HMAS Assault was a Royal Australian Navy

Royal Australian Navy

The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...

 Naval Training Centre at Nelson Bay

Nelson Bay, New South Wales

Nelson Bay is a suburb of the Port Stephens Local Government Area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on a bay of the same name on the southern shore of Port Stephens about by road north-east of Newcastle, its nearest rail link. At the 2006 census, Nelson Bay had a...

 in the Port Stephens

Port Stephens

Port Stephens is a large natural harbour located about north-east of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. It lies wholly within the Port Stephens Local Government Area although its northern shoreline forms the boundary between the Port Stephens and Great Lakes LGAs...

 area of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

The site was chosen because Port Stephens was relatively isolated and provided a safe haven from the Japanese

Imperial Japanese Navy

The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...

 submarine

Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

 activity occurring off the east coast of Australia.

HMAS Westralia

HMAS Westralia (1939)

HMAS Westralia was an auxiliary cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy .-Construction and acquisition:Westralia was built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Glasgow for the Huddart Parker company as a twin screw motor vessel, being completed in 1929. Westralia was requisitioned for war service by...

 anchored in Port Stephens on 3 September 1942 to provide interim accommodation until HMAS Assault was completed.

The Naval Training Center at HMAS Assault was used to train Royal Australian Navy Beach Commandos

Royal Australian Navy Beach Commandos

During World War II the Royal Australian Navy formed beach commando units to go ashore with the first wave of amphibious assaults. They would conduct local reconnaissance, signpost the beaches, control boat traffic, and communicate with the maritime forces. These were known as Royal Australian...

, landing craft crews, beach parties and signal teams.

In August 1944 HMAS Assault was decommissioned and operated in care and maintenance duties until the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 British Pacific Fleet

British Pacific Fleet

The British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...

 occupied HMAS Assault from April 1945. The site became a Royal Marines

Royal Marines

The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...

 Commando Depot.

In June 1945 the Sick Bay Centre was turned into a small regional hospital of about 10 beds.

In 1949 the Commonwealth Employment Service

Commonwealth Employment Service

The Commonwealth Employment Service was an Australian Government employment agency established in 1946 with the introduction of the Re-establishment and Employment Act 1945 and continued to exist under the provisions of the Commonwealth Employment Service Act 1978.-History in the last 1990...

took over the site to house European migrant workers. The migrant hostel was closed in mid 1953.

The Sick Bay building reopened as a hospital in April 1956. The hospital closed in 1981.

On 10 August 1981 the Port Stephens Society of the Arts took ownership of the Sick Bay building to become the Port Stephens Community Arts Centre.