Woomera, South Australia

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Woomera, South Australia
Town of Woomera
postcode	5720

Woomera /ˈwʊmərə/ noun. A town located in southern South Australia, to the west of Lake Torrens. It served as a base for personnel working at the Weapons Research Establishment under the UK-Australia Long Range Weapons Agreement.[1] The site, located 183km northwest of Port Augusta, was formerly a rocket range and is named after an Aboriginal throwing stick,[2] Embracing Text Form from the Western Desert language the actual word being wamarru meaning spearthrower (Derived from woomera).[3]

History

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Woomera, derived from an Aboriginal term for spear-throwing stick, was a former rocket range and weapons testing facility situated in the South Australian desert, approximately 500km northwest of Adelaide.[4] In 1952, Prime Minister Robert Menzies of Australia allowed the UK to conduct nuclear tests in Australia without seeking Parliament's approval. Initial tests were carried out on the Montebello Islands and in the Emu Field desert.[5] The Australian and British governments initiated the establishment of this site as a

collaborative project in 1946. In 1953, Britain conducted atomic bomb tests at Woomera, followed by additional tests at Maralinga, near the Nullarbor Plain, in 1956-57.[6] This site was utilized for rocket launches and British nuclear tests at Maralinga and Emu Field within the Woomera Prohibited Area until 1963. It also housed the Joint Australian-United States Defence Space Communications Station at Nurrungar, 16 km to the southwest, from 1969.[7] A significant rocket research program was also carried out. In 1970, a British research satellite was launched from this location, after which the site saw a decline in use. However, it remains maintained to this day.[8] Since 1999, it has operated as a detention center for asylum seekers.[9]

Impacts on Health and Environment

Like previous British nuclear tests conducted at Emu Field, the trials at Maralinga had profound repercussions on the nearby Aboriginal communities, particularly the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara peoples, as well as other indigenous groups traversing the area. During these tests, many Aboriginal individuals encountered radiation fallout, often described as "black mist," despite English warning signs that were largely unintelligible to them. Due to inadequate identification and follow-up of affected individuals, research on the health effects of radiation exposure remains inconclusive. An attempted clean up in 1990 aimed to bury contaminated soil, inadvertently resulting in the dispersal of thousands of tons of radioactive dust by wind, causing further contamination. This led to additional radiation exposure for Aboriginal populations in the region, estimated at 5 mSv per year, with the most severely affected 120 km² area facing an additional 65 mSv per year. According to the BEIR VII report, such exposure levels could potentially lead to 10 to 130 additional cancer cases per 10,000 people. Service personnel also experienced significant impacts from radiation exposure. In the 1970s, veterans recounted inadequate protective measures and flying through radioactive plumes in unpressurized aircraft. A study conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs from 1982 to 2001 found a notable increase in cancer rates (23%) and cancer mortality (18%) among veterans involved in the nuclear tests compared to the general population, according to sources.[10]

Unidentified Light at Maralinga, 1960

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In July 1960, an unidentified light was observed near Maralinga, South Australia, a site used for Vixen "A" tests. On the 15th of July, at approximately 7:15 PM, Constable Hubert Dave Scarborough, stationed at Wewak, reported seeing a white light moving from east to west. The light changed to red and lasted about 30 seconds. Scarborough initially thought it was a balloon on fire due to its height and position. Another constable, Richard Henry Maxwell, observed the light from Roadside, 13 miles from the village. He saw the light at about 7 PM and noted that it did not play on the ground, making little impression on him until Scarborough later informed him about the sighting. Personnel, including Capt. Keith Angus Ross, Trevor James Hoskins, Russell McFarlane Kingsley, and Ian Kenneth Haskard, also observed the light and provided similar descriptions. They saw the light over the REME Workshop Building in the village, coming from the general direction of Wewak. The duration of the light varied between two and fifteen seconds among witnesses. The discrepancy was attributed to different viewing angles and timings. The person who saw it for fifteen seconds was able to reconstruct his movements at the time, making his estimate reasonable. Investigations into the sighting ruled out balloons and meteors as potential causes. A survey party from Emu, camping in the vicinity, did not witness any phenomena such as a meteor. The light was ultimately thought to be the result of static electricity or a meteor, though no definitive source was identified. Thorough inquiries concluded with no evidence of scientific hoaxes or other explanations. The report emphasized that the exact cause of the light remained unknown, reflecting the limitations of the investigation conducted at the time.[11]

References

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1. Macquarie Consise Dictionary, Fourth Edition, P.1416
2. Manning's Place Names of South Australia, By Geoffry.H.Manning, 1990, P.346.
3. An introductory dictionary of the Western Desert language, By Wilf Douglas, 1988, P.275.
4. Dictionary of Australian History, By John Larkins, 1980, P.225.
5. maralinga_EN_web.pdf,
6. Dictionary of Australian History, By John Larkins, 1980, P.225.
7. Macquarie Consise Dictionary, Fourth Edition, P.1416
8. Dictionary of Australian History, By John Larkins, 1980, P.225.
9. Macquarie Consise Dictionary, Fourth Edition, P.1416
10. maralinga_EN_web.pdf,
11. Weapons Research Establishment (WRE), Salisbury - Department of Supply - Maralinga project - General - Policy and administration, National Archives of Australia, A6456, R029/284, 1960, pp. 74, 76.