Maralinga Tours

The Nuclear Testing site at Maralinga, in remote North West South Australia, is where the British detonated seven bombs between 1954 and 1963. It has been off-limits for visitors ever since. But with a clean-up of the area, supervised by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Authority, completed in 2000, the authorities have certified that it is now safe for visitors to tour the facility. Visitors are taken by coach from the comfortable campground at the old Maralinga Village to stand on one of the largest airstrips in the Southern Hemisphere (it was designated as a backup landing site during the United States Space Shuttle program), into the Forward Area - the detonation zones to see and learn about the stories of these times. Visit Taranaki, Breakaway, Marcoo and Tufi "Ground Zeros". Touring is by pre-arranged entry permit and the one-day tour package includes the full-day tour, two nights pre/post tour in the campground and a permit. They also run 2-day tours on alternate Thursdays which includes three nights camping and a permit. Bookings and payment is arranged at the website.