MacArthur Museum Brisbane
The General Douglas MacArthur museum is housed in the building occupied by his staff during World War 2 in Brisbane Australia. For the time, it was a recently built, very modern office building, commandeered by the General as his HQ for Pacific Operations of the US Army under the Allies Act (in which the USA basically got anything they wanted because of the amount of materials and manpower they brought to bear).The Arrival
I was staying at the Hilton in downtown Brisbane, and the museum is literally across the street. So my journey consisted of taking the elevator down to the pedestrian mall and walking east. Entrance can be challenging as it's also houses a private condo building but that means they usually have someone holding the door to let you in.Take the elevator to the 8th floor and you're in General MacArthur's former office space.
The Museum
The museum is housed in the MacArthur Chambers AMP Building (yes, this is really the name now), named for the Australian Mutual Provident Society - basically an investment type company. It was finished in 1934, and houses the complex where MacArthur actually lived and worked during the war.The Museum
Somewhat set in a timeline but mostly around subjects of interest, the museum has multitudes of items from the war. It's quite decently curated to relevant items and the period.The Office
General MacArthur's Office, where so many of the important tactical and strategic decisions of the Pacific war were made. Victory was won here. You feel quite impressed as you stand in this space, and I was humbled by the weight of history in this room.
MacArthur reviewing Australian troops before the American buildup
Not an authorized piece of headgear, designed by MacArthur himself to show authority
The impact of massive American troop staging in Brisbane
Life on the home front, which was actually a frontline in the war
Australian women's military
The many roles of females in the war here
With so many Aussie men sadly being killed, a lot of young women married Americans
Being an island, rationing of materials was supremely important
One of the many men leading in the war in a forgotten area
Various timelined stories selectively chosen
The Japanese trying to sow discontent from Anzac soldiers against Americans
The desk where MacArthur met with staff
Australian-captured Japanese battle flag
A map of this area of the war, which is quite immense
The place where the man did his work, and not one drop of alcohol was here
Here he sat, the weight of millions of lives hanging in the balance
Summary
A very selective draw, and for a WW2 buff like myself, a huge surprise it was even here (I didn't know before arriving). I found it extremely interesting and informative and learned a bit of war history I was sorely lacking on.The staff is very knowledgeable and really into the guest experience. They will even take a picture for you sitting at the desk (which I didn't do because my blog is about the place, not my face).