Pastoral History

Shelter

In their extreme isolation the early pastoral properties of South Australia had become almost self-contained. Mount Eba ran 17,000 sheep over 2200 square km, the homestead had its own freezing plant and employed a bookkeeper, a governess, a housemaid, a cook and approximately thirty station hands.

The construction of a rocket range in Woomera had the potential to significantly disrupt pastoralists’ lives. The experimental nature of range activities prevented the accurate and reliable forecasting of danger times and areas and ultimately placed the residents of pastoral properties in direct danger.

This risk was so great due to the closeness of proximity between pastoral properties and the highly active rangehead. In order for the proposed range to be constructed the pastoralists and the officials involved in designing the range needed to find a solution that facilitated safe and productive co-habitation.

In 1947 the Ministry of Supply began developing safety plans for the pastoralists. This decision making process was informed by the need to achieve a balance between existing pastoral activities, technical requirements, safety, security and economy.

Among the pastoralists was a growing fear that some of the best wool-growing country in the state was under threat. One of the most concerned was Byron MacLachlan, the leaseholder of Commonwealth Hill. MacLachlan and a consortium of pastoralists and lawyers established a working agreement that saw the continuation of pastoral activity that did not interfere with the proposed Long Range Weapons Project.

In 1956 Controller Harold Brown sought approval from the Department of Supply on safety arrangements for Black Knight. Black Knight was a powerful research rocket designed to take a re-entry head high into space and then to project it back into the atmosphere at great velocity. This identified a safety risk to pastoral properties located in and around the nominated impact zone.

Until 1957 Range safety matters were the sole responsibility of the Range Superintendent. Proposals for the Black Knight project required government intervention and in 1957 the Minister for Supply, Howard Beale, gave an address to a group of pastoralists who could potentially be affected by the Black Knight trials. Beale announced that the Commonwealth would cover the costs of securing stray missiles and also construct blast-proof shelters.

A strong relationship has remained between pastoralists and the administrators of the Woomera Village and Rocket Range.