The site was chosen by Lieutenant General John Wilton in 1966 and was built mainly by men from the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment.

[2] The occupation of Nui Dat in Operation Hardihood required the removal of all inhabitants from within a 4,000-metre (2.5-mile) radius of the base in order to ensure the security of the facility.

From 1966 until 1972 the Australians and New Zealanders of the 1st Australian Task Force operated out of Nui Dat providing security and protection for the villages of Phước Tuy, while attempting to destroy the Communist forces headquartered in the Mây Tào Mountains and other Communist strongholds in the border areas of Phước Tuy Province, Long Khánh Province and Biên Hòa Province.

The Australians and New Zealanders performed civic tasks such as building villages, improving infrastructure, and providing medical and other civil services for the locals.

[3][4] After the withdrawal of Australian forces in December 1972, the base was handed over to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and "stripped bare".