Museum History

Royal Australian Corps of Signals Museum

The museum begans its life shortly after WWII when members of the staff of the School of Signals at Balcombe collected equipment that was going out of service and set up displays for the students. It enabled the trainees to learn about the history of their Corps and to study the evolution of their equipment and the changes in technology.

Even though some of the early equipment looks basic and sometimes crude, it was the latest military technology of its day. Military equipment in the years just after WWII was far more advanced than domestic equipment and appliances. It was not until many years later that the development of solid state electronics, starting with transistors, and aided by mass production produced cheap, sophisticated and reliable domestic equipment and appliances.

The signals museum moved to Watsonia in 1970 when the School of Signals moved there. It was set up in building 6, close to the Greensborough road main entrance. A small group of volunteers worked at the museum and various Signals Unit Associations set up displays dedicated to their former Units and in memory of former serving army members.

The museum moved to its current location, building 147, after the satellite terminal was closed and the 18 metre diameter satellite dish was moved to Western Australia.

When the satellite terminal building was built, it was purpose contrsucted to house the associated equipment and plant and to provide office accommodation for the Army Signals Corps staff. However, it was not suitable as a museum, since it did not have disabled access and it was not modifified to conform to the Building Code for public access.

Ten years after the museum was set up in its current building it was closed to the general public by the Defence Infrastructure managers. For many years before the closure, musuem staff and interested people worked to have the museum refurbished and reclassified. Finally in late April 2006, the museum refurbishment commenced. Most of the displays were moved from the building by volunteers and staff members from the Defence Force School of Signals and Signals Cell. Contractors then worked on the building for almost three months; offices were demolished and new ones were built. A new conference room was contrsucted and the entire display area had air conditioning installed, a new disabled toilet and an entrance ramp installed. The entrance is now much more inviting than the old narrow passage way that greeted the visitor on arrival.

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Museum Facilities

Royal Australian Corps of Signals Museum - renovation completed

The renovations (phase one) of the RA Sigs Corps Museum have now been completed.

This renovation comprised the following:

  • Removal of unused underground diesel fuel tanks
  • New entrance to museum (disabled access)
  • New Foyer
  • New admin office space
  • New kitchen/conference room
  • New disabled access bathroom

Volunteers (including DFSS members) have also assisted with moving the library, overhead racking and other remnants of the building's former life as a Satellite terminal.

Phase two of the renovations will be concentrated on achieving more display space (currently half the building is unuseable for displays). This will be reliant on funding.

Shortly a photo montage of the renovations will be posted to this site.

Watch this space!

RA Sigs Museum Now Open!!!

The Royal Australian Corps of Signals museum located at Simpson Barracks has finally reopened to the public, after being closed for almost two years.

Displays have been set up and will be progressively developed further. They will be changed regularly so that visitors who return will find new things to look at on each visit.

The museum has a good reference library and an excellent collection of operator and maintenance manuals for a very large range of military equipment and test equipment.

The museum is always looking for military Signals related items for its collection, such as equipment or bits of equipment, books, photographs and documents.

If you have any items that may be of interest to the museum, please contact the museum. No item is too new; today's equipment is tomorrow's history.

The museum is currently open Tuesdays between 1000h and 1530h.

It is planned to open on Sundays in the near future during 2007.

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Museum Contacts

The RA Sigs Museum is now open for business!!

Opening hours - every Tuesday from 1000h to 1530h.

In the future the opening hours will be expanded, including weekends.

Contact the curator, MAJ Jim Gordon, on (03) 9450 7874 for any queries or to arrange a tour.