 Following von Spee 's withdrawal from the Pacific , Australia was belatedly ordered on 8 November 1914 to join with several Japanese cruisers off Mexico to resume the hunt for the German cruisers . By this time , the German squadron had made its way to the South Atlantic , and in early December was destroyed by a British squadron in the Battle of the Falkland Islands . Australia was sent to join the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron at Rosyth , Scotland , and was made flagship of the squadron after a short refit . 
