The camp opened on 9 October 1914 .
The camp held up to 400 men of German or Austro - Hungarian background , or crew members of enemy ships who had been caught in Australian ports at the beginning of the war .
The camp opened on 9 October 1914 and held up to 400 men of German or Austro - Hungarian background , or crew members of enemy ships who had been caught in Australian ports at the beginning of the war .