 In the early stages of the AIF 's formation , prior to Gallipoli , training was rudimentary and performed mainly at unit @-@ level . There were no formal schools and volunteers proceeded straight from recruiting stations to their assigned units , which were still in the process of being established . Upon arrival , in makeshift camps the recruits received basic training in drill and musketry from officers and non @-@ commissioned officers , who were not trained instructors and had been appointed mainly because they had previous service in the part @-@ time forces . Camps were established in every state including at Enoggera ( Queensland ) , Liverpool ( New South Wales ) , Broadmeadows ( Victoria ) , Brighton ( Tasmania ) , Morphettville ( South Australia ) and Blackboy Hill ( Western Australia ) . In some units this training took place over a period of six to eight weeks , although others — such as the 5th Battalion — spent as little as one day on live firing before departing for overseas . Following the embarkation of the initial force to the Middle East , further training was undertaken in the desert . This was more organised than the training provided in Australia , but was still quite rushed . Individual training was consolidated but progressed quickly into collective training at battalion and brigade @-@ level . Training exercises , marches , drill and musketry practices followed but the standard of the exercises was limited and they lacked realism , meaning that commanders did not benefit from handling their troops under battlefield conditions . 
