Giles Weather Station
Encyclopedia
Giles Weather Station is located in Western Australia
near the South Australian border, about 750 kilometres (466 mi) West-South-West of Alice Springs and 330 kilometres (205.1 mi) West of Uluru
. It is the only staffed weather station within an area of about 2500000 square kilometres (965,255.4 sq mi) and is situated mid-continent and near the core of the subtropical jetstream
. This means it plays an important role as a weather and climate observatory for the country, particularly eastern and southeastern Australia, and particularly for rainfall predictions. The station is located on the Great Central Road
and the nearest township is the Warakurna aboriginal
settlement (population 180), 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) South. Giles is within the Shire of Ngaanyatjarraku and is in the foothills of the Rawlinson Ranges.
A staff of four operate the remote station on six-monthly tours.
A 1600 metres (5,249.3 ft) airstrip services the station and the Warakurna community.
Tourists are invited to tour the station and to watch the daily release of weather balloon
s.
Giles' postcode is 0872.
, the first European to travel through the area, in 1872 and 1876.
In the late 1940s and 1950s, surveyor and roadbuilder Len Beadell
cut several tracks west of Alice Springs through to Warburton
, including the Connie Sue Highway
and the Gunbarrel Highway
(which links Carnegie Station and Giles). In doing so he graded the current airstrip and proposed the Giles site. Beadell's grader, which is estimated to have travelled over 30000 kilometres (18,641.2 mi) in the course of making the roads, was retired in 1963 and is preserved and on display at Giles.
The Weapons Research Establishment (now known as the Defence Science and Technology Organisation
) established the site for meteorological purposes in 1956, to support nuclear weapons testing at Emu Field
and Maralinga. Later, it provided support for rocket testing programs at Woomera
, with Giles being downrange from the launch site. Wreckage from the first Blue Streak missile, launched from Woomera on 5 June 1964, is also on display at the station.
Docker River, 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) north-east and just across the state border in the Northern Territory, was established by the government as an aboriginal settlement for local people in the 1960s. Overcrowding there and at Warburton
created a need for a new community which became Warakurna in the mid-1970s.
In 1972 control of the station was transferred from the Department of Defence
to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
near the South Australian border, about 750 kilometres (466 mi) West-South-West of Alice Springs and 330 kilometres (205.1 mi) West of Uluru
Uluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
. It is the only staffed weather station within an area of about 2500000 square kilometres (965,255.4 sq mi) and is situated mid-continent and near the core of the subtropical jetstream
JetStream
JetStream and Mobile JetStream are two former brand names used by Telecom New Zealand to market its retail and resale ADSL-based fixed line and CDMA2000-based 3G wireless Internet access offerings respectively...
. This means it plays an important role as a weather and climate observatory for the country, particularly eastern and southeastern Australia, and particularly for rainfall predictions. The station is located on the Great Central Road
Great Central Road
The Great Central Road is a mostly unsealed Australian outback highway that runs 1126 km from Laverton, Western Australia to Yulara, Northern Territory ....
and the nearest township is the Warakurna aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
settlement (population 180), 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) South. Giles is within the Shire of Ngaanyatjarraku and is in the foothills of the Rawlinson Ranges.
A staff of four operate the remote station on six-monthly tours.
A 1600 metres (5,249.3 ft) airstrip services the station and the Warakurna community.
Tourists are invited to tour the station and to watch the daily release of weather balloon
Weather balloon
A weather or sounding balloon is a balloon which carries instruments aloft to send back information on atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity and wind speed by means of a small, expendable measuring device called a radiosonde...
s.
Giles' postcode is 0872.
History
Giles is named after English explorer Ernest GilesErnest Giles
William Ernest Powell Giles , best known as Ernest Giles, was an Australian explorer who led three major expeditions in central Australia.- Early life :...
, the first European to travel through the area, in 1872 and 1876.
In the late 1940s and 1950s, surveyor and roadbuilder Len Beadell
Len Beadell
Leonard Beadell OAM BEM FIEMS was a surveyor, roadbuilder , bushman, artist and author, responsible for opening up the last remaining isolated desert areas of central Australia from 1947 to 1963. Len is sometimes called "the last true Australian explorer"...
cut several tracks west of Alice Springs through to Warburton
Warburton, Western Australia
Warburton or Warburton Ranges is an Indigenous Australian community in Western Australia, just to the south of the Gibson Desert and located on the Great Central Road and Gunbarrel Highway...
, including the Connie Sue Highway
Connie Sue Highway
The Connie Sue Highway is an outback road that runs from Rawlinna on the Trans-Australian Railway to the Aboriginal community of Warburton on the Great Central Road. Approximately long and running north-south, it lies entirely in the state of Western Australia and crosses the Nullarbor Plain and...
and the Gunbarrel Highway
Gunbarrel Highway
The Gunbarrel Highway is an isolated desert track in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. It consists of about of washaways, heavy corrugations, stone, sand and flood plains...
(which links Carnegie Station and Giles). In doing so he graded the current airstrip and proposed the Giles site. Beadell's grader, which is estimated to have travelled over 30000 kilometres (18,641.2 mi) in the course of making the roads, was retired in 1963 and is preserved and on display at Giles.
The Weapons Research Establishment (now known as the Defence Science and Technology Organisation
Defence Science and Technology Organisation
The Defence Science and Technology Organisation is a branch of the Australian Department of Defence which researches and develops technologies for use in the Australian defence industry....
) established the site for meteorological purposes in 1956, to support nuclear weapons testing at Emu Field
Emu Field
Emu Field is located in the desert of South Australia, at . Variously known as Emu Field, Emu Junction or Emu, it was the site of the Operation Totem pair of nuclear tests conducted by the British government in October 1953.The site was surveyed by Len Beadell in 1952...
and Maralinga. Later, it provided support for rocket testing programs at Woomera
Woomera Test Range
The RAAF Woomera Test Range is a weapons testing range operated by the Royal Australian Air Force Aerospace Operational Support Group...
, with Giles being downrange from the launch site. Wreckage from the first Blue Streak missile, launched from Woomera on 5 June 1964, is also on display at the station.
Docker River, 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) north-east and just across the state border in the Northern Territory, was established by the government as an aboriginal settlement for local people in the 1960s. Overcrowding there and at Warburton
Warburton, Western Australia
Warburton or Warburton Ranges is an Indigenous Australian community in Western Australia, just to the south of the Gibson Desert and located on the Great Central Road and Gunbarrel Highway...
created a need for a new community which became Warakurna in the mid-1970s.
In 1972 control of the station was transferred from the Department of Defence
Department of Defence (Australia)
The Australian Department of Defence is a Federal Government Department. It forms part of the Australian Defence Organisation along with the Australian Defence Force . The Defence mission is to defend Australia and its national interests...
to the Bureau of Meteorology.