Maralinga

- darkometer rating: 9 -

Maralinga 04 test site that was prepared but then never used

A former nuclear test site in a remote part of the Great Victoria Desert in South Australia that was used by Great Britain to conduct a total of seven major trials (atomic detonations) in 1956 and 1957 as well as numerous (subcritical) minor tests until 1963. After having long been totally out of bounds to civilians, a comprehensive clean-up operation was undertaken in the late 1990s and subsequently the site was declared safe enough for access. It’s still quite restricted but there are now organized tours of the site that you can join. It’s indeed a very special dark-tourism activity in the subcategory of “nuclear tourism”.

>More background info

>What there is to see

>Location

>Access and costs

>Time required

>Combinations with other dark destinations

>Combinations with non-dark destinations

>Photos

More background info: The advent of nuclear weapons development came roughly at the same time as WWII. Of course there were fears that Nazi Germany could develop such weapons of mass destruction. Fortunately, Hitler lacked the foresight about the potential for this new technology (but see Vemork!) and thus didn’t push for it (instead placing his hopes in “wonder weapons” like the V1 and V2). In Britain a nuclear development programme was already in existence but this was in 1943 merged with the USA’s Manhattan Project, in which numerous British scientists participated.

After WWII, which had ended after the actual use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the USA stopped co-operating with Britain and no longer shared sensitive information about nuclear technology. So in early 1947 the independent British project to develop nuclear weapons resumed. It was clear that once such devices were built, there would be a need for testing. As Britain is a densely populated country, there was nowhere that would have been suitable for such dangerous testing (although allegedly at one point a location near Wick in north-eastern Scotland was considered … the Scottish north coast later did become home to the Dounreay nuclear development site instead). Initially Britain was looking at using the USA’s proving grounds at the NTS and/or the Pacific, but that was denied too at the time (this only changed in the late 1950s).

So the British government turned to Australia, its former colony and an important Commonwealth member, as parts of Australia were deemed remote enough to be suitable for nuclear testing. The then Australian government under the very pro-British prime minster Robert Menzies granted Britain the use of Australian territory for testing, also in the hope of co-operation leading to Australia obtaining its own nuclear weapons (which however never materialized and Australia, having signed the 1970 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, became a strictly nuclear-weapon-free country).

The very first British nuclear test took place on the Montebello Islands in Western Australia on 3 October 1952, with a device very similar to the plutonium implosion bomb tested at Trinity and used over Nagasaki. The successful test, code-named “Operation Hurricane”, propelled Britain into the circle of nuclear powers, after, obviously, the USA and the USSR (France would soon follow suit in 1960, China in 1964).

As the Montebello Islands were extremely remote and only accessible by boat, an alternative inland site was then used at what was called “Emu Field” in the desert of South Australia. Here two tests, “Totem” 1 and 2, were conducted in 1953. However, Emu Field proved problematic in terms of access, water supply and weather (especially the frequent sandstorms were an issue). So a new, more permanent site was sought in the Maralinga area some 150 km (95 miles) south of Emu Field and closer to the major east-west cross-Australian railway line.

A massive airfield was constructed as well as compounds providing accommodation for military, scientific and support personnel. As usual at that time, little concern was spared for the traditional Aboriginal inhabitants of the region, which overlapped with the Ooldea Aboriginal Reserve. They were simply displaced. Although they were now officially barred from entering the newly created “Maralinga Prohibited Area”, some still traversed the lands used for atomic testing (see the Marcoo incident below). When the areas were surveyed, one criterion was that it had to be suitably “free of human habitation”. Nomadic hunter-gatherer Aboriginals evidently didn’t count.

The name “Maralinga” was actually taken (by the whites) from an Aboriginal language, in which it meant ‘thunder’, but ironically not from the one spoken locally but from an extinct language formerly spoken in the Northern Territories. At the area chosen for the tests in South Australia the local Aboriginal language is that of the Maralinga Tjarutja People, as they are now known.

When the initial infrastructure was in place, developed jointly by the British and the Australians, the tests commenced in 1956 north of the programme’s headquarters (“Maralinga Village”), namely in what was called the “forward area”. The first series of tests was code-named “Operation Buffalo” and consisted of four major tests.

The first test, code-named “One Tree” (btw. it’s always baffled me that nuclear tests were usually given such strange names), was conducted on 27 September (after several delays). It was a tower-mounted test, much like Trinity had been, and its yield was something like 10-16 kilotons (i.e. in the region of that of the Hiroshima bomb). Fallout from the detonation was later found as far away as Queensland. “One Tree” was a test of a second-generation atomic bomb called “Red Beard”. In that it worked, the test can be seen as a success.

The second test of the series was code-named “Marcoo” and took place on 4 October. This tested a first-generation bomb of the “Blue Danube” design. This was to be set off directly at ground level at a reduced yield of merely 1.4 kilotons. Still, the explosion tore a crater into the ground, between 10 and 30m deep and 50-60m wide (figures given in different sources vary). Some eight months after the test, smoke was seen coming from the site and a family of Aboriginals was found camping inside the crater (some sources say next to it). They were taken away to be decontaminated, but the mother of the group gave birth to a stillborn baby and all the family and their offspring suffered from various health conditions they attributed to radiation exposure.

The third test was code-named “Kite” and was the very first British air-dropped atomic bomb. It used a “Blue Danube” bomb but – out of safety concerns – with a reduced yield of only ca. 3 kilotons. It was dropped on 11 October by a Vickers Valiant bomber (part of the RAF’s “V bomber” fleet; cf. Cosford) and detonated only slightly off target. Fallout was low.

The final test of the “Operation Buffalo” series was itself code-named “Breakaway”. Again this used a “Red Beard” bomb and the yield was about 10 kilotons. Its fallout was widely distributed. As at Trinity, “Breakaway” left a layer of trinitite on the ground, a glass-like substance resulting from melted desert sand.

The second series of tests was “Operation Antler” in 1957. Originally intended to comprise of six tests, this was later limited to just three. At the time, concerns over all those atmospheric tests were growing, so “Antler” was kept rather quiet and didn’t receive much public attention (unlike the hydrogen bomb tests in the Pacific, including Britain’s “Grapple” tests).

The first test of the series was code-named “Tadje” and took place on 14 September 1957, with a yield of between ca. 1 and 1.5 kilotons. It used cobalt pellets intended for measuring the yield and many of these were found on the ground after the test, exposing personnel to elevated doses of radiation (NB, it was never intended to be a “cobalt bomb”, as some rumours later suggested).

The second test was code-named “Biak”, detonated on 25 September, with a yield of 6 kilotons. Like “Tadje”, this was a test using a device set off atop a tower.

The third and final test of the series (and, as would turn out, at Maralinga) was code-named “Taranaki” and took place on 9 October 1957. This was different from all previous tests in that the device was suspended from balloons some 300m above the ground. It also had the largest yield of all nuclear tests at Maralinga at ca. 25-27 kilotons. Yet as the fireball created by the blast did not reach the ground, fallout dispersal outside the test site was lower than at some previous tests.

In 1958, after the successful final “Grapple” test in the Pacific, a moratorium on atmospheric nuclear testing came into effect and such tests ended at Maralinga.

However, in addition to the seven major trials, Maralinga was also used for numerous so-called “minor tests” (with sub-series given harmless-sounding code names like “Kittens”, “Rats” and “Vixen”). These were subcritical tests used to study various effects on structures and behaviour of components of nuclear weapons. Yet they too involved radioactive materials. In the end it was plutonium dispersed by some of these “minor” tests that accounted for the largest levels of contamination of the ground at Maralinga. As they were considered not to fall under the moratorium, such tests continued until 1963, when the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty that prohibited all above-ground testing came into force.

This also spelled the end for the Maralinga test site, as it was unsuitable for underground testing. And so the now useless site was closed in 1967. In the meantime public opinion about British nuclear testing on Australian soil had also shifted from initial support in the early 1950s to a majority opposing these tests by the late 1950s. Maralinga was also no longer needed, as from 1958 the USA did grant Britain access to its testing grounds. And indeed British underground testing at the NTS continued until 1991, just before all nuclear tests were banned at the site (excluding underground subcritical tests).

At Maralinga, the British conducted a small-scale clean-up operation in 1963 and 1964, followed by a more substantial operation in 1967 after the site’s official closure. Highly contaminated materials and equipment from the minor tests were buried in the crater left by the “Marcoo” test which was then sealed. In other areas, the topsoil was simply ploughed under.

Investigations undertaken in the 1980s found that dangerous levels of radioactive contamination remained at Maralinga, even though the area had been declared no longer “prohibited” and was officially handed back to the land’s traditional owners in 1985 (except for a core area called “Section 400”).

Initially the British had been released from responsibility for Maralinga after the site’s closure, but now calls for compensation and contribution to an even more substantial clean-up operation grew louder. Eventually the British government agreed to pay a settlement to the Maralinga Tjarutja and bear part of the costs for another clean-up.

This more thorough clean-up operation took place between 1996 and 2000. Initially a process called in-situ vitrification (ISV) was trialled at Maralinga. This basically means melting radioactive material underground to make it fuse together, but this procedure was found to be too complicated, expensive and time-consuming, so ISV was given up. In the end the main method used instead involved larger amounts of contaminated topsoil being buried in large pits, together with the machinery used in scraping off the contaminated areas. After this, the land was deemed safe enough for access and it was handed back to the Maralinga Tjarutja in 2009, and the final area in 2014.

However, while it may be safe for short-term visits to these parts, the residual levels of radiation still make them unsuitable for long-term habitation. So signs were erected around the affected area spelling this out in the local Aboriginal language. Yet nobody had bothered enquiring with the people concerned beforehand. As it turned out putting these signs up was an effort that was unnecessary, since the Maralinga Tjarutja declared that they would not return to these areas anyway, as they regarded them spiritually too tarnished. Still, they are now in possession of the entire Maralinga area again and for outsiders to enter it, permission from the Maralinga Tjarutja administration is required.

Today the British nuclear testing legacy is seen much more critically than had been the case at the time when the tests were conducted in great secrecy. At the same time there is more interest in that dark legacy, as evidenced by the fact that there are now tours for visitors (see below).

There are, however, also critical voices about the supposed clean-up that some say was done on the cheap and not efficiently enough. Indeed, some “hot” irradiated particles have apparently still been found as late as 2021.

Yet the Maralinga tour organizers assure participants that the sites visited on the tours are regularly monitored and regarded as safe by the relevant authorities. Their own measurements revealed slightly elevated levels of radiation around the Tarakani site and the burial pits there, that amount to about 5-10 times normal atmospheric background radiation, while at Maralinga Village (where visitors can find accommodation or camp) the levels are actually well below average.

As usual, radiological risk assessment has to take into account three main factors: level of radiation, proximity to the source and, most critically, duration of the exposure. A short visit is not the same as living there. It’s the same at e.g. Chernobyl. A couple of hours or even days pose only minimal risks, but one should take care not to ingest any particles and wear sensible clothing and shoes (see below), but no special protective suits or even just overshoes are required.

What there is to see: There are basically two ways of visiting Maralinga: going there overland in your own (or hired) vehicle, or by means of a day return fly-in visit by small charter plane. The latter was what I opted for (for practical details and costs see below). The on-the-ground tour is the same, though. Flying in just saves time and a lot of driving through the Outback (including rough sections). However, if you want a two-day tour, you have to drive in (and stay three nights at Maralinga Village). What exactly the added value of a two-day tour is I cannot say for sure, presumably just more sites within the “forward area” with more individual ground zero markers at test sites.

On the tour I went on, the added value of flying in was a fly-over of the former nuclear testing ground, with good views of the test sites from the air. This also included one test site (“Tufi”) that had been prepared but which was never used and thus still had all the “spokes” around the intended ground zero for all the instrumentation, measuring and general set-up. That’s something you cannot see from on the ground and it wasn’t included in my one-day tour by bus. Nor were the sites of the “minor” tests (see above) that we also flew over included in the ground tour – see the photo gallery below.

But let’s start at the beginning. As instructed, my wife and I turned up at Ceduna’s little airport for 6:30 a.m., when it was still dark. We parked our car and soon met the pilot and the other participants in that day’s flight/tour. We were given a brief and quite tongue-in-cheek safety briefing by the pilot before she let us board the aircraft and take our seats, which were allocated by weight and how tall people were (thankfully I was thus given more legroom than other seats afforded, which my long legs appreciated). Then we took off just as dawn was beginning to break. The sun came out (gloriously – see photo below) while we were already airborne.

Flying over the desert (that’s the Great Victoria Desert) we saw the wind-shaped dunes and some patches of morning fog still hanging atmospherically between them. This is not a pure sand desert, but has a coverage of shrubs and even a few small trees.

Eventually we came to the Maralinga test site and the pilot flew a few rounds over some of the individual locations so that everybody on board could get a good view of everything (see above); then she headed for Maralinga’s airfield.

After landing and disembarking we were then handed over to the on-the-ground tour guide, who turned out also to be the site manager: Robin Matthews. Joining the tour participants who had driven into Maralinga (see below) we were then a group of about 15 or so. The tour bus with 20 seats was thus not quite full.

Before boarding the bus, though, we first went into the airfield’s terminal building, or shed, more like. Inside were a few text-and-photo panels about the Maralinga airfield, some mobile runway lamps stored in a side room and one single vehicle as used in the clean-up operations (with a specially airtight-sealing steel door). Our group was then invited to sit down on a circle of plastic chairs while our guide gave an introductory talk. His passion for the site and its legacy had already been shining through at the welcome on the airfield and came fully to the fore now.

We then got on the bus and drove off to the first stop on the tour, which was one of the ends of the 3km long runway. As the guide pointed out this may not quite be the longest runway in the southern hemisphere but it is definitely the strongest. The touchdown stretches at either end sit on top of a thick reinforcement of highest-grade concrete, so that even the heaviest transport planes in existence could use it. The runway was even slated as a possible emergency landing strip for the US Space Shuttle. The quality of the civil engineering involved also shows in the fact that the tarmac surface shows no cracks or invading vegetation, despite there not having been any maintenance in decades. It’s basically as good as new.

Next we stopped at a rainwater reservoir. The runway and apron are built in such a way that they are very slightly tilted to the west so that rainwater falling here can be collected. This particular water reservoir is called “Louch MacKew” as a large sign informs. The guide said he had always thought that first word was a misspelling of “Loch”, until a visitor from Northern Ireland claimed that that’s the way the word is spelled in his country. But that would have to be “Lough”, actually (and the first “C” really doesn’t look like a “G” on the sign).

We then drove off to the “forward area”, the actual former nuclear test site. En route the guide pointed out some foundations of barracks used by site personnel back in the day but now long gone, as well as markers for pits from the clean-up operations. Then we made stop at a water well. This, so the story goes, was dug by one hopeful pioneer who would have been able to make land claims if he could come up with a permanent source of fresh water. However, the well only yielded non-potable salty water.

Nearby stood a metal barrel marked “Property Air Force US Army”. How this ended up here was not explained but it was claimed that such relics are actually quite valuable these days.

Another stop was made at what was basically an archaeological dig site of sorts. Here the site management had semi-excavated a buried bunker, clad in rusty steel plates. Apparently, young servicemen had to sit inside such structures during the tests … so in effect they were used as human guinea pigs to study radiological effects! It was possible to peek into the bunker through a hole in one corner of the roof plate. And indeed you could just about make out wooden benches inside.

Around the bunker, and in many other locations, there were still cables on the ground, some cut, some seemingly intact, as well as other bits and pieces of equipment. Presumably these aren’t so irradiated that they should have been buried together with the other radioactive waste and topsoil.

We also stopped at various signs, e.g. a general one at the beginning of the inner area also stating that consent from the Maralinga Tjarutja is required for access (that’s what the permit you obtain in the booking process is for – though nobody seems to be checking these on the ground). Another set of signs are those surrounding the entire inner area (“Section 400”) where residual radiation levels make it unsafe for inhabitation. The signs have the radiation symbol at the top and underneath is an image of a kangaroo and below that the words “Kuka palya”, which we were told means ‘meat OK’, i.e. could be hunted (though you have to wonder whether animals that live and feed here, potentially ingesting radioactive particles, can really be declared safe for human consumption in such a general way …). Underneath that an image supposed be of a tent and a campfire is all crossed out in red and accompanied by the words “Ngura wiya”, meaning, you’ll have guessed it, ‘no camping’. Our guide also pointed out that these signs would not actually have been necessary as the Maralinga Tjarutja now mostly living in settlements outside the area have said they wouldn’t want to return here in any case – but nobody had bothered to ask them before the signs were put up. Now they ring the site, a sign every 50m, for nothing.

Another radiation warning sign is found next to the main burial pit for radioactive materials by the Taranaki site. Again this incorporates the “Ngura wiya” advice.

Nearby a path leads to the marker of the ground zero spot of the Taranaki test, the final and biggest conducted here (see above). It’s a steep concrete pyramid with two inscriptions, one giving the name and date of the test on two sides of the pyramid, and on the other two sides comes a warning about radiation hazards, namely “radiation levels for a few hundred metres around this point may be above those considered safe for permanent occupation”.

The ground zero at the Breakaway test site has a similar marker with the same warning. Here there were pieces of rusty metal debris on top, presumably not harmfully irradiated. What they were once parts of I could not determine.

Near the Breakaway marker was also a fairly large spot where pieces of green trinitite were accumulated. That’s the glass-like substance left behind after the fireball from the nuclear detonation melted the desert sand surface. Most of the trinitite layer was scraped away in the first clean-up operation in the 1960s and buried, but here numerous pieces could still be seen – and handled. As a sign, as well as the guide, pointed out their radiation levels have so diminished that this poses no health risk (though you are still advised not to pocket any pieces).

Our guide who had picked up on the fact that I had visited Trinity and encountered trinitite there before asked me whether it had the same colour as the trinitite here, which indeed was the case. He then added that at Emu Field, on the other hand, the trinitite is black. I presume it depends on the chemical composition of the melted soil.

The third and last marker for a ground zero that we visited on this tour was that for the Marcoo test, again with the same sort of concrete pyramid. An info panel nearby explained that the Marcoo test, which was detonated at ground level, caused the most grief to the Aboriginal people, especially to a family found months later camping inside the huge crater created in the blast (see above). The crater was later used to bury highly irradiated material and dispersed plutonium and sealed with a thick layer of non-irradiated soil. Still, it’s an eerie feeling knowing you’re standing atop buried plutonium (which has a half-life of ca. 25,000 years)!

Near the Marcoo marker stood a number of rusty metal boxes, allegedly for transporting photographic equipment used in the tests. Now they are empty and presumably safe enough to be simply left behind.

From here, the guide pointed out the track towards Emu Field (see above) that can be seen in the distance going north. He added that few people have been there and that you’d need another special permit to use the track, in this case from RAAF Woomera. But he also mentioned that they are working on ideas to make Emu Field accessible for visitors too. Maybe one day that can be added to these tours as well.

On the drive back we encountered one of the wild camels that roam these lands (together with kangaroos, of whom we saw none, though). In fact these are more accurately described as “feral” camels, initially brought to Australia to serve as pack animals in the 19th century but later released into the wild, where they have since been living and reproducing.

Eventually we drove into Maralinga Village for our final stop: the small museum about the Maralinga test site inside one of the remaining buildings. Much of the accumulation of objects inside had the aura of a jumble room, but the guide pointed out a few interesting pieces that were actual parts of atomic bombs, though obviously unused ones that had never seen their cores. Also on display were countless photos from the active days of the test site, including some of the mushroom clouds created, as well as from the 1990s clean-up operations. There were also old signs, maps and some artwork, from painted mushroom clouds to a cartoonish bar scene wall mural. Outside stood one of the multiple rocket launchers such as were used to fire missiles through the mushroom clouds for yield assessment (but not for sample-taking as one of the panels erroneously claimed, so the guide pointed out). Also outside was one large military vehicle.

When we were done at the museum, the groups of people staying in the village parted from the rest of us who were then transferred back to the airfield after we had picked up our pilot (who had stayed behind resting in the village while we were on our tour).

We filed back into the plane and soon took off for our flight back to Ceduna. After take-off we circled around Maralinga Village and the airfield for a last good bird’s-eye view then flew straight towards Ceduna. En route we got a decent view of the red open-cast mine at Iluka (primarily it’s zircon that’s produced here) .

After landing and taking a few photos we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways, in the case of my wife and myself that was back to the motel from where we started our drive towards the Nullarbor the next morning (see under Australia).

All in all, I thought that this was “nuclear tourism” at its best, compared to the other two test sites I had visited, the STS and Trinity, the Maralinga tour was much more informative, and done in a pleasantly manageable group size (very much unlike at Trinity’s open days, which draw big crowds). The Polygon at the STS was more adventurous and there were just four of us, but there wasn’t so much in terms of background information. Maralinga had a much better balance overall.

To those who share my interest in the Cold War and the nuclear weapons associated with it, a Maralinga tour can only be warmly recommended. Others may find that the effort, time and expense are excessive for what you get to see, and wouldn’t find it as fascinating as I did. But for a serious “nuclear tourist” Maralinga is a must-do.

Location: in a remote area of western South Australia, some 400 km (250 miles) north-west of Ceduna on the coast and ca. 850 km (530 miles) from Adelaide (as the crow flies, a lot more by road).

Google Maps locators:

(I’ve left the co-ordinates for individual places within the former test site to a minimum, as you won’t have to navigate there yourself anyway, and it’s not entirely clear exactly which sites will always be included in the tour.)

Maralinga airfield: [-30.1616, 131.6249]

Maralinga Village: [-30.1593, 131.5801]

Taranaki site: [-29.8947, 131.5914]

Turn-off from the Eyre Highway: [-31.61761, 132.05103]

Maralinga Barrier Gate: [-30.1911, 131.6053]

Ceduna airport: [-32.1241, 133.7018]

Access and costs: restricted, by seasonal guided tour only; fairly expensive to very expensive (for a chartered fly-in tour).

Details: There is no independent access to Maralinga, the only option is to go on the guided tours provided. (Trying to get in any other way is illegal!)

Maralinga Tours are run seasonally between April and October (the rest of the year it would be unbearably hot here), twice a week, usually Tuesdays and Thursdays. These are one-day tours.

If you’re driving there you’ll need to factor in at least five hours from Ceduna – including some 80 km on rough unpaved tracks (rental vehicles may be excluded from this – do check in advance!). For directions refer to the map provided on the Maralinga Tours website (the name in lower case and no space plus “.com.au”), where you can also find all other details regarding booking and rules and regulations.

Most importantly, perhaps, you have to arrive the day before the tour and leave the day after – so you need accommodation or have to camp for two nights. If camping bring all camping equipment and plenty of supplies (esp. food and drink – but no alcohol … see below) and also sufficient fuel for the round trip, as none is available at Maralinga and none all along the way once you’ve left the Eyre Highway (Nunroo being the last chance to fill up). There’s also some permanent accommodation available in Maralinga Village, and this has to be booked together with the tour. They have whole self-contained units for up to four people (called “dongas”) and also a few single and double rooms in a historic building that also comes with a kitchen/dining area and a BBQ area (of course, this is Australia after all!). Prices are calculated on booking but roughly range between AUD 100 per person in shared facilities and up to AUD 500 (unshared, two-day tour). The tour price comes on top (see below).

When driving you have to arrange a rendezvous time at the Maralinga Barrier Gate for the guide/manager to let you in. You need a permit to enter, but this is arranged as part of the tour booking.

If you’re driving that also opens up the possibility of a two-day tour, usually run on the second and fourth Thursday and Friday of the month, so you’d need to drive there on Wednesday and leave on Saturday, with an extra night’s camping or accommodation in the village.

Note that the Maralinga Tjarutja lands are designated a ‘dry zone’, so you cannot take any alcohol into this area (and if you are caught with any smuggled in you will be immediately expelled from the area!).

The price for the one-day tour at the time of writing (October 2024) is about AUD 265-295, two-day tours start at AUD 450. Accommodation is charged on top (see above).

If you want to avoid the long drive and/or are pressed for time, a comfortable alternative to the drive-in tours are fly-in day return tours by chartered plane. Chinta Air based in Ceduna offer such a package, and that’s the one my wife and I went for. This obviously costs more. A minimum of two passengers is required and if it’s just the two you have to pay (at the time of writing) a hefty AUS 1520 per person. The price tag drops significantly, to AUD 1100 pp, if there’s a third passenger, and it drops a bit further, to AUD 1025 pp, for four to six. Fortunately, after we had booked our two seats, other takers came along to join the flight, so that the plane was full and we got a refund accordingly after the tour. That worked without a glitch. Note that when you opt for the fly-in tour you book everything with Chinta Air, not Maralinga Tours. Chinta Air will then take care of the permit and the tour booking.

For the tour wear sensible clothing, closed shoes are a must, and in the colder months a good jacket or extra layers will be needed, as it can be quite cold at the start of the day and on the plane. In the warmer months they recommend bringing a fly net, as the flies can be vicious out there. When I went, in early August, there were next to no flies, so it wasn’t necessary.

The tour price includes a lunch pack (dietary requirements have to be arranged on booking) and some water, but you may want to bring a little more yourself, especially if it’s a warmer day. And if you can’t wait until lunch (e.g. because you didn’t find time to breakfast), maybe bring a snack as well. Nothing can be purchased at the site.

Note also that at Ceduna airport parking is not free and you have to pay for a ticket at a machine and place that behind your windscreen. As far as I remember, though, the parking fee was quite low.

Finally, the most extravagant way of visiting Maralinga to join a tour is flying in yourself! Indeed there were two people on the tour who had done just that, in their own private plane! Obviously, that’s only for a privileged few (though in Australia more common than in other parts of the world), and such a visit would still have to be arranged in advance, of course.

If you do not want to go on a tour on the ground, you can take scenic flights over the test site as also offered by Chinta Air as stand-alone packages.

Time required: The fly-in tours last all day, requiring a very early pre-dawn start and get back to Ceduna just before sunset. Those driving their own vehicle or camper van to Maralinga have to factor in at least two nights staying at Maralinga Village plus the 5-6 hours driving time from/to Ceduna. A third night is required if you’re going on a two-day tour at Maralinga, making it a four-day round trip in total.

Combinations with other dark destinations: nothing else at Maralinga itself. But thematically related and within six to seven hours’ drive from Ceduna is Woomera, heart of the Woomera Prohibited Area (WPA), which is primarily a missile testing ground. Part of the WPA covers the access road to Emu Field north of Maralinga, and to get there you’d need a permit from RAAF Woomera (although the guide at Maralinga said that they are looking into ideas for making Emu Field more accessible to visitors and may one day run tours there as well). For dark tourists, Woomera is worth a visit in itself, though, primarily for the open-air rocket, missile and plane displays and two small museums about the history of the WPA.