 Following the shelling of Newcastle in June 1942, the Australian armed services directed its attentions to a new type of radar which enabled Ground Controlled Interception (GCI), in an effort to protect Australia's coastline from attacks by enemy aircraft.Originally formed at the Richmond Air Base, 131 Radar Station was a mobile unit that was moved to its permanent base at Ash Island in September 1942.The almost-impenetrable concrete igloos were constructed by mid-1943 and were used to house the advanced technology needed to detect and intercept signals from approaching enemy aircraft.