The Accommodation Block at the Coonawarra Naval Base in Darwin was designed and constructed in the early 1970s by the Northern Territory Regional Office of the Commonwealth Department of Housing and Construction to provide living quarters for personnel of the Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS).
Photographs from 1973 show the block among other military accommodation structures at the base, reflecting the functional modernist approach to service buildings on strategic defence sites.
These accommodation facilities were part of a broader network of support buildings at HMAS Coonawarra, the Royal Australian Navy’s principal northern base that has been in operation since the 1930s.
The design prioritised robust, straightforward forms and practical layouts suited to the tropical climate and the day-to-day needs of naval personnel.
Although simple in expression, the building contributes to an understanding of how mid-twentieth-century modern architecture was deployed for Commonwealth defence infrastructure in the Northern Territory, where durability, ease of maintenance and climatic responsiveness were essential.
Heritage Status: Not Listed.
Photographs from 1973 show the block among other military accommodation structures at the base, reflecting the functional modernist approach to service buildings on strategic defence sites.
These accommodation facilities were part of a broader network of support buildings at HMAS Coonawarra, the Royal Australian Navy’s principal northern base that has been in operation since the 1930s.
The design prioritised robust, straightforward forms and practical layouts suited to the tropical climate and the day-to-day needs of naval personnel.
Although simple in expression, the building contributes to an understanding of how mid-twentieth-century modern architecture was deployed for Commonwealth defence infrastructure in the Northern Territory, where durability, ease of maintenance and climatic responsiveness were essential.
Heritage Status: Not Listed.