Keswick army barracks in Adelaide inner south from 1913 on heritage list for South Australia and commonwealth

The Australian army barracks at Keswick in Adelaide's inner south, in 1914, shortly after being completed in its original two-storey form. Inset: With extra storey added in 1940. In 2024, the Keswick barracks land was handed back to the South Australian government in exchange for the Australian government getting land for Port Adelaide submarine project site.

The Australian army’s military headquarters building in Adelaide for the two 20th Century world wars was placed on South Australian heritage list and only one of 10 from the state on the commonwealth heritage list.

One of the first “significant barracks” in Australia after the army was formed following Australian federation in 1901, Building 32 at Keswick on Bay Road (later Anzac Highway), as heaquerters of 4th Military District. was originally used for barracks accommodation (1912-1914) until it was converted into an army hospital (1915-1921) and then transformed into the repatriation hospital 1921-1947. It provided an outpatient services until reverting to army use in 1968. 

In 1912, a contract was let for to construct the Keswick headquarters in South Australia for a cost of £21,990. Because the federal government public works department had not been developed, the contract was given to the South Australian public works department and completed in 1913 to the federation academic classical style design of its superintendent C. E. Owen Smyth.

As headquarters of the 4th Military District during World War I, and colloquially known as “The home of the brass hats”, the building gained an extra floor in in1940, designed by W.H. Hanal. A boiler room and toilet block were removed in 1969. 

It became home to the beadquarters of the 9th Brigade and 10/27 Battalion, Royal South Australia Regiment, both part of the Army Reserve. Keswick barracks heritage buildings also were reconfigured into office space, medical research and development industry space and consulting rooms to serve expanding medical services in the precinct.

In 2024, the Australian government announced that it would would hand the defence department-owned Keswick barracks to the South Australian government in an exchange for the federal government being given control of land at Osborne, Port Adelaide, to expand shipyards for the nuclear submarine project.