Woodside Camp

The Woodside Camp, now known as Woodside Barracks, was first established in 1927 on a 162 hectare site approximately 27 kilometres east of Adelaide, South Australia. Up until the start of the Second World War it was used for the training of militia light horse and infantry units but its facilities remained minimal. During the Second World War barracks were erected to accommodate four infantry battalions and Woodside was the nursery for the three South Australian battalions of the AIF - 2/10th, 2/43rd and 2/48th - as well as providing training facilities for several militia units and temporary accommodation for elements of the 32nd United States Infantry Division when it first arrived in Australia in May 1942.

Use of Woodside declined after the war and in 1949 it was converted to a refugee reception camp, which at its height accommodated over 3,000 residents. The camp returned to military service in the early 1950s as a centre for training national servicement and has remained in operation as an army facility ever since. During the Vietnam War, Woodside was home, for varying periods, to 3, 4 and 9 RAR; the latter two battalions were raised there in February 1964, and November 1967 respectively. Returning from Vietnam in 1971, 3 RAR was based at Woodside until it relocated to Holsworthy in 1981. Woodside Barracks is currently home to the 16th Air Defence Regiment.