Mr Alexander said Cressy's isolation was likely to have been one of the reasons why it was chosen as the site for a wartime RAAF air station.

Its flat terrain, access to Lake Corangamite and the adjoining Lake Gnarpurt for bombing practice, plus its location on rail lines to Geelong and Ballarat, were likely the other reasons for its selection.

Mr Alexander said the station would have accommodated up to 300 personnel, particularly towards the end of the war, when those stationed there would have included seasoned war pilots taking a step up to fly the highly regarded Spitfires.

The station's time as the Central Gunnery School meant the skies above Cressy were particularly lively.

Not only were bombardiers trained in bombing practice, aircraft gunners honed their skills at hitting both moving and stationary targets.

Mr Alexander said a plane would fly along towing a long wind sock, which gunners in other aircraft would shoot at using ammunition coloured with dye - any hits being clearly visible to instructors.

For bombing practice, two large pyramid-shaped targets were built, one in Lake Corangamite and another in Lake Gnarpurt, soon after the station was established in 1939.

Each target was about 30 square metres in size.

Bombardiers had to drop their bombs in a 20-metre area between a large pole and the targets.

Smoke bombs were usually used for bombing practice but occasionally live bombs were dropped.

Adjoining landholders were warned beforehand when the bombs were for real.

Concrete bunkers were built on the shores of the lakes for observers to determine the accuracy of bombardiers' skills.

Earlier this year the historically low levels in Lake Corangamite allowed Mr Alexander and others to walk out to the remaining bombing target pylons.

Mr Alexander said the establishment of the air station naturally boosted Cressy's economy, but the town was not exactly bustling with airmen.

While some social functions were held for the airmen, townspeople did not see a great deal of them. The airmen did not have much social time: some of the training courses were only six weeks in duration and the men were kept busy getting battle-ready for the war's front lines.

Mr Alexander believes many of those trained at Cressy headed to the war in the Pacific, fighting the Japanese in New Guinea, Malaysia and Borneo.

He said the station had three airstrips, two about 300 metres long with a drained gravel surface and a third one of grass about 400 metres long.

Two large Bellman hangars were used for aircraft maintenance.

Virtually all of the air station was cleared away after the war, but Mr Alexander said one of the drained gravel air strips, which is privately owned, was as good as the day it was built.

The Cressy History Centre, which is open on the first Sunday of the month between February and November, has a great collection of photos of the air station's operation, including many of the aircraft "prangs" and other memorabilia.