page_title: Fyshwick, Australian Capital Territory
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Fyshwick, Australian Capital Territory / History
caption_attribution_description: Ariel photo of Fyshwick taken fron the NE
context_page_description: Fyshwick is a retail and light industry suburb of Canberra and is located east of the South Canberra district. At the 2016 census, Fyshwick had a population of 56 people.
  It has many motor vehicle dealers, stores selling home furnishings and hardware, and stores that sell goods wholesale. There are also some fast-food outlets.
  It was named after Sir Philip Fysh, a Tasmanian politician who assisted in bringing about Australia's Federation. The suffix "wick", from Old English, means "dwelling place" – and, by extension, "village" or "district". Its streets are named after Australia's industrial towns and regions – for example, Mount Isa is represented by Isa Street and Townsville is represented by Townsville Street.
  It is known for its adult entertainment industry. Fyshwick and Mitchell are the two places in the ACT where strip clubs and brothels may operate legally. Prostitution in the ACT was decriminalised in 1992 but strip clubs and brothels are restricted to those two suburbs.
  The only railway line into Canberra runs through the middle of Fyshwick dividing the area into halves.
context_section_description: One noteworthy portion of Fyshwick, located between the railway line and Canberra Avenue, was built as an internment camp during early 1918. It was known as the Molonglo Internment Camp, although it was also referred to as a concentration camp. The site was intended to accommodate 3,500 German and Austrian nationals being expelled from China, however once the camp had been established in May 1918 these internees were no longer destined for Molonglo. Instead, the camp housed 150 internees transferred from the Bourke Camp in New South Wales. The camp was closed in late 1919 after the internees were deported to Germany. Most of the camp's buildings were sold off, with the remaining buildings being converted to house construction workers, some of whom were unemployed returned servicemen. Gradually the camp buildings were moved to other camp sites around Canberra and the roads used to service the camp became the first streets of Fyshwick.
  The internment camp's hospital at what is now Tennant Street became the Molonglo Public School. This school closed in 1942 and then became a naval auxiliary wireless station. This operated until 1946. The station consisted of one wooden T shaped building and a fibro mess hall. This station operated the receivers for the strategic fixed radio links to Australia for Whitehall, Halifax and Bombay Fort. During this period 14 WRANS operated the equipment. Marion Stevens was a Petty Officer in charge of the station from 1943 to 1946. She was notable as the only woman in charge of a transmitting station.
  The station was part of the Harman radio network, as was connected via a landline to the main Harman site. Equipment at the Molonglo station included teleprinters for use when reception was good. During poorer radio propagation periods morse code radiotelegraphy had to be used.
  After the war the Molonglo station became a dog training school. In the early 1980s the buildings were demolished.
caption: Fyshwick from the northeast
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