Maralinga was the site of seven British-Australian nuclear test explosions in 1956 and 1957. Maralinga is 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Ooldea, in southwestern South Australia. It lies about 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) northwest of Adelaide, and 500 miles (800 kilometers) west of Woomera. The name is derived from an Aboriginal term meaning thunder. A village built there during the tests has been abandoned.
