Irwin Barracks (Perth, WA)

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Contrary to barrack scuttlebutt, Irwin Barracks is not named after the legendary German General, Field-Marshal Erwin Rommel! In fact, the barracks were named 'Irwin Training Centre' in 1948 to perpetuate the memory of COL F. C. Irwin, the first military commandant of Western Australia (1829-1833). It has been officially known as Irwin Barracks Karrakatta since the mid 1970's. Prior to this naming, the area was known as 'Karrakatta Camp' and was first set-aside as a military training area by the WA Colonial Government in 1895, pre-dating most other infrastructure in the local suburban area.
In recent years much atrophy of facilities is evident given the overall age of the base. Irwin Barracks remains one of the largest dedicated Army Reserve bases in Australia. Irwin Barracks, along with Campbell Barracks (Swanbourne) only a few km's to the West, provide a large and often underestimated military presence in the Western Suburbs area of Perth. Soldiers under 13 Brigade and other Irwin based units continue to train and deploy on operations to locations such as the Solomon Islands, Malaysia, East Timor and the Middle East. Similarly, the base provides a significant package of land for other contingency support tasks.