Westall 1966
Author
Tim Meyer
Illustrations
DALL-E
Ask most Australians about UFOs, and they’ll likely mention Roswell. But few know that Australia had its own mass sighting—one witnessed by over 200 students and teachers in broad daylight, right in the middle of suburban Melbourne. The Westall Incident remains one of the most well-documented yet unexplained UFO encounters in history. A silver-grey object hovered, maneuvered strangely, and then disappeared beyond the tree line of The Grange, a bushland reserve next to Westall High School.
And yet, despite the sheer number of witnesses, no official report exists. Some say it was a case of mass hysteria. Others believe it was a military experiment gone wrong. But lingering questions—and the eerie silence from authorities—suggest something else entirely.
The 1960s were a time of rapid change. The space race between the U.S. and Soviet Union was in full swing, and the idea of life beyond Earth was shifting from science fiction into something more tangible. UFO sightings were becoming more frequent. In 1964, an American police officer in Socorro, New Mexico, reported seeing a metallic egg-shaped craft land and take off—an event taken seriously enough to be investigated by U.S. authorities. Closer to home, Australians had seen strange aerial phenomena before, but none as dramatic or widely witnessed as what happened at Westall.
Most UFO sightings are brief—blurry lights in the sky, a lone witness. But in 1966, over 200 people in Melbourne saw something they couldn’t explain. A metallic, disc-shaped object hovered over Westall High School in broad daylight. Days later, authorities arrived, teachers were silenced, and students were warned not to speak. There is no official record of what happened. This is Westall, 1966—Australia’s most compelling UFO my
A Normal Morning, Until It Wasn't
It was just another school day at Westall High School, a growing institution in Clayton South, Melbourne, bordered by open fields and The Grange, a patch of bushland where students sometimes went to escape schoolyard supervision. The morning of April 6, 1966, started like any other. Then, recess arrived—and so did something no one could explain. The first screams came from students already outside. As others rushed out, they saw it: a silvery, metallic object moving silently across the sky. Descriptions varied. Some said it was round with a slight dome on top; others described it as flat and disc-like. Witnesses estimated it was twice the size of a family car, moving in ways no conventional aircraft could. Then, it tilted, hovered, and dipped low toward The Grange.
The Pursuing Aircraft
As the object moved across the sky, five light aircraft—possibly Cessnas—seemed to chase or track it. Witnesses recalled the planes circling, banking sharply, and making erratic maneuvers as if trying to intercept or keep pace with the UFO. The sight of civilian aircraft pursuing an unidentified object raises more questions than answers. If this was a military experiment, why weren’t military jets involved? Why were multiple planes scrambling after it if it was a weather balloon? None of the pilots ever came forward, and no flight records from that day mention an aerial pursuit over Westall.
The Witnesses
By now, the entire school oval was filled with students and teachers staring skyward. Some kids ran toward The Grange, hoping to see where the object had landed. One of them was Terry Peck, who later recalled: “I could feel heat and hear this buzzing sound.” Another student, Joy Clarke, said: “I saw a UFO… it was something I’ve never seen before.” Some witnesses described a flattened, scorched patch of grass where the craft may have touched down. Others spoke of an overwhelming feeling of being watched. Most unsettling was the story of one girl who collapsed near the site. Witnesses said she was taken away in an ambulance. Soon after, her family abruptly moved away, leaving no explanation. Decades later, former students still recall the incident vividly, their certainty unwavering.
The Aftermath
The Dandenong Journal was the first newspaper to break the story, running the headline: “FLYING SAUCER MYSTERY: SCHOOL SILENT.” But the silence wasn’t voluntary. Witnesses claim that men in dark suits arrived at the school shortly after the event. Some students were pulled into private meetings and warned never to speak publicly about what they had seen. Teachers were allegedly instructed to stay quiet, and no official statement was ever issued by the school. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was contacted but denied any knowledge of unusual aircraft activity that day. No government records. No explanations. No closure.
Theories & Cover-Ups
Speculation spread. Some believed the UFO was a secret military craft, possibly American, tested over Australian airspace. Others suggested it was linked to Cold War radiation experiments, but no direct evidence surfaced. But what makes Westall so strange isn’t just the sighting—it’s the lack of any official follow-up. Why wasn’t there an air safety investigation if five aircraft were involved? Why was there no major media coverage beyond local reports? Why were children and teachers told to stay silent? Theories aside, the real mystery is the silence that followed.
A new witness breaks their silence on the Westall UFO cover-up; Investigative journalist Ross Coulthart uncovers new revelations in this global mystery.
The Westall Incident remains Australia’s most significant mass UFO sighting. It happened in broad daylight, witnessed by 200 people, and left behind physical traces. And yet, there is no official record of it ever happening. Why were children told to stay silent if it was just a balloon? If it was an experiment; why has its existence been denied for decades? Westall is unique—not just because so many saw it, but because it unfolded in the middle of the day at a school in suburban Melbourne. And nearly 60 years later, we still don’t know what they saw.
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