On 14 September 1957, the British nuclear tests at Maralinga entered their second phase as Operation Antler began. These were the last British tests on mainland Australia.
British nuclear tests at Maralinga were conducted between 1956 and 1963 at the Maralinga site, part of the Woomera Prohibited Area in South Australia about 800 kilometres (500 mi) north west of Adelaide. A total of seven nuclear tests were performed, with approximate yields ranging from 1 to 27 kilotons of TNT (4 to 100 TJ).
Two major test series were conducted at the Maralinga site: Operation Buffalo in 1956 and Operation Antler the following year.
Operation Buffalo consisted of four tests; One Tree (12.9 kilotons of TNT (54 TJ)) and Breakaway (10.8 kilotons of TNT (45 TJ)) were detonated on towers, Marcoo (1.4 kilotons of TNT (5.9 TJ)) at ground level, and the Kite (2.9 kilotons of TNT (12 TJ)) was released by a Royal Air Force (RAF) Vickers Valiant bomber from a height of 11,000 metres (35,000 ft). This was the first drop of a British nuclear weapon from an aircraft.
Operation Buffalo was followed by Operation Antler in 1957, which tested new, light-weight nuclear weapons. Three tests were conducted in this series: Tadje (0.93 kilotons of TNT (3.9 TJ), Biak 5.67 kilotons of TNT (23.7 TJ) and Taranak 26.6 kilotons of TNT (111 TJ).
The first two were conducted from towers, while the last was suspended from balloons. Tadje used cobalt pellets as a tracer for determining yield, resulting in rumours that Britain was developing a cobalt bomb. Between 1956 and 1963, the Maralinga site was also used for minor trials, tests of nuclear weapons components not involving nuclear explosions.
Kittens were trials of neutron initiators; Rats and Tims measured how the fissile core of a nuclear weapon was compressed by the high explosive shock wave; and Vixens investigated the effects of fire or non-nuclear explosions on atomic weapons. Ultimately, the minor trials generated more contamination than the major tests.
The site was left contaminated with radioactive waste, and an initial clean up was attempted in 1967. The McClelland Royal Commission, an examination of the effects of the minor trials and major tests, delivered its report in 1985, and found that significant radiation hazards still existed at many of the Maralinga sites. It recommended another clean up, which was completed in 2000 at a cost of AUD $108 million (equivalent to $171 million in 2018).
Debate continued over the safety of the site and the long-term health effects on the traditional Aboriginal custodians of the land and former personnel. In 1994, the Australian Government paid compensation amounting to $13.5 million (equivalent to $23.7 million in 2018) to the traditional owners, the Maralinga Tjarutja people. The last part of the land remaining in the Woomera Prohibited Area was returned to free access in 2014.
By the late 1970s there was a marked change in how the Australian media covered the British nuclear tests. Some journalists investigated the subject and political scrutiny became more intense. Journalist Brian Toohey ran a series of stories in the Australian Financial Review in October 1978, based in part on a leaked Cabinet submission.
In June 1993, New Scientist journalist Ian Anderson wrote an article titled “Britain’s dirty deeds at Maralinga” and several related articles. In 2007, Maralinga: Australia’s Nuclear Waste Cover-up by Alan Parkinson documented the unsuccessful clean-up at Maralinga. Popular songs about the Maralinga story have been written by Paul Kelly, Midnight Oil and Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe.
To see other events that happened in Australian history, visit the blog site of Advance Institute of Business by clicking on this link.
Advance Institute of Business has nationally recogised Certificate and Diploma courses available to help you progress in your career.
The Certificate IV in TESOL will allow you to teach English in Australia and many other countries.
The 10773NAT Certificate IV in TESOL is a nationally and internationally recognised qualification that will allow you to teach English to speakers of other languages in Australia and many other countries.
The practical component can be done in your own country (conditions apply), Vietnam or Cambodia. If you choose to do the practical component in Vietnam or Cambodia, we will provide hotel accommodation at no extra cost.
We have the following Certificate and Diploma courses available for your career development:
Teaching Courses
Business
Leadership and Management
Entrepreneurship and New Business
- Certificate III in Entrepreneurship and New Business
- Certificate IV in Entrepreneurship and New Business
Accounting
We will soon also be offering:
- Advanced Diploma of Business
- Diploma of Human Resource Management
- Diploma of Marketing and Communication
And there will be more courses to come in the future.
Our non-accredited speciality courses:
- Career Paths (43 career paths to choose from)
- Corporate Training
- Business English
- English Tutoring
- University and College Tutoring
- Professional and Academic Writing Skills
- Where to Study in Australia
- Education Consultancy
25% discount on all courses for Centrelink and Veteran’s Affairs recipients.
All courses are nationally recognised through our Registered Training Organisation partner Skills Recognition International (RTO 32373). We also have an advisory service on where to study in Australia.
To find out more about these courses, please click this link to arrange a free video or phone call.
Discover more from Craig Hill
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Craig Hill 
One thought on “On this day (Australia): In 1957, the second phase of British nuclear tests at Maralinga began”