Woomera, South Australia
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Woomera, South Australia
Built to house scientists, researchers and personnel working on missiles and spacecraft during the Cold War, the today is rather like something from a sci-fi movie, a space-age ghost deep in the land of the Australian Outback.Signs along the Stuart highway remind you of the and the risks from its role as the .
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the was home to the Kokatha people. The name comes from a Dharug (the Dharug are an people who live just west of Sydney) referring to a “a type of throwing stick with a notch at one end for holding a dart or spear, thus giving increased leverage in throwing.” The name was chosen by RAAF Captain Alfred George Pither as apt for the military base being developed as a and testing in the 1940s.
In the aftermath of World War II, the British government identified the need for a testing , as German attacks on Britain had played a decisive role in the war. After considering a site in Canada, the British Government made a formal request of ‘s government to establish of and a 1600 km long and 300 kilometres wide. The site of – deep in the outback, 485 km north of Adelaide and 180 km north of Port Augusta, and with an annual rainfall of 190mm – was chosen. In 1947, the land was leased to the Department of to create and the was surveyed and built.
In the early Cold War, from 1947-1970, the was an important centre. The was used for and by the as well as a with the, British and US militaries, NASA and West Germany. At its peak, had a population of between 5000 and 7000 – today, that has contracted to 1900, most of whom are probably US military personnel working at nearby Nurrungar.
In its heyday, was closed off to the public. Today, wandering around the deserted, quintessentially post-war suburban, streets of the is rather eerie. While itself is no longer used for military activity, the nearby (WPA), essentiually the remains closed off for the use of the military operations, as does the joint US-Australian Ground Station at close-by Nurrungar.
Woomera Aircraft and Missile Station and Heritage Centre:
The main attraction in town is the Aircraft and Missile Park and Heritage Centre. Start in the indoor Heritage Centre for an excellent overview, including an extensive collection of Kokatha artefacts and a display exploring the lives of families who moved to Woomera in the 1950s and 1960s.
Outside the building are well-preserved examples of many of the rockets launched at Woomera. The Black Arrow is a large rocket launched four times from 1969 to 1972. While the first launch was destroyed almost immediately because it was so unstable, the fourth launch succeeded in putting the Prospero satellite into orbit. It continues to rotate around the Earth today.
The Meteor Mark 7 is a British jet aircraft, used against German V-1 rockets during the Second World War, and incorporated into the RAAF arsenal during the Korean War.
The Jindivik (meaning ‘haunted one’), is an Australian designed pilotless target aircraft, designed in 1952, which completed over 100 flights.
The Ikara (after the name that the Adnyamathanha people use for Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges National Park) is an Australian-developed anti-submarine weapon, capable of delivering an American 44-type homing torpedo by radio tracking and guidance systems. Trials were conducted in Woomera from 1961 to 1969.