Things to do

Larrimah and Birdum have a rich history related to the development and protection of the Northern Territory with the construction of the Birdum to Darwin railway in 1930 and the important war time role during WW2 as a staging camp for over 350,000 army personnel with a hospital, communications centre and a huge maintenance and armament airfield all constructed out of range of the Japanese bombers.

The Larrimah Hotel was first constructed at Birdum in 1930 before being relocated to Larrimah in 1957.

Museum

The Larrimah Museum is located in the heritage listed WWII Larrimah Telephone Repeater Station and Powerhouse buildings which were completed in 1942. As the Larrimah railway siding was a “vital road-rail transhipment and refuelling depot and military staging camp”, it was included in this communication network.

The Army pushed to have the repeater station completed as soon as possible. Construction work commenced in December 1941 and was completed in 1942).

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In 1991 the Museums and Art Galleries of the NT (MAGNT), in consultation with the Larrimah Progress Association, established a local museum within the Repeater Station. The displays were structured around the following themes:

• The history of the Larrimah Repeater Station
• The origins and social development of Larrimah
• Larrimah and WWII. 14 ARD Gorrie and Birdum
• The Railhead - Larrimah as a Territory transportation hub

A plaque at the Museum reads ‘Dedicated to the Men and Women who served in the Larrimah, Birdum, Gorrie Areas with the Australian and Allied Forces, the Volunteers of the North Australian Railways, Members of the Civil Construction Corps and Allied Works Council 1940 - 1945'.

The museum also features photographs and interpretive text of the World War II Gorrie Airfield.

World War II Gorrie Airstrip

Located about 10 km north of Larrimah it is one of the largest, if not the largest, bitumen airstrips in the Northern Territory. The site of the largest airforce base in Australia during World War II with over 6,500 personnel; the airstrip was named after F/OP. Gorrie, No. 2 Squadron RAAF who was killed in action near Menado, Dutch East Indies on 12 January 1942. It can be reached by driving west from the Stuart Highway for about 1 km on a dirt track which suddenly opens out and you find yourself on the actual airstrip. Gorrie was intended as the American's major line of defence against the Japanese.