Swanston Street, C.1942
In 1942, as an air-raid alert sounded, these trams were required to come to a complete standstill in Swanston Street with passengers remaining on board util the ‘all-clear’ sirens sounded. It was at this time, in early March, that Australia tested its air raid readiness.
As city lights could be seen from as far as 80 kilometres, to protect Melbourne and its deep-water port, munitions and aircraft factories from night-time air raids, street lights were turned off, dimmed or hooded as were those of public transport and motor vehicles and the windows of homes and buildings covered to prevent tell-tale light from leaking out. Eight days after this practice drill Darwin was bombed by Japanese aircraft which had taken off from occupied Dutch Timor.