Commanding Officers Welcome

51ST BATTALION, THE FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND REGIMENT

Welcome to the 51st Battalion, the Far North Queensland Regiment web site. We aim to provide general information for those interested in full or part time careers in the Regiment. The 51st Battalion, the Far North Queensland Regiment (otherwise known as 51 FNQR) origins can be traced to 1916 when the Battalion was raised to be part of the First Australian Imperial Force from veterans of the Dardenelles Campaign. The Battalion also served with distinction in the Second World War during the Pacific campaign. In 1985 the Battalion was assigned its current role as a Regional Force Surveillance Unit (RFSU).

The 51 FNQR of today plays an important role in the security of Australia by conducting surveillance patrols in the sparsely populated and remote regions of Far North Queensland. 51 FNQR is made up of full time and part time members with Battalion headquarters and a surveillance company located in Cairns. Surveillance companies are headquartered throughout Far North Queensland at Weipa, Thursday Island and Mount Isa.  Approximately thirty per cent of the Battalion's members are indigenous Torres Strait Islanders and mainland aborigines who, with the Australians of other origins throughout the Battalion, form the great team that is 51 FNQR. It is this diverse make up of members and their cultures that give the Battalion its unique character.

51 FNQR is one of the Australian Defence Force's RFSUs tasked with the responsibility to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance across Australia’s far north. The Battalion’s Area of Responsibility (AR) covers a lot of territory; from Cardwell in north Queensland, north to the Torres Strait, inclusive of Cape York and the Gulf Country and west to the Northern Territory border, some 640,000 square kilometres. The unit conducts land based and littoral surveillance and reconnaissance in support of national security operations.

Australians of many cultures have been drawn together to provide this capability. Torres Strait Islanders and members of the many isolated Aboriginal communities throughout Cape York and the Gulf Country form an integral component of the Battalion, and provide a vital source of local knowledge.

51 FNQR offers challenging training, adventure, mateship and the self-satisfaction of knowing that you are doing something for your community and country. To be successful you need a sense of commitment and the ability to work in a small team under arduous physical conditions.