by oil companies until 1995.’ HERITAGE LISTING Cootamundra’s World War II Fuel Depot Site (former No. 3 Aviation Inland Fuel Depot or No.3 AIFD) was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 27 February 2015. Tank 3 with external access staircase. Greg Davis