Skip to content

Area 04 · Act 1 · The Wheat Incident

The Merredin Withdrawal

Merredin — the wheatbelt's rail hub on the Perth–Kalgoorlie line: grain silos, a water tower, rail yards, and the biggest town the emus have ever seen (population: several hundred, briefly).

DAY 32: THE ARMY ANNOUNCES A STRATEGIC WITHDRAWAL. THE EMUS ANNOUNCE NOTHING. THEY ARE EMUS.

The history behind it

Act I finale. After a month, 9,860 rounds, and under 1,000 confirmed emus, the campaign was withdrawn amid parliamentary ridicule — one MP asked if a medal would be struck for the emus. Capturing Merredin's rail hub IS that withdrawal: the army literally entrains and leaves, and the emus realize they have won a war.

Outposts (4)

Take all of them and the area is yours. Retreat halfway through and the ones you already hold stay held.

  1. The Grain Silos

    Grain silo · Defence tier 2

    Twin concrete silos guarded by a Rifleman Line and barbed wire — the single richest Food outpost in Act I. The wire funnels toward the loading ramp; the smart route is through the manager's office.

  2. The Truck Yard

    Supply depot · Defence tier 3

    First Truck-Mounted Lewis: it repositions around the yard between bursts, trailing a dust plume. Teaches the tyre-peck weak point — strand it, then treat it as a Post. Drops the region's biggest scrap haul.

  3. The Water Tower Post

    Gun post · Defence tier 2

    An elevated Lewis Gun Post on the tower catwalk with a wide, slow sweep over the yards. Cannot depress its barrel close-in — hugging the tower legs is safe, which no one told the gunner.

  4. Merredin Station HQ

    Headquarters · Defence tier 3

    The final Act I capture: the stationmaster's office turned army HQ, defended by a full Rifleman Line, a Sandbag Officer, and Meredith making his last stand of the act beside a departure timetable. Capture triggers the withdrawal cutscene — troops board the eastbound train under a hand-painted MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner.