There was a time when the population of Terowie was over 2,000. Today, with a population of around 200, it is a tiny township which is slowly becoming a ghost town. Terowie came into existence as part of the railway network which was built in South Australia in the late 19th century. With three different railway gauges meeting at the town it was vital to an economy then driven by rail.

Then, in the 1970s, the rail was reduced to a single line and there was no need for Terowie. The town collapsed and was designated an historic town because of its large number of well preserved 19th century buildings. Today there are old stores and shops reminding visitors that, back in the 1880s, it was a vibrant and important railway town. It is a fascinating relic of the time when rail was the vital form of travel.

On the railway station platform at Terowie, on the 20 March, 1942, one of the most famous speeches/statements of World War II was made. It was here, for the first time, that General Douglas MacArthur declared “I Shall Return”.

As the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the South West Pacific, MacArthur had escaped from Corregidor in the Philippines by PT boat, reached Mindanao, had flown to Batchelor Airfield south of Darwin, flew to Alice Springs and that was where he had caught a train. He missed the weekly train so he was travelling south to Adelaide, and then on to Melbourne, with his wife and support staff on a personal train that  comprised a steam engine, bogie van, dining car, two sleeping cars plus brake van.

While changing trains in Terowie, MacArthur stood on the railway platform and made his speech regarding the Battle of the Philippines in which he said: “I came out of Bataan and I shall return”. It was the first time he had said these words and they became a legendary observation about the war in the Pacific.

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