Just a short detour off the Stuart Highway, the small town of Woomera in South Australia — once shrouded in secrecy — played a significant role in Australia’s defence history and offers lots to keep visitors busy for a couple of days.
Located 489km north of Adelaide, just a short detour off the long and monotonous Stuart Highway at Spud’s Roadhouse, is the town of Woomera.
Named after the Indigenous word for a throwing tool, Woomera was established in 1947 in the years following World War II. The British needed a large area to serve as a test range for its long-range weapons program and the vast, virtually unpopulated central Australian desert was chosen over a couple of other locations. Traditional Owners of the Kokatha land, and some pastoralists, were displaced to make way for the Woomera Prohibited Area which today is 122,000sq km in area.
The Anglo-Australian Joint Project focused on the development of a long-range weapons system to counter the growing ballistic missile threat from the former Soviet Union.
Its early objective to rest long-range strategic missiles was quickly abandoned. Most of the weapons tested at Woomera were short-range tactical guided missiles, developed in response to the specific needs of the British and Australian armed services.
Woomera Missile Park
Between 1956 and 1963, seven nuclear tests took place at the Maralinga site, part of the Woomera Prohibited Area about 600km north-west of the town.
In Woomera’s heyday years from 1947 to about 1972, some 7000 people lived there as part of the Project which saw the town become one of the most secret allied establishments in operation during the Cold War.
Of the British and European missiles launched from Woomera, the most famous was the Europa, launched by European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO) between 1964 and 1970.
Between 1960 and 1970, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) operated a deep tracking station at Island Lagoon, 25km south of Woomera, near where the Joint Defence Communication Facility Nurrungar — established in 1969 — once operated.
In 1980, the Anglo-Australia Project was closed and the range itself saw little use until about 1991 when the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) took over and gradually assumed full control of the entire facility. RAAF Base Woomera, as it is known today, was established in January 2015.
Woomera is still administered by the Australian Department of Defence. The testing range and nearby joint facility at Nurrungar are still active and are therefore prohibited areas. Permits are required to travel through the Woomera Prohibited Area, with the exception of the Stuart Highway and the Coober Pedy to William Creek Road from the highway to the town.
Woomera Heritage Centre
Exploring Woomera
Access to the Woomera township was restricted to the general public until 1982 but is now open and has lots to offer the 70,000 tourists who visit each year.
It is a very neat and tidy little town and a wander around its near-deserted streets feels a bit like stepping back in time a few decades.
With its distinct 1950s style front sign, the Eldo Hotel has 400 accommodation beds housed in blocks close to the main hotel building. Each block has a name such as Redstone, Black Knight, Blue Steel and Skylark — all names of former rocket or missile systems once tested at Woomera. We enjoyed a Friday night meal at the Oasis Bar and Restaurant at the hotel, frequented mainly by on-site personnel judging by the American accents.
Eldo Hotel
The privately-owned Woomera Traveller’s Village and Caravan Park is located right at the entrance to town and is within walking distance to everything. It’s pretty basic. A site with power and water was $25 which is a bargain. Or you could choose to camp at Spud’s Roadhouse down the road for a gold coin donation.
A beautiful early morning at the Traveller’s Village and Caravan Park
The caravan park's shipping container bar
The town's main attraction is Woomera Missile Park located right in the main street. It features missiles and rockets that were developed and tested at Woomera over the past 60 years, as well as a number of aircraft which were used in trials. Next door, the Woomera History Museum features a range artifacts about the activities and people who lived and worked at Woomera in the early years.
About a block away from Missile Park is the Woomera Heritage Centre, which was the former recreation centre for US personnel and their families from Nurrungar. It features a cafe, a tenpin bowling alley (which was installed by the US Air Force personnel in the 1990s and is still in good working order), the Woomera Rocket Range Museum and a gift shop.
Inside the Rocket Range Museum
The small museum pays tribute to Len Beadell, the famous surveyor and road builder responsible for constructing thousands of kilometres of roads through the Australia desert, the most famous of which was the Gunbarrel Highway.
Other attractions in Woomera include a movie theatre (but movie screenings might be infrequent), swimming centre, a well-stocked general store and bottle shop, along with two main clubs which offer counter meals on a Thursday (RSL Club) and Friday (Sports Club) nights.
After dinner at the pub, we walked to Woomera’s own little space observatory which operates every Friday night, run by a volunteer couple who make the trip from Roxby Downs (78km north of Woomera) to show visitors the starry skies uninterrupted by light pollution.
Woomera space observatory
THE NEXT STEP
If you want to learn the latest caravan news, find the most innovative new caravans and camping gear or get inspiration for an epic road trip to Australia's beautiful and remote locations, subscribe to our weekly newsletter . We promise to send you only the best content.
Related articles:
The colours of Kimba, South Australia
Coalseam Conservation Park, Western Australia: Camp among the wildflowers
Woomera, South Australia: A town once shrouded in secrecy