UFO Sightings in Australia

Australian UFO sightings: the Westall school sighting of 1966, the HMAS Melbourne incident and what explains most reports across the country.

Australia’s most famous UFO event belongs to its schoolchildren: in April 1966, roughly 200 pupils and teachers at Westall High School in Melbourne watched a silver object descend near the school oval and leave. No official Australian investigation followed, and six decades on the witnesses mostly still say what they saw.

The country’s reports today follow its geography: bright satellites over the outback, lights near the RAAF’s ranges, and fireball meteors that cross half the continent in clear air.

What gets reported here

  • Satellite trains and ISS passes over the outback, where light pollution is effectively zero.
  • Lights near Williamtown, Amberley and other RAAF bases, usually training traffic.
  • Orange drifting lights over the coastal towns on summer evenings: lanterns at surf lifesaving events.
  • The Tantanoola and southern coast reports, a steady trickle since the 1970s.

Notable incidents

  1. The Westall sighting (1966)

    On 6 April 1966, students and staff at Westall High School in suburban Melbourne watched a silver object descend, hover and depart at speed. No Australian government body investigated. It remains the country’s best-documented mass childhood sighting.

    Case file

  2. The HMAS Melbourne incident (1965)

    During exercises in June 1965, the aircraft carrier and its escorts tracked an unidentified object that reportedly passed through the fleet at high speed. The ship’s log and a subsequent investigation exist in Australian files; interpretations of what the object was remain divided.

Questions

Did anything land at Westall?

Witnesses reported the object descending near the school oval and something left behind — flattened grass, by some accounts. No physical evidence was preserved, and no official investigation was conducted. What makes the case notable is the number of independent witnesses, all children, giving consistent accounts.

Who do I report a UFO to in Australia?

There is no official Australian civilian channel. Reports go to private databases, and anything involving aircraft safety should be reported to Airservices Australia. This site takes Australian reports and checks them against satellite and astronomy data.

Check what was in your sky · All places · How to report a UFO