Expanded Shoalwater Bay camp for SAF training in Australia officially opens

SHOALWATER BAY TRAINING AREA, AUSTRALIA – The expanded Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) was officially inaugurated in the Australian state of Queensland on Nov 13.

The commemorative ceremony, attended by Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How, was held at Camp Tilpal, north of the city of Rockhampton. The newly built camp is part of the expanded SWBTA.

The expanded training area, now approximately five times the size of Singapore, has been jointly developed by Australia and Singapore since 2016 for training conducted by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

During the ceremony, Mr Heng noted the significance of this milestone for both defence establishments, pointing out that the project is a tangible symbol of the abiding trust between both sides.

He said it will elevate the bilateral defence relationship as both countries look forward to commemorating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2025.

Mr Heng emphasised the importance of the high-end training that can be conducted with the state-of-the-art facilities at the SWBTA for both armed forces, and pointed out that it also included the establishment of facilities allowing aircraft, ground troops and vehicles to train together, along with urban operations facilities.

“(These facilities) will allow for the conduct of training necessary to generate war-fighting capabilities fit for the future battlefield. Both our armed forces will benefit greatly from these facilities in the years to come,” he said. 

He expressed his appreciation to the Australian government for its longstanding support for the SAF’s overseas training in the facility, and for the warm hospitality from the local communities over the last three decades.

The completion of the camp marks a significant milestone under the treaty on military training and training area development in Australia, a key element of the comprehensive strategic partnership established in 2015 between the two countries.

The ceremony at Camp Tilpal was also attended by Australian Secretary of the Department of Defence Greg Moriarty, who said the opening of the expanded training facilities reflects the strong ties between both militaries. 

“Support for each other’s training and access enhances our ability to strengthen our security and advances our shared interests in maintaining regional security,” he said. 

Camp Tilpal, construction for which began in 2019 and was completed earlier in 2024, was used for the first time for Exercise Wallaby – held from Sept 8 to Nov 3 – the SAF’s largest overseas unilateral exercise.

It involved 6,200 SAF personnel spread across different units and saw the Digital and Intelligence Service take part for the first time.

This is the 34th exercise since it began in 1990.

Mr Heng flew on board a Republic of Singapore Air Force CH-47F Chinook helicopter during his visit, where he viewed the new facilities within the expanded SWBTA from the air.

He also sailed on a Republic of Singapore Navy fast craft from the landing ship tank RSS Endurance to the beach at Freshwater Bay in SWBTA where he witnessed a ship-to-shore activity for

Exercise Trident, held from Nov 6 to 15.

This bilateral joint military exercise by the SAF and ADF saw Singaporean and Australian troops land on the beach before moving towards their objectives inland.

While at the exercise, Mr Heng interacted with Singaporean and Australian military personnel.