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In 1910, the Chemical Adviser\'s Laboratory was established in Melbourne. Later known as the Australian Arsenal Branch, it was this facility that was relocated to the then outer suburb of Maribyrnong and was DSTO Maribyrnong for more than 60 years.

An aerial view of the Maribyrnong site

Construction of the Maribyrnong site started in 1920 and in 1922 the first buildings were opened for the then 17 staff.

It was then known as Munitions Supply Laboratories. Apparently, staff objected to the use of word "munitions" in the title, as it seemed inappropriate in describing the work they did. However, despite their objections, the name lasted 30 years!

In its infancy, the laboratory had a very broad role. It was tasked with maintaining chemical and physical standards, co-ordinating control methods of other defence laboratories, researching Australian raw materials, studying and inspecting all defence stores and equipment, their manufacture and use, as well as examining and advising on small arms, guns, ammunition and explosives, timber, clothing, food, transport, communications and housing.

The war years

In the lead up to war, Maribyrnong experienced a rapid expansion of staff numbers. In 1938, 80 employees were on the Maribyrnong payroll. Within six years, this number had increased to 1,150 making it one of the largest scientific establishments in Australia.

With over 1,000 people on site, there was a need for improved infrastructure in the area and in 1940 the Commonwealth Government funded a tramline from Elizabeth Street to the front gate.

During the war, secrecy prevailed; signs for the Explosives and Ordnance Factories simply read "Special A" and "Special B".

The nature of the work at this time reflected wartime priorities. For example, extending the life of canvas under tropical conditions, developing counter measures against lethal gas attack (in fact, MSL went into the business of manufacturing gas masks, making 750,000 respirators from 1942 to 1944), analysing the physiological damage inflicted by mustard gas and the usefulness of protective clothing, manufacturing optical glass for telescopic sights, and performing research and providing advice on the production of fuels and lubricants, on shrink-proofing woollen fabrics and the manufacture of paints.

Peace time

The organisation lost some momentum after the war. Defence research was not so much of a priority and MSL, (by now known as Defence Standards Laboratory) under the leadership of A.E Dawkins, had the task of providing guidance to industry in adapting to post-war production.

Despite the challenges of the post-war economy, staff morale at Maribyrnong was high. There was a football club; basketball, softball, and cricket teams; squash and table tennis teams; groups that travelled to the snow and a group that sailed; there was a putting green near the calibration lab; a croquet lawn; a music club; and a social club that staged the annual ball, Christmas parties and the staff sports/fun day.

Projects of note

Xerography project

In what was to prove one of the most commercially successful projects undertaken at DSL, Ken Metcalf invented a process for colour photocopying. While it did not have a direct "defence" application, DSL was able to justify the project research for its possible cartographic applications.

Over 90 patents for the technology were taken out in Australia and overseas, with annual royalties totalling almost $1 million at its peak.

Operation Blowdown

In the Cold War environment of July 1963, DSL conducted Operation Blowdown, a project in which a huge conventional explosion was triggered over a tropical rainforest 300 miles north of Cairns. The aim was to replicate the effects of a nuclear explosion. Fifty tons of TNT, sourced from obsolete shells, were filled into special containers and mounted in a tower 140 feet from the ground. Using advanced electronic equipment, DSL staff measured the effects of the blast. In particular, they monitored blast pressures, assessed the hazards of flying objects (ranging from splinters to whole trees) and assessed how the subsequent devastation could impede the movement of troops or vehicles.

Operation Euroka

In this project, based at Langley in Queensland, two square kilometres of scrub was flattened by two bulldozers towing a giant ball on a chain. The uprooted trees (approximately 6000 tonnes) were then pushed into rows in a 50-acre area to simulate the fuel loading and pattern of an urban environment. This area was then set alight. In what was to make a valuable contribution to this country's knowledge of fire and fire management, DSL scientists were able to study the patterns of winds induced by a large fire, assess the rate of burning, analyse the effects of large fires on electromagnetic communications and identify the degree of protection needed for human survival.

Environmental work

DSL was called upon to analyse and supervise waste treatment for government factories at Lithgow, Fishermans Bend, Footscray, Maribyrnong and Bendigo.

At that time, untreated wastes were allowed to enter the Maribyrnong River. DSL installed equipment that could neutralise acids and alkalis and also remove traces of metals toxic to aquatic life. As a result, the river was seen to recover and bird life became gradually more abundant.

The Annual Report of 1975-76 speaks of an extensive research program being undertaken on the marine environment, the clean-up and detection of oil spills, and a range of sampling and data collection activities to gauge heavy metals or the breakdown of anti-fouling paints.

Restoration of Cooks anchor and six cannon

When six cannon and the anchor from HMB Endeavour were recovered from a reef of the coast of northern Australia between 1969 and 1972, DSL, with its vast pool of knowledge and expertise in the field of corrosion and electrochemistry, was entrusted with the task of restoring and preserving the historical relics.

The restored artefacts can now be found in museums in London, Wellington, Philadelphia, Sydney and Cooktown.

Collins class submarine

Since the mid 1980s, scientists at Maribyrnong (renamed the Materials Research Laboratory [MRL] in 1974/5 as part of the newly formed Defence Science and Technology Organisation [DSTO]) have played a significant role in making the Collins Class submarines the most capable conventional submarines in service.

From the steel of which they are made, to the quality of the air submariners breathe, MRL research, against all odds, has contributed to a submarine unrivalled by any other non-nuclear submarine in the world.

The closure of Maribyrnong

For over sixty years, Defence science has been conducted out of two sites in Melbourne (Fishermans Bend and Maribyrnong), but in the mid to late 1990s, a time of efficiency reviews and cost-cutting measures, the viability of DSTO maintaining two Melbourne sites was under question. The conclusion was that significant savings could be made from the consolidation of activities onto a single site.

In 2000, the decision was made to close the Maribyrnong site and sell the land for redevelopment.

While a sad day for those with links to Maribyrnong, the consolidation of the two sites has created a world-class facility that is keeping DSTO a leader in defence science.

Sources:

• Working draft of Between the Urgent and the Important by Dennis K Smith, July 24 2002
• Cook's Cannon and Anchor by Dennis Callegari, Kangaroo Press 1994
• Providing Australia with the Smart Edge, DSTO 1997
• DSL Report 386, September 1970