Throughout World War II, the Wireless Transmitting Station provided essential communications service in support of Allied Operations in the South West Pacific regions.

It was decided to decommission Melville and relocate the RAN's Darwin base to naval Wireless Transmitting Station Coonawarra.

Although the base was transferred over and commissioned at HMAS Coonawarra on 16 March 1970, facilities at Melville remained operational until their destruction by Cyclone Tracy on 25 December 1974.

Services such as fuel, electrical power, compressed air, sewerage out, oily waste suction, and defuelling is available at the berthing points.

In 2016 the Australian Government announced plans to significantly redevelop Coonawarra as one of northern Australia's key strategic naval bases.