The beautiful restored and well maintained Miegunjah home was built in Newstead, Brisbane close to Breakfast Creek around 1885 by William Perry an ironmonger with an extensive business selling ironware.
The house was sold in 1926 to Marie Menzies, wife of dentist Dr Andrew R. Menzies. When Dr Menzies died in 1943, the house was commissioned by the War Department. It was used as a safe house for members of ‘Z’ Special Unit who, in September 1943, took part in a secret mission behind enemy lines known as Operation Jaywick. These men entered Japanese occupied Singapore Harbour in the seemingly harmless coastal fishing vessel, the ‘Krait’, and sank some 39,000 tonnes of Japanese shipping. This mission was also supported by the Dutch, they organised the fuel supply for the Krait during the mission through their Shell oil tanker Ondina.
In 1945 it was commissioned by the Dutch Government. The year before they had established the Netherlands East Indies Government-in-Exile at Camp Columbia in Wacol. To support their effort to reestablish Dutch in NEI several other buildings in Brisbane were used by the Dutch Navy, Airforce, Intelligence Services, other buildings were used for accommodation for Dutch officers and for R&R purposes for pilots and others military officers.
