Under an agreement between the governments of the United Kingdom and Australia efforts were made to clean up the site before the Maralinga people resettled on the land in 1995 and named the new community Oak Valley Community. The effectiveness of this cleanup has been disputed on a number of occasions.

The population ranges from 80-100; during special cultural activities with visitors from neighbouring communities it rises to 1,500 people.

Nuclear tests and cleanup

The Maralinga and Emu Field were the scene of UK nuclear testing and were contaminated with radioactive waste in the 1950s. Maralinga was surveyed by Len Beadell in the early 1950s, and followed the survey of the site called Emu Field, which was further north and which conducted the first two tests.

On September 27, 1956, Operation Buffalo commenced at Maralinga, Emu Field having been found to be too remote a site. The operation consisted of the testing of four fission bombs, codenamed One Tree, Marcoo, Kite and Breakaway. One Tree and Breakaway were exploded from towers, Marcoo was exploded at ground level and Kite was released by a Royal Air Force Vickers Valiant bomber from a height of 30,000 ft (9,144 m). This was the first launching of a British atomic weapon from an aircraft.

Operation Antler followed in 1957. Antler was designed to test the triggering mechanisms of the weapons. Three tests began in September, codenamed Tadje, Biak and Taranaki. The first two tests were conducted from towers, the last was suspended from balloons. Yields from the weapons were 1 kiloton, 6 kilotons and 25 kilotons respectively.

The local Aboriginal people have claimed they were poisoned by the tests, however the McClelland Royal Commission of 1984-1985 could find no evidence of this, however it did identify significant contamination at some sites. British and Australian servicemen were purposely exposed to fallout from the blasts, to see what happened. These facts came out in the Royal Commission between 1984 and 1985. Previously many of the facts were kept from the public.

Despite the governments of Australia and the UK paying for two decontamination programs, concerns have been expressed that some areas of the Maralinga test sites are still contaminated.

Neighbouring Aboriginal Communities and distances to main centres

• Tjunjunjarra, Western Australia (west)
• Kokotha, South Australia (east)
• Pila Nguru (west)
• Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands and Indulkana, South Australia (north)
• Yalata Community (South)

Distances to main centres are:

• Ceduna to Oak Valley - 516 km (approx 7 hours)
• Yalata to Oak Valley - 315 km (about 5 hours (via Ooldea))
• Pt Lincoln to Oak Valley - 919 km
• Adelaide to Oak Valley - 1288 km

Climate

• Temperature from 6.5°C in Winter to 44.7°C in Summer, overnight minimum -3º in winter.
• Rainfall average .75mm - 1.25mm

References

• Tame, Adrian & Robotham, F.P.J. 1982. MARALINGA: British A-Bomb Australian Legacy. Fontana / Collins, Melbourne. ISBN 0-00-636391-1.

External links

• Agreements, Treaties and Negotiated Settlements (ATNS) project at the Indigenous Studies Program, The University of Melbourne
• Maralinga Tjarutja Council
• Southern Pitjantjatjara People
• British Atomic Testing in Australia
• BBC Radio 4 photos from Maralinga
• British nuclear tests at Maralinga - Fact sheet 129 from National Archives of Australia