Australian Defence Force (ADF) Training Exercise

Published on 13 August 2024

Multiple sites in Rockhampton will be utilised for a major Australian Defence Force (ADF) training exercise throughout August.

Parts of the railyards, the showgrounds, Denison Street in Depot Hill and the Lakes Creek Hotel at 431 Lakes Creek Road will be temporary locations for ADF personnel, vehicles and equipment.

Around 2500 personnel from the Australian Army’s 7th Brigade from Brisbane and the 17th Brigade from Sydney will begin arriving in Central Queensland from around August 3rd and will depart by August 30th. Around 500 of these personnel will be temporarily based in Rockhampton while the other 2000 will be inside Shoalwater Bay Training Area.

Residents can expect to see Army trucks and smaller vehicles moving around Rockhampton. Larger armoured vehicles will travel up the Bruce Highway but head into Shoalwater Bay Training Area.

In Rockhampton there will be soldiers carrying weapons as part of the scenario. However, there are no plans for any firing of weapons or the use of any pyrotechnics or sound effects. All these activities will occur within Shoalwater Bay Training Area. If there is a requirement for any loud noises in populated areas, then updated alerts will be sent to local government, the community and media.

The exercise revolves around a fictional scenario where the Australian Defence Force is fighting an enemy in a fictional region. Rockhampton acts as the logistical hub for personnel and supplies, while the frontline fighting will occur at Shoalwater Bay.

The Commander of the Australian Army’s 7th Brigade said the exercise is an important event to ensure the ADF’s Ready Brigade is well rehearsed.

“I want to thank the community in Central Queensland for their understanding and interest as we move around the area. Utilising sites in Rockhampton, as well as Shoalwater Bay Training Area will help our soldiers learn to safely operate, travel and manage logistics in complex and populated areas. This will help them if they need to deploy on warfighting, peacekeeping or disaster relief operations overseas” said Brigadier Giles Cornelia, DSM, CSM.