Work also commenced on a counter bombardment battery at Fort Drummond on Mt St Thomas to the north west of Port Kembla.
Tunnels were driven into the hillside to house the associated equipment needed to manoeuvre the guns, store ammunition as well as to accommodate the Fortress Plotting Room and personnel facilities.
The Illawarra Mercury reported in 1923 that "Mt Drummond, or South Wollongong or Coniston which of these names will settle permanently on this locality is not definite."
On 256 December 1941 a secret telegram was sent ordering the installation of additional coastal defences in the Newcastle-Sydney-Port Kembla area.
[1] A rapid decision was made to divert two 9.2" coastal guns intended for Darwin to the defence of Port Kembla on 13 March 1942.
The guns were expected to arrive from Britain in early May and a party of 1 officer and 24 other ranks were assigned to Mount Drummond to prepare the ground.
[1] By August 1942, arrangements had been made to hire transporters from Yellow Express Carriers Ltd to shift the 9.2" guns from Melbourne to Port Kembla for the Mount Drummond battery.
[1] By February 9, 1943, the war situation had become less acute then previously thought so the garrison at Port Kembla was instructed to concentrate on anti-sabotage protection of fixed defences and to be positioned for mobilisation if the enemy commenced any action.
[1] A detailed map showing the defences of Fort Drummond including wire, weapon pits, machine guns and so on was drawn on 9 February 1943.
[1] A layout plan of 5 July 1943 showed the Battery Observation Post for Mount Drummond, at the end of Norman Street, near the Reservoir.
[1] The Commonwealth did not formally acquire the site of the Fort Drummond Battery at Mount St Thomas until 6 July 1944 and 12 October 1944.
[3] In 1946 the Mount Saint Thomas Progress Association removed a guard shed from Drummond Battery and installed it at a bus stop.
[4] In October 1951 the Army donated the structure to the Mount Saint Thomas Progress Association following representations from the local member of parliament.
[7] A Dutch migrant Frank Smith Jnr who had previously worked at the AIS Steel plant (now BHP) established a mushroom farm at Fort Drummond in 1966.
This land was acquired in the early 1960s by Television Wollongong Transmission Ltd and their studios were constructed on part of the site of Fort Drummond.
[1] This coastal artillery complex, like the Breakwater Battery, was part of Australia's World War II defence strategy.
It was constructed at a time when the growing use of air power had forced designers to plan underground facilities to protect the guns, ammunition and associated equipment and personnel.
[1] Fort Drummond was built into the hillside, involving substantial removal of rock to allow for the construction of the battery and its underground facilities.
[1] As at 26 June 2014, Fort Drummond is a significant reminder of the threat to Australia's security during World War II.
It was an integral part of the network of coastal batteries constructed to protect NSW's two major industrial areas, Newcastle and Port Kembla.
As part of the Kembla Fortress, Fort Drummond was one of the three coastal batteries erected to protect the steel works lining the bay, all of which partially survive.
The use of the site for a TV station, reflects the clear view of Port Kembla and the good reception that could be gained from the hill.
Local - Associated with the coastal defences of NSW during World War II the speed on construction indicates Australia's rapid response to the threat of Japanese invasion.
Known as the Kembla Fortress, Fort Drummond was one of the three coastal batteries erected to protect the steel works lining the bay, all of which survive.
[1] The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.
Local[1] The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.