Eastern Creek Animal and Plant Quarantine Station
Eastern Creek Animal Quarantine Station
The Blacktown area has played a highly significant part in Australian quarantine over the last three decades. The Eastern Creek Animal Quarantine Station, on the corner of Wallgrove Road and the M7 motorway operated from 1979 to 2015, and was at time of construction, the largest animal quarantine station in Australia.
Due to its isolation, Australia has a unique, delicate and balanced ecosystem and remains free of many diseases and pests that exist in other countries. This makes Australia's native plants and animals very vulnerable to invasive species and disease from around the world. In the past the introduction of cane toads, rabbits and foxes has threatened the habitat of Australian flora and fauna. If our native animals and plants are to survive, they need protection.
Australia's strict biosecurity laws aim to keep Australia safe from exotic pests and diseases. One method to prevent pests and diseases from entering Australia is isolating them before they are allowed contact with the Australian environment and animals already living in Australia. The Quarantine Station at Eastern Creek was developed to accommodate horses, dogs, cats, some livestock, and at a later date, some bees and plants. It was originally built with 90 stables, 597 dog kennels and 72 cat cages. Accommodation was "sufficient to ensure that in future there would be little or no waiting period for quarantine accommodation for imported cats and dogs thus reducing the incentive to import illegally".
Imported animals were placed under observation for a period of time, to ensure that they did not carry any foreign diseases or pests, before they were released. During the life of the quarantine station many pet owners living locally and from further afield, across NSW, would have visited their quarantined pets at Eastern Creek, waiting for the all clear that would allow them to take their precious pets to their new homes.
During the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, Australia's refusal to change strict Australian quarantine laws, which required a six month quarantine for all horses entering the country, meant that the equestrian events were held in Stockholm, Sweden, rather than in Australia. During the 2000 Sydney Olympics, improved national quarantine procedures, meant the equestrian events were held in Sydney. Import procedures for Olympic horses were very strict and complex. Owners were required to keep a detailed log of the location of every imported horse for 49 days before their 14 day quarantine at specific Australian approved facilities in either Europe or North America. Only then were they allowed to being transported to Australia. Upon arrival in Australia, the world class horses were required to be held in quarantine for a further 14 days at the custom-built quarantine facility adjoining the Sydney Equestrian Centre.
Horse facilities at the Eastern Creek Quarantine Station were expanded during the Sydney Olympics, and mainly used as an emergency back-up location. If there was any outbreak of infectious disease among the Olympic horses at the Sydney Equestrian Centre in Horsley Park, sick horses could be quickly moved to, and contained at Eastern Creek to avoid any further spread of the illness.
The importance of strict quarantine procedures was highlighted in 2007. In August, there was an outbreak of equine influenza (horse flu) at the Eastern Creek Quarantine Station. Horse flu, one of the most widespread infectious viral equine diseases in the world, is an airborne inflection that targets a horse's respiratory system, damaging the lining and mucous membranes. By October 2007, there were over 7,000 infected locations across QLD and NSW.
The outbreak of this virus caused wide spread stock losses and huge loss of income for the horse racing industry in NSW and QLD. A Commission of Inquiry, undertaken in 2008, ruled the horse flu originally entered Australia via several horses shipped from Japan. Strict quarantine measures including decontamination procedures were not followed, allowing flu to be spread to other horses. It is likely the virus spread from the quarantine facility on the shoes, clothing, equipment or vehicles belonging to an employee or visitor to the facility. This event is one example of why quarantine is taken so seriously in Australia, why facilities such as Eastern Creek existed in the first place, and how vital it is to maintain adequate procedure and funding.
The Eastern Creek Animal Quarantine Station stopped accepting animals from November 2015, and was officially shut and demolished in early 2016, replaced by the new consolidated Animal Quarantine Station in Victoria. Throughout its working life, the Eastern Creek Animal Quarantine Station played a significant part in our nation's history, safeguarding Australian flora and fauna.
The main administrative building of the former Eastern Creek Animal Quarantine Station.
Source: Curio Projects 2015
The Cattery at the Eastern Creek Quarantine Station. The cats could climb up the wire stairs inside the purpose-built housing and sit in the caged area on the ceiling.
Source: Curio Projects 2015
Sources:
Nicolaidis, G., 2000. Eastern Creek and Land Settlers. Blacktown City Council, Community Informative Project.
National Archives of Australia, Series No. A12909. Submission No 939 : Wallgrove, New South Wales - Construction of Animal Quarantine Station - Decision 2030
"Strict Aussie quarantine laws forced equestrian events for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics to be held in Stockholm", June 10, 2016, The Daily Telegraph.http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/equestrian-events-for-the-1956-melbourne-olympics-were-held-in-stockholm/news-story/f03b536615410413b98b9b74fac6a3dc
Accessed 5 December 2016.
Office International des Epizooties, 2003, Sydney Olympic Games and Paralympics: Australia's biosecurity measures. Initiated by Australian Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr J. G. Murray
Australian Government, Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, 14 August 2015, 'Confirmed dates for commodity intakes at the new post entry quarantine facility', Available from: https://postentryquarantine.govspace.gov.au/category/animals/
Authorship: This history was prepared by Curio Projects, with valuable input from Mary Ternes, Jan Herivel and Jackie West of BCC Library, for the site at 60 Wallgrove Road, Minchinbury, on behalf of Mirvac.
Eastern Creek Animal and Plant Quarantine Station
Source: https://www.blacktown.nsw.gov.au/About-Council/Our-city/Blacktown-Memories/Our-history-and-heritage/Heritage-Interpretative-Study-Wallgrove-Road/Eastern-Creek-Animal-Quarantine-Station
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