| Short Description | The Loveday Internment Camp was the largest WWII internment and PoW complex in Australia, operating near Barmera in South Australia’s Riverland region from 1941 to 1946. At its peak it housed over 5,000 internees, guarded by around 1,500 Australian military personnel. The complex comprised a group headquarters, main camps (Camps 9, 10, and 14), and three regional wood-cutting camps at Woolenook, Katarapko, and Moorook West. It held German, Italian, and Japanese civilian internees and PoWs, including people transferred from Britain, the Middle East, and the Pacific, as well as some naturalised Australians. Internees were put to work on agricultural projects, including growing opium poppies for army morphine, and timber cutting. |
