Cleared Out: First Contact in the Western Desert

AUSTRALIANA ABORIGINAL

In 1964, a group of 20 Aboriginal women and children in the Western Desert made their first contact with European Australians patrol officers from the Woomera Rocket Range, clearing an area into which rockets were to be fired. They had been pursued by the patrol officers for several weeks, running from this frightening new force in the desert. This is their story told through oral history, archival research, photographs, and rare film footage.

This is the story of first contact between a young aboriginal woman, Yuwali, and European Australia. It happened in 1964, but its genesis began in 1947, when the Commonwealth Government announced a rocket testing range was to be located at Woomera – Yuwali’s country. Highly illustrated with images from the sixties.

• xv, 208 p. : ill., geneal. table, maps, ports. ; 24 cm. #171223
• Woomera Rocket Range — History
• Aboriginal Australians — South Australia — Woomera
• Aboriginal Australians — South Australia — Woomera — Government relations
• Guided missiles — South Australia — Woomera — Testing
• Defence – Missile and weapons testing
• Manjiljarra / Martu Wangka people (A51.1) (WA SF51-12)
• Yulparija people (A67) (WA SF51-07)
• Social welfare – Administration – Patrol officers
• Hunting, gathering and fishing
• Woomera (S.A.) — History
• Western Desert (WA SF51, SF52, SG51, SG52)
• Giles Meteorological Station (Central WA Warburton SG52-06)
• Percival map area (Great Sandy Desert WA SF51-08)
• Jigalong (WA East Pilbara SF51-13)