Maralinga Tours 2026

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No Peter, I understand that the activity is:

Land clean-up project: The primary upcoming work is a large-scale clean-up of Section 400 of the Maralinga Tjarutja Lands.
Waste management: This involves excavating approximately 120 pits, reburying non-recyclable contaminated waste on-site, and removing recyclable waste off-site.
Waste types: The project will focus on general buried and surface waste, which includes metals, glass, and asbestos.

And the airstrip has not been widened. The existing strip is long and wide enough for anything flying today. It was built to accomodate the huge V-Bombers of the day.
The recent work was to drainage works, sealing of runway, taxiway & apron and installing solar lighting.

OK.
The verges were becoming overgrown and I understand that they have been cleaned up to a usable standard.
August 2022. Short vid..... https://youtu.be/sUmXLL7bGEY
I recall that there was talk of the runway lights to replace the old kero ones.

And in '22 there was talk of significant new military activity and infrastructure on an ongoing basis.
Yet to happen maybe?
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

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The return of Section 400 to the Maralinga Tjarutja people in November 2014 completed the return of all lands used for the British nuclear tests. That is now all Aboriginal owned land and the former bomb test area is managed as a tourism site by them.
I cannot imagine that any military activity would be permitted there.

There were portable battery-operated runway lights stored at the terminal building but I would doubt that they were still operable today.

Yes, you are correct, they were battery lights, not kero. :(
The runway work would not be for the tourists Allan. :)
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

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No, I don't expect that the runway has been maintained for tourist benefit. But that airstrip is used quite a bit for other than tourists, both private, government and contractors. Plus of course it is an important RFDS strip.
Did you know that it was designated as a backup landing strip for the Space Shuttle back in the day?

Peter

The runway lights were replaced well over 10 years ago with solar/battery backup and the old lights were in the back store room at the airport office.

I think Allan's list of airfield works was for the Oak Valley airfield, not Maralinga.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome.

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Yes Peter, the recent works were to the Oak Valley airstrip. I missed noting that. Clearly, the Maralinga concrete runway would not require "sealing".
Was your video of the Oak Valley or Maralinga airstrip? If Oak Valley it looks a pretty decent sized strip and it appears to be concrete in the video.

But the list of works are a cut-and-paste from a government site so must be correct. LOL.
I would not think the referenced "pits" are in Oak Valley. However I never got to see Oak Valley as there was "Secret Business" going on when I visited Maralinga. Certainly I did see the pits in Section 400.

Back in the 90s they landed their biggest cargo plane which tore the runway to pieces. Only did it once and reverted to the next size down. Two of us went out for a look and got warned of. Told if we wanted a closer look to go and get a pass. Got pass and had tour of plane including a walk out on the wing. Plane had brought
in a rock band from Hawaii for the disco that night .Had a good night at Eldo and the band left next morning.
Dave.
Only the Yanks.

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David, maybe you were at Woomera, not Maralinga?
The Woomera airstrip is bitumen, Maralinga is concrete.

Allan, the vid. was the Maralinga strip in August 2022.
The tour leader can be heard talking about the run-off area width increase. You might ask why they would do that?

The Oak Valley airfield is on the south side of the Lake Dey Dey Road (well off the road) and some 30km SE of the community and 100km NW of Maralinga. We have been into the community several times, but not out to the airfield.

Yes David, the Eldo Hotel is at Woomera. Must have been a good night :)
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

Maybe I assumed you would realise it was Woomera Alan. I will draw a picture next time.

No, just speak louder. lol

Batts
I've been to Maralinga and got a close and personal tour with caretakers at the time as Robin Mathews was away and went to places not on the normal tour. That was some time back and as off today l still don't glow in the dark or have green pee.
I fully recommend going there and doing the tour when it reopens.
I've also been to Paralana Hot Springs above Arkaroola and the Mary Kathleen mine which are radioactive places using advised caution and still don't glow .

Murray
PS YOU wouldn't catch me at Wittenoon in the Pilbara

Murray

Few places in the Pilbara besides wittenoom where you will find warnings about asbestos.
Karijini, visited by thousands of tourists each year, is just one.
I drove in and out of Wittenoom a few years ago.
Some nice gorges and people camped there!
As a rock in the ground pretty harmless I believe.
Start doing things that create dust and you have a problem.
Reading today about a big payout to a silicosis victim who has spent years working as a tunneller on road works.
Likely the first of many such cases.

Cheers

Murray the thing is we're all already exposed to more than enough toxins in this modern world so why add more for no reason.
20yrs ago I gave up working as a conveyor belt splicer which I done for 20yrs because I started to get headaches and I never use to get them I am lucky in that area. I was exposed to several different chemicals like glues and solvents then 7yrs after giving it up I got a tumor in my nose which is understandable because it's basically the first port of call when you breathe in those fumes and any filtered masks we wore were basically useless as realistically you need a sealed oxygen supply but you don't really think that at the time. The tumor grew rapidly and nearly completely blocked my left nostril and was bleeding quite often untill it was removed. I was very lucky it was benign and don't wish to go through it again though you can't control everything but preparing yourself for the worst is not fun.
I have also worked in mines where asbestos and silica was present but apparently minimal risk so they say.
Hence the reason I don't wish to visit places like Wittenoom, Maralinga etc and wouldn't think I was a hero if I did where your potential exposing yourself and passengers to unnecessary risk.
You can beat your chest about all the places you have been saying you don't glow but you only have one person to blame if it goes pear shaped. Sometimes a good scare snaps people back into reality and gets them thinking.

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Batt's, I also worked in hazardous industries and quite frankly, it is perhaps surprising that I am still alive when those risks are considered. Certainly, safe behaviour was of importance but many hazards were concealed yet treacherous and their effect may not be apparent until some later time.
Safety is all about minimising your exposure to potential hazards.
I appreciate your expressions.

Batts
I agree with you about exposure to toxins in this modern world with the latest one been micro plastics in plastic kettles. Us people of the older generation have been subject to some toxic and dangerous things in our working lives and now have ailments. My travels to the above mentioned places was more on Australian historic sites which are varied. Glowing in the dark was a humor moment not a hero statement. On going to Maralinga etc l knew the risk and deemed them low and safe if approached the right way.

Cheers
Murray