Officially called Woomera Village, this small township was established in 1947 to service the Woomera Range Complex. The village is the only part of the complex open to the public but was originally a closed town with a guard stationed at the entrance. The Woomera complex began as a joint military project between Australia and England, but is now host to activities for Australian and international defence and aerospace organisations. The Woomera Heritage Centre and the Museum are great places to learn about its fascinating history, whilst the Woomera Observatory allows visitors to almost reach out and touch the stars.

FAST FACTS!

• At 122,000 sqkm, Woomera Prohibited Area is the largest land-based missile and rocket range in the western world
• During its heyday (1949–71), the village population reached 7,000; in 2016, the village had 146 permanent residents
• Woomera was named after an Aboriginal spear-throwing device
• At the Woomera Heritage and Visitor Information Centre there’s a six-lane bowling alley, left over from when US servicemen lived here
• Missile Park features missiles and rockets that were developed and tested at Woomera since the 1950s