Woomera Prohibited Area
Woomera Prohibited Area (WPA) is a prohibited area in central South Australia, with its south-eastern corner located approximately 450 kilometres (280 mi) north north-west of Adelaide. The Woomera Prohibited Area has an area of 127,000 square kilometres (49,000 sq mi).[1] With an area roughly the size of England, it restricts access to RAAF Woomera Range Complex, the largest land-based defence and aerospace range in the world.[2]
Geography
[edit | edit source]Woomera Prohibited Area is an arid desert, and although there are some salt lakes, sand dunes, and mesa hills, most of the terrain comprises featureless stones ("gibber") or scrub plains. The town of Woomera was established to serve the people working at the WPA.
History and operations
[edit | edit source]The WPA is declared under Australian Defence Force regulations as a prohibited area for the purposes of the testing of war materiel.[3] From time to time other Defence approved activities, such as sounding rocket launches, are also conducted. For this reason, sketching or mapping the area without permission is prohibited.[4] Despite this, satellite photography of the entire area is currently (November 2010) available for view on Google Earth.
The Stuart Highway passes through the Prohibited Area, but travelers cannot deviate from the road nor enter the Prohibited Area. From time to time the Stuart Highway may be closed by use of roadblocks in order to allow range activity. Such restrictions are usually of short duration (several hours) and public warning notices are issued. Other roads or tracks entering the WPA are signposted as to unauthorised entry. Members of the public traversing the Anne Beadell Highway from Coober Pedy to Emu Junction must obtain two permits to pass through it.
Within the WPA, there are sites of significance to indigenous people. Damage to or removal of items from these sites is punishable by law.[5] Parts of rockets and motors, projectiles, or unexploded ammunition can also be seen in the WPA. The Japanese space mission Hayabusa returned to Earth with a sample of material from the asteroid 25143 Itokawa on June 13, 2010. Its reported landing zone was inside the Woomera Prohibited Area.[6]
See also
[edit | edit source]- British nuclear tests at Maralinga (part of the Woomera Prohibited Area)
- Nurrungar
- Woomera Airfield
- Woomera Test Range
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ http://www.woomera.com.au/range/overview.htm
- ^ Defence Force Regulation 35
- ^ Section 82, Defence Act 1903
- ^ Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
[edit | edit source]- Air Force News Our Vital Wasteland
- Woomera Website Woomera Test Range Official Business Website
- Blast from the Past News article on the Woomera Test Range from the Adelaide Adertiser 25 July 2009
Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 489: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
be-x-old:Вумэра (касмадром) de:Woomera Prohibited Area es:Woomera fr:Woomera (Zone interdite) ja:ウーメラ立入制限区域