I was born at Woomera rocket range base hospital in 1965. It's great to see this footage. Thank you.

As usual in Australia. Become the worlds best then shut it down & destroy every thing connected with the Product.

@RolandElliottFirstG

10 ай бұрын

Yes exactly, we are becoming a 3rd world country.

@thekaxmax

10 ай бұрын

nah, we just sold it. To the Chinese. Because, apparently, sheep are all we need.

@concernedaussie1330

10 ай бұрын

100% . It’s basically treason!

@keithdrower9120

10 ай бұрын

Yeah, but that happened after they shared everything at the annual seminar, with the whole World. Give away all of the secrets for nothing....!

@mwallace2922

10 ай бұрын

Its the Aussie way. 👍👍👍👍

Australia was the third country to send a satellite into orbit, from its own land. USSR, USA, then Australia. Launched from Woomera.

@janeblogs324

10 ай бұрын

Orbit, not space aye?

@michaelshore2300

Ай бұрын

Sorry Troop British Black Knight Carrying Propero Launched from Australian test range

Much of the equipment shown has been preserved and is on display at Woomera today, including some of the aircraft and rockets. Well worth the visit.

That old test gear is epic!

It is very nostalgic for me. I was stationed in Woomera from 1965 to 1967 to provide Meteorological support. It was an exiting time for me, my son was born in the Woomera district hospital in 1966. Those were the days.

Thanks for uploading! Much appreciated 👍

@NFSAFilms

10 ай бұрын

Thanks for letting us know you enjoyed the film.

@danrobinson572

10 ай бұрын

@@NFSAFilmswhat a treat for my Monday morning. Great 👍 video thanks 🙏

@danrobinson572

10 ай бұрын

@@NFSAFilmsis the test place still there???

@user-gq6ss6hk1w

10 ай бұрын

I enjoyed the film 👍 Thank you very much 👏

This is really all about what might have been. It's a shame such obvious expertise and the ability to manufacture cutting edge technology has been lost to Australia over the decades since the film was made.

@closertothetruth9209

10 ай бұрын

arent we going to be building the USA's missiles

@zorbakaput8537

10 ай бұрын

In every aspect of engineering and manufacturing. We brought it on ourselves, collectively we wanted cheaper stuff and more pay. We got both and now we wonder why we lost so many opportunities to be amongst the world leaders (in almost everything). At 75 years of age I have seen us live off the back of the sheep and iron ore and then our industrialisation came and went. Thank mother nature for our natural resources keeping us afloat in C21 and it seems we are striving to squander that also.

@cool386vintagetechnology6

10 ай бұрын

We've now got a generation who have no idea what Australia was once capable of.

@desertferal

10 ай бұрын

Actually it’s about “what still is” Woomera is still as busy as ever, still testing the latest technology….and opposed to all the British rockets in the film, are more and more involved in indigenous technologies.

@Thepigfromthepot

10 ай бұрын

Indigenous rockets ya recon?

I saw the house I spent three years as a child there in the film over woomera village, also I remember the pool

Served at a joint US-Australian radar site in Woomera in the late 80's. A great experience and a great bunch of people! The site where I worked has since been dismantled.

My grandfather flew the Bristol freighter around this time. I'll be sure to show him!

That was absolutely gripping! Filmmaking at its best.. technology is stunning too.

My parents still have a large rocket tail fin section sitting in their yard. Was one of two that my father scored back in the Woomera/Andamooka hey days. One was a pot plant for 30 years and the other completed the missing piece of the whole rocket that used to be displayed in the Barossa Valley out the front of the Kev Rohlach personal collection museum. Was close to throwing out boxes of the specific telemetry paper they used the other week but happy to gift them on to a collector if you live in Australia and can collect yourself or pay for shipping.

@watchtherocks12

10 ай бұрын

Interested. Shipping to Melbourne?

I used to live in Woomera between 1981 and 1985. I remember a few of the building had been modernised but that church was still there!

I remember using those Cossor oscilloscopes shown in several parts of this film. They did not have the modern appearance and overall high performance of the rival American made Tektronix oscilloscopes. But they could do what the American oscilloscopes could not do - measure a waveform very precisely.

@jamesmcgowen1769

10 ай бұрын

Do you know where the rockets landed? I’m wondering if they had a team of people waiting for it near the landing site?

@chrisquinlan3012

10 ай бұрын

The station homesteads had bomb shelters built for people to be in a launch time just in case a rocket went out of control .Some missiles were found years later out on the properties,big country !@@jamesmcgowen1769

@janeblogs324

10 ай бұрын

Timestamp?

Thank you for this gem. So many familiar faces from my time on Range E in the late 50s. Takes me back to a wonderful adventure.

@NFSAFilms

10 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting us know.

@djizzah

10 ай бұрын

​@@NFSAFilmsI have a friend in Seattle went to kindergarten there, apparently a lot of US citizens resided there as well

@pauldriver3401

10 ай бұрын

@@djizzah The Americans came later, they were the ones that built the 10 Pin Bowling Alley

@ralph04ification

6 ай бұрын

​@@pauldriver3401the yanks had been there for ages... Redstone rocket, Island Lagoon NASA Tracking Station DSS-41, JDFN Nurrungar. to name a few.

❤❤❤ there is something so hopeful in this film. it's a little heartbreaking.

@mwallace2922

10 ай бұрын

Very much so. 😢

Excellent documentary, Woomera is a fascinating place to visit and I imagine an exciting place to live during its hay day. Great museum to explore if you are lucky to be there when its open, I always seem to end up there when it’s closing for the day or not open on certain days. Seems a pity Australia is falling behind in the technology race, at least we can make good coffee.

@pauldriver3401

10 ай бұрын

We Stayed there in the Redstone building which would have been a single mens quarters I think. The restaurant is pretty nice as well. I was there working in the Telstra exchange which is behind the Post Office shown. The Post Office is now just an abandoned shell.

I'm currently at work, watching the video in the Woomera prohibited zone on a mine site 🙂👍

At Woomera's peak, Australia was third in the world in launch capability. Due to a lack of vision by the Menzies government, we gave it all away. Very sad for our lost opportunities.

@thekaxmax

10 ай бұрын

and first in guided missiles.

@jackeagles1637

10 ай бұрын

Oh, what could have been. I don't recall the exact words. However, Menzies said something like there is no future in Australia developing missiles or satellites and Woomera basically came to an end.

@dmystify1381

10 ай бұрын

i dont feel it was a lack of vision somehow...the lies we are told are mind-boggling.

@robertnicholson7733

8 ай бұрын

The Menzies Government had vision, vision right up the ... Thats right old chap, we will provide the raw materials and you manufacture it. Trouble was post war Britain was a basket case, debt, really bad goverenment vision of it own. I must say tha tlater governments were no better and it was the Whitlam government that essentially killed the semi-conductor industry in Australia wit ha little help from some greedy people in other industries, now also gone.

Fantastic to see this old footage and see what happened at Woomera over the years. Thanks very much for sharing this.

@NFSAFilms

10 ай бұрын

Our pleasure!

Cool documentary video,I was born there in 1969,my father operated tracking cameras during launches.

Went to school there in the late 60’s. Lived in Carcoola Street.

@iffracem

10 ай бұрын

I lived there from 67-70. Lived in Boori St.

Tell us about an ABC Documentary series called 'Overseas and Undersold" which is about Technologies we were working on in the sixties, but were advised by the Americans and the British to stop wasting our time and to focus on Primary Produce instead. This happened during the Menzies era, who was Pro British and the Prime Minister of Australia at the time.

@NFSAFilms

10 ай бұрын

Yes that series of ten episodes was produced by Film Australia (successor to The Commonwealth Film Unit) for The Australian Trade Commission in 1987. Unfortunately we can't release it here at this time due to copyright restrictions but hopefully one day we can.

@rogerjamespaul5528

10 ай бұрын

@@NFSAFilms Thanks for the response.

@tasd5673

10 ай бұрын

Where can we watch plz

@maccjw

10 ай бұрын

Thx for that insight, it sounds more like not wanting to upset the natives instead of copyright protection, can’t have Aussies thinking for them selves now can we, quote “advised by the Americans and the British to stop wasting our time and to focus on Primary Produce instead”

@danrobinson572

9 ай бұрын

@@NFSAFilmsit’s been 2 weeks since a video

One of your best and in HD as well but i am biased and love the old teck stuff especially if in an outback setting. Using an Australian made Byer Mk1 tape recorder to record data, they were introduced in 1956 in time to be used for the extensive broadcast coverage of the Olympic games and like most of the equipment in the film were made here.

Two interesting anecdotes. In the Film there was a Fire Flash missile on a test stand. In the RAF at RAF Newton we had a small Missile museum and one of those stands But had no Idea how it worked, going through some old Photos We found a Picture of an RAF Sgt Demonstrating this rig and recognised him as being on one of the Aircraft courses there. We found, him and asked what the rig did ? " NO idea; I was just walking by and this guy with a camera asked me to stand there and point" In the 80s I was at the test range Aberporth in Wales . As in the film the Kini Theodolites were driven by ladies on one firing the missile broke up and the range officer was on the Radio ? Comms " Has anyone got that ?" aver laconic " I've got a bit of it". I was at the Bloodhound School and The only 'demo' bits we had were recovered from down range Woomera.

When I was an apprentice, a couple of the older fitters I worked with had been to Woomera with Blue Streak. They were based at Spadeadam and worked for either Rolls or De Havilland. One of them had got himself a "girlfriend" on the base, I don't know what story he told her, but he must have thought he was "safe" with his missus being twelve thousand miles away back in Blighty, but she must have had better radar than he thought as she managed to find out. Cue a heat seeking knee to the goolies when he got home !😂

There's a good book called Fire Across the Desert I stumbled across a while ago. Would have been an amazing time to have been involved.

Brings tears to the eyes.

Magnificent, thank you. As an adjunct to this may I recommend reading the Wikipedia account of the role of Mr Walter MacDougall, a Patrol Officer connected to the work done at Woomera.

There was another film made and released ( ABC ) called Woomera, with interviews and more rare footage, released mid 1990s.

@NFSAFilms

10 ай бұрын

Film Australia produced a film in 2004 called Welcome To Woomera that has these kinds of interviews from past residents. shop.nfsa.gov.au/welcome-to-woomera

I love how all the women are dressed as thought they are going out for Sunday lunch.🙂

@dmystify1381

10 ай бұрын

i totally thought that,Total Class i reckons.❤

This is awesome, do you have any more of this type of footage, technology in Australia in the post WWII era before 1970?

Fascinating film. I had no idea about most of this.

@tonywilson4713

10 ай бұрын

Little known but Australia was one of the first nations to launch a satellite into orbit. But thanks to the ignorant stupidity of generations of politicians and their advisors we have gone BACKWARDS.

Good show old chap!

Great 👍 video as always!!!!

Excellent film quality from the period

I love this channel. Thank you

@NFSAFilms

10 ай бұрын

Thank you too!

1957 's simple pleasures for a small population .

So,What did Australia do with all the research! Or was it backed by The UK!

A lot of comments about Australian tech. It’s really UK tech being undertaken in Australia by BAE.

@thatdonq

10 ай бұрын

Undertaken or Developed?

@user-jr1bl6tc3k

9 ай бұрын

German technicians at wre helped

In 1957 Au was on par with UK in the space race

Woomera, smack bang in the middle of the GAFA.

Thunderbirds are Go.

Woomera looks like a very nice place. Does it look the same??

@desertferal

10 ай бұрын

In some ways better, in some ways not so much. Only 150 ish people here now, so smaller, more established, and more modern buildings: but some of the older buildings including churches still standing.

@bossdog1480

10 ай бұрын

Mostly gone now.

@shannonjaensch3705

10 ай бұрын

Mostly concrete slabs where the transportable houses once sat on but now near all been sold/removed away. Very eariy feeling to go back there knowing it was once a hustle n bustle community hub.

@pauldriver3401

10 ай бұрын

There are still several blocks of houses neatly kept, a Movie Theatre, Museum/Visitors centre and a nice restaurant, The Restaurant was an Officers Mess I believe. The Post Office is closed and empty, there is a small shop. You can book a room and stay there or could back in 2015. In the Middle of town they have a display with a Canberra Photo Reconnaissance Aircraft and quite a few rockets of different shapes and sizes. A very Interesting place to visit.

Wow the older computing machines are super creepy along with that music, I wonder what the future kids looking back on our ipads and pcs will think of our stuff. Really appreciate this film, I was always really interested in woomera and the bases as a kid travelling thru there.

What's that big machine with all the dials they've got the rocket sitting on at 10:50? I can't even imagine what it does.

@normandiebryant6989

10 ай бұрын

I think it's to "program" the missile somehow. It has fins so maybe it can steer course corrections. I wonder if it can even home in on a target somehow? The film was made in 1957, just before transistors and solid-state electronics were invented, so I'd think having anything too complicated made with thermionic valves wouldn't fit in such a small missile.

@kerosene4751

10 ай бұрын

That's an air to air missile called the Fireflash. I'm guessing that equipment was able to test the guidance system, air pressure, gyroscopes, valves, servos, rudders, etc. Interestingly, these were unpowered missiles after the first 1.5 seconds when the rocket boosters were jettisoned and the missile coasted the rest of the way to its target. Source: Wikipedia 🙂

@liamthompson9342

10 ай бұрын

@@kerosene4751That's a useful lead. Surprisingly little info about it on the web.

Classic.

In reply to sueneilson, the museum at Woomera is not very accurate. I worked at Woomera in 1957 and from 1960 to 1962 on Bloodhound. Very few details of this highly successful missile are available there and the final indignity was to describe Bloodhound as "also known as Thunderbird". Bloodhound was the missile accepted over Thunderbird as the main deterrent by UK, Norway, Australia, Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore et al. Great times and a pity to see Woomera today.

If only!

Music reminds me of Forbidden Planet

Was a hustle bustle community hub in the middle of nowhere back in the hey day but sadly is nothing more then concrete slabs a a handful of houses left now.

@ricbarker4829

10 ай бұрын

Woomera is still used as a range for weapons testing and has a serviceable runway. The "community hub" section is still there and is open to the public, whereas the hangars and airfield in the "red" zone is a restricted area. "Concrete slabs and a handful of houses" have you even been there?

@a239947

9 ай бұрын

The town is still there. Cinema and everything. It's just vacant.

So sad that most of the equipment and facilities were sold at a fraction of their cost, essentially scrap value. Or just destroyed Lucky to have bought an Askania Kinetheodolite for $40 completed with all lenses.

Tela metri!!!

@piffiiiiiiit

9 ай бұрын

😂

The Woomera Wocket Wange.

@cameronnewton7053

10 ай бұрын

That wascally wabbit!

Greed has destroyed it all. The enemy has become our master.

And what do we make now?

@ceeking76

10 ай бұрын

Coffee

@davidkamp2607

10 ай бұрын

Flimsy housing?

Cost the equivalent of 5 Billion Dollars in today's money to establish.

800 babies in 5 years, no TV then, hey? hahahahaha.

@janeblogs324

10 ай бұрын

Baby boomers sound familiar?

If you believe this you’ve got rocks in your head.

ใช่ฐานยิงแบบรถเคลื่อนที่ไม่ค่อยได้ผลพวกโดรนไร้นักบินไล่เก็บเรียบแล้วก็สิ้นเปลืองมากมีเท่าไหร่ก็ไม่พอ

Huh, did Australian English really once pronounce "telemetry" like that?

@1218omaroo

10 ай бұрын

No, that's wasn't normal. Like everyone else, we pronounced it "telEMetry". With so many Brits on the ground there, maybe there was some sort of strange hybrid accent being formed?

@steveone

10 ай бұрын

The blah.blah blah was overdubbed by voice actors later on . The bloke reading his part obviously didnt know how to pronounce telemetry .

Narrator sounds like Brian Henderson.

Same old story. Too expensive too run for little return. I know there would have been a report to the Federal Government saying just that & Australia does not have the expertise to operate such a facility.

Lost you say....... 😂

😂 australia bumi hanguskan