Comment: Maralinga Range Tour

Hi Candace

Regardless of where you are from, Robin will issue you your permit and he said that there will only be around a 2 day turn around time for the approval.

The biggest problem is that Robin is a 1 man show and he is very busy, as apart from running the range, he is also tied up with Oak Valley, and quite often a typical working day for him can involving starting at 5.30am and not getting back to Maralinga until 11pm, so you can see that he is hard to get hold of, but he will get back to you.

As for the fees, they are very well priced at $60 per person for the Range Tour. It is a full day affair and what Robin does not know about the area and the history of the Range is not work knowing at all. I have tried to keep the accommodation fees out as we do not want him to be rushed off of his feet but these are the high fees that he charges for camping in your van or tents.............$0.00.......Yes that is right, so it is not very expensive....…LOL.

There will be people that do have concerns about the safety of the area, and that is why I have the link and Allan Parkinson talks about the area. Like he said, there are still around 100 sq. kilometres that are not to the require safety levels, but trust me this area is well west of the Range Tour and Robin does not even go there himself. Government Scientists do go out every 12 months to monitor the area, but the area where the Range tour goes is clean.

It is a great place to visit and we are heading back again, but this time we will be doing the 2 day Range tour, there is just so much to see and hear about.

If you are in Australia, I would make it a 'Must do Visit' and if you are lucky, Robin may even take to some other special places in the area.



Cheers



Stephen

When it comes to radiation exposure, it's proportional to how long you are there. There are a couple of areas that are not suitable for permanent habitation. As a visitor, and only there for a short time, there is no issue. If you're worried about it, then the simple solution is don't go.

With a unique area like Maralinga, I take the attitude that whatever costs are involved, then we just pay them. Its still a heap less than what you'll pay in fuel to get there.

Do the reasearch about Maralinga before you go and you'll be fascinated once you're there. Robin and Della are superb hosts.

Thanks for the replies. I would definitely have my permit request in quite early.

One other concern is the requirement for a UHF radio in the vehicle. I don't think those units are normally supplied with rental 4WD's. Any ideas for that?