We have made a successful start. When the [nuclear] tests are completed, as they soon will be, we shall be in the same position as the United States or Soviet Russia. We shall have made and tested the massive weapons. It will be possible then to discuss on equal terms.
| Code-name | Location | Date | Yield | Explosion Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Monte Bello (off Trimouille Is) |
3 Oct 1952 | 25kt | Ocean surface burst (HMS Plym) |
| Totem 1 | Emu Field | 15 Oct 1953 | 10kt | Tower |
| Totem 2 | Emu Field | 27 Oct 1953 | 8kt | Tower |
| Mosaic G1 | Monte Bello (off Trimouille Is) |
16 May 1956 | 15kt | Tower |
| Mosaic G2 | Monte Bello (off Alpha Is) |
19 June 1956 | 60kt | Tower |
| Buffalo | Maralinga (One Tree) |
27 Sept 1956 | 15kt | Tower |
| Buffalo | Maralinga (Marcoo) |
4 Oct 1956 | 1.5kt | Ground |
| Buffalo | Maralinga (Kite) |
11 Oct 1956 | 3kt | Airburst over land |
| Buffalo | Maralinga (Breakaway) |
22 Oct 1956 | 10kt | Tower |
| Grapple 1 | Malden Is, Pacific (Short Granite) |
15 May 1957 | ~2Mt | Airburst over ocean |
| Grapple 2 | Malden Is, Pacific (Orange Herald) |
31 May 1957 | 1Mt | Airburst over ocean |
| Grapple 3 | Malden Is, Pacific (Purple Granite) |
19 Jun 1957 | 1Mt | Airburst over ocean |
| Antler | Maralinga (Tadje) |
14 Sept 1957 | 1kt | Tower |
| Antler | Maralinga (Biak) |
25 Sept 1957 | 6kt | Tower |
| Antler | Maralinga (Taranaki) |
9 Oct 1957 | 25kt | Balloon-burst over land |
| Grapple X | Christmas Is (Round C) |
8 Nov 1957 | 1Mt | Airburst over ocean |
| Grapple Y | Christmas Is (Grapple Y) |
28 Apr 1958 | 1Mt | Airburst over ocean |
| Grapple Z | Christmas Is (Pennant 2) |
22 Aug 1958 | ~1Mt | Balloon-burst over land |
| Grapple Z | Christmas Is (Flag Pole 1) |
2 Sept 1958 | 1Mt | Airburst over ocean |
| Grapple Z | Christmas Is (Halliard 1) |
11 Sept 1958 | 1Mt | Airburst over ocean |
| Grapple Z | Christmas Is (Burgee 2) |
23 Sept 1958 | 1kt | Balloon-burst over land |
Maralinga is in SW South Australia. Maralinga is Pitjantjatjara Aboriginal dialect for "Field of Thunder". Emu is in NW South Australia. Monte Bello is off the Western Australian shore, near Monkey Mia. Christmas and Malden Is are due south of Hawaii, on either side of the Equator. After the Grapple tests, the British lent the site to the US in 1962 for the Dominic series of 25 explosions.
During the mainland tests many army personnel were deliberately exposed to the blasts just to see what effect radiation had on troops.
Security at the test sites was lax. The testing range boundaries were not properly monitored, allowing people to walk in and out. Any signs were in English, which the local Aboriginal population could not read.
Fallout from the ground blasts led to massive contamination of the Australian interior. The fallout from Maralinga even reached Adelaide and Melbourne. Some places are still heavily radioactive due principally to the presence of the Pu-239 radioisotope.
Compensation is currently being sought in Australian courts.
Aust test Photos: Courtesy Department of Primary Industries and Energy, 1995
|
|
| Hurricane |
|
| Hurricane at 0.1 Seconds |
|
| Hurricane at 1 second |
|
| Hurricane at 5 seconds |
|
|
| Totem I | |
|
|
| Totem II |
 |
| Mosaic G1 |
| At the end of the countdown, there was a
blinding electric blue light, of such an
intensity I had not seen before or ever since.
I pressed my hands hard to my eyes, then,
realised my hands were covering my eyes.
This terrific light power, or rays, were actually
passing through the tarpaulin, through the towel,
and through my head and body, for what seemed ten
to twelve seconds, it may have been longer.
After that, the pressure wave, which gave a
feeling such as when one is deep underwater.
This was then followed by a sort of vacuum suction
wave, to give a feeling of one's whole body
billowing out like a balloon.
|
 |
 |
 |
| Mosaic G2 | ||
|
| One Tree 1 |
|
| One Tree 2 |
|
| One Tree 3 |
|
| One Tree 4 |
|
| Marcoo 1 |
|
| Marcoo 2 |
|
| Marcoo 3 |
|
| Kite 2 |
 |
 |
| Breakaway | |
|
| Christmas Island |
 |
 |
| Grapple Y at Detonation | Grapple Y |
Originally from http://www.ph.unimelb.edu.au/~gau/oz.html