page_title: Woomera, South Australia
section_title: Tourism
hierarchical_section_title: Woomera, South Australia / Tourism
caption_attribution_description: English: Missile Park northern section. Scan of a photo taken by Stephen West in December 2002.
context_page_description: Woomera, officially Woomera Village, is a town located in the Far North region of South Australia in Australia, approximately 446 kilometres north of Adelaide. In common usage, "Woomera" also refers to the wider RAAF Woomera Range Complex, a large Australian Defence Force aerospace and systems testing range covering an area of approximately 122,000 square kilometres operated by the Royal Australian Air Force.
  Woomera township is part of RAAF Base Woomera which, along with the Woomera Test Range, forms the larger entity known as the Woomera Range Complex, promulgated by Chief of Air Force in June 2014. As at the 2016 census the Woomera Village had a population of 146, and its usual population varies between 150 and 200 people, yet the village can provide accommodation and services for up to 500 people per day. Although the complex is closed to the public, Woomera Village is open to the public. The location of the Woomera Village can be described as being in the outback desert area of South Australia. It is approximately 446 kilometres north-west of Adelaide and is in the State region known as the Far North.
context_section_description: Woomera's attractions include the Woomera National Aerospace and Missile Park, located in the centre of the village. This park features missiles and rockets that were developed and tested at Woomera over the last 60 years, as well as a number of aircraft which were used in trials at Woomera. The Woomera Heritage Centre, which was the former recreation centre for USAF personnel and their families from Nurrungar, features a cafe, a tenpin bowling alley (which was installed by the US Air Force personnel in the 1990s and is still in good working order), a modern interactive display and interpretive centre covering the full life of the Range, a souvenir shop, and a significant display of regional history. This display also features the story of legendary Len Beadell, the famous surveyor who laid out the original range across vast tracts of the Australian Outback stretching from Woomera to the North-West coast of Western Australia. Next to Missile Park, there is a museum featuring range artifacts and the activities and people who lived and worked at Woomera in the early years. This museum is located in one of four former churches which existed in Woomera. Other attractions include a movie theatre (but movie screenings may be infrequent), swimming centre, a well stocked general store and bottle shop, along with two main clubs which offer counter meals on a Thursday (RSL Club) and Friday (Sports Club) nights. Woomera is a haven for observing and understanding Australia's desert flora and fauna, and there is an observatory which operates one night a week or by appointment.
  The historic precinct of the town attracts a large number of visitors each year to view the many local attractions including the Missile Park, Heritage Centre, History Museum and other attractions such as Butement Square, the Eldo Hotel (formerly the headquarters for European Launch Development Organisation), and the local observatory. Approximately 65,000 tourists a year visit Woomera, with about half of that number going on to visit Roxby Downs (location of the BHP Olympic Dam Mine).
caption: Northern section of Missile Park
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