Submarine ahoy! (But why?)

On the drive between Sydney and Melbourne, one of the places I usually break my journey is Holbrook. If I'm feeling tired and planning to do the trip in one day, I tend to have lunch near the submarine there, and then do a little 'power nap' in the car. Never fails.

Submarine? Why's there a submarine there? It's hundreds of kilometres from the sea. Here's what Holbrook town's website says about it:

THE FINAL HOME FOR OTWAY 

During the years following the change of name from "Germanton" to "Holbrook", Norman Holbrook made a number of visits to the town before his untimely death in 1976. In 1982 his widow, Gundula Holbrook donated his medals to the town. The unlikely link between the inland farming town  and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Submarine Squadron developed between 1986 and 1992 when submariners were given Freedom of Entry to the Shire. 

Today, Holbrook's vision of erecting a fitting memorial to Australian submariners has become a reality. Following the Navy's gift of the decommisioned OTWAY's 'fin' in 1995, a submarine working party was formed to investigate ways of obtaining a real submarine and overseeing its erection. Finance was the biggest stumbling block. Several thousand dollars were raised by public spirited people and organisations who believed in the project. Then out of the blue came the amazing gift of$100,000 from Gundula Holbrook, widow of the late Commander Norman D Holbrook. Mrs Holbrook's generosity has enabled the project to forge ahead.