Under the 2023 Defence Strategic Review, investment and development are shifting toward northern Australia. This aims to reposition Defence capabilities and build a stronger network of ports and barracks. While often seen as deterrence, this can also boost international cooperation and regional stability, especially by improving access for Indonesia, Australia’s closest and most strategic northern neighbour.

To access areas of interest in the Indo-Pacific and the South China Sea, most Australian naval assets must traverse the Indonesian archipelago. Furthermore, the Royal Australian Navy submarine fleet is crucially dependent on sea lines of communication through Indonesia when proceeding to those regions. Maintaining a strong relationship with Indonesia and ensuring increased securitisation of the Timor and Arafura Seas is in the best interest of the Australian Defence Force and Australia more broadly.

While the development of northern defence infrastructure and the continued prioritisation of capabilities in Australia’s north have been framed largely as deterrence measures, Australia should also view them as opportunities to strengthen its defence relationship with Indonesia. This could be achieved by increasing the Indonesian navy’s familiarity with northern Australian training areas through enhanced access, as well as by providing continued assurances of wharf access and logistical support. Such measures would not only facilitate Indonesian operations in the region but also support Indonesia’s aspirations for future ‘global projection’.

For example, the recent extensive redevelopment of HMAS Coonawarra shows how the strategic push north can not only serve as a deterrent against potential conflict or strategic shaping operations by adversaries; it can also act as a mechanism for increasing cooperation between Australia and Indonesia, thereby ensuring continued regional stability.

Over the past decade, the redevelopment of HMAS Coonawarra has transformed the base from a traditional patrol base into what can now be considered a minor fleet base capable of sustaining multiple major fleet assets. Before 2024, major fleet units (such as frigates and larger vessels) were dependent on commercial wharf availability at Stokes Hill and Fort Hill wharves in the Port of Darwin—both currently under Chinese ownership. Although these commercial wharves served as a temporary solution, they were constrained by commercial demands and lacked the layered security inherent to a naval base.

The base was initially a patrol vessel facility, limited by shorter wharf facilities and a shallower wharf pocket (under-keel clearance alongside the wharf). After the commissioning of Kuru Wharf at HMAS Coonawarra in 2024, it became a facility capable of organically supporting multiple frigate and destroyer-class vessels simultaneously, or a single landing helicopter dock ready for deployment to northern areas of interest or emerging theatres.

This improved wharf capability and capacity has been increasingly used by foreign defence partners operating in the Indo-Pacific, with the Port of Darwin and HMAS Coonawarra serving as the logical geographical centre of gravity for regional operations. This trend provides an opportunity for the ADF to offer more tailored support to Indonesia, extending the operational range of Indonesian naval assets in line with Indonesia’s desire for greater fleet projection and influence in the Indo-Pacific. Increased interaction and familiarity between the ADF and Indonesian armed forces could enhance the strategic relationship between the two nations and improve control and domain awareness within their shared maritime environment.

From a maritime perspective, Australia’s north—specifically HMAS Coonawarra and the Port of Darwin—can continue to grow in geostrategic importance and once again act as Australia’s gateway to the region. The ‘push above the 26th degree of latitude’ serves not only as a deterrent against potential adversaries and a means of hardening Australia’s north, but also as a unique opportunity to foster greater cooperation with regional neighbours and allies. Darwin plays a crucial role as a catalyst for regional stability, furthering Australia’s international and domestic interests. The strategic significance of Kuru Wharf cannot be overstated, and further efforts to operationalise this asset as Australia’s gateway to the region should be pursued—particularly at a time when stability in the Indo-Pacific is at its most volatile in recent memory.