User:MightDo/sandbox/Lytton Defence Reserve

Lytton Defence Reserve was a parcel of government land in the Colony of Queensland, Australia created in 1887 and containing Fort Lytton, the pre-existing primary defence fortification for Brisbane. The reserve was subsequently extended by the colonial government to take in the land that had comprised Lytton township, after that land had been resumed. After the colonies became a federation (the Commonwealth of Australia) in 1901, the Reserve was transferred to the Commonwealth. It was used for a wide range of defenCe purposes from its creation in 1887 until the end of the Second World War (WW2). It was ultimately transferred to Ampol Refineries [Qld] Pty Ltd in 1963 for the development of a refinery (now the Caltex Lytton Refinery).

History
Lytton Defence Reserve was initially an area 120 acres (48 hectares) of land near the township of Lytton in the Colony of Queensland, Australia. It was officially announced in the government gazette in 1887, and included the land occupied by Fort Lytton, a military fort near the mouth of the Brisbane River designed to deny enemy naval vessels access to the river. The Reserve was extended in 1891 and again in 1900 to a total area of 640 acres (259 hectares). The extended reserve included the land that had previously been surveyed as the township of Lytton, after individual plots that had previously been sold had been resumed. After the colonies became a federation (the Commonwealth of Australia) in 1901, the Reserve was transferred to the Commonwealth. "The land and all military structures at Lytton were transferred to the new Commonwealth Department of Defence, and the Post and Telegraph Office on Lytton Hill was transferred to the new Commonwealth Post Master General's Department". The Reserve was used extensively for military purposes from its creation in 1887 until the end of the Second World War (WW2). After 1945 the Reserve's defence facilities were virtually abandoned, but military authorities maintained a communications base on Lytton Hill into the 1950s. The reserve was transferred to Ampol Refineries [Qld] Pty Ltd in 1963 for the development of a refinery (now the Caltex Lytton Refinery). "Subsequent construction of the oil refinery and holding tanks has removed most traces of the Second World War defence installation, which included an airfield, with the exception of the top of Lytton Hill and a Second World War anti-aircraft position with concrete bunkers and gun emplacements, in the refinery grounds adjacent to Fort Lytton".

In 1988 a small parcel of land containing Fort Lytton was transferred to the Queensland state government, which owned an adjoining parcel of land containing the Quarantine Station that had operated from 1915 to 1982. The government soon declared these two entities a national park, called Fort Lytton National Park. As of 2015, Fort Lytton is fully open to the public, with guided tours provided on Sundays and certain public holidays by Fort Lytton Historical Association. The Quarantine Station is not yet open to the public.