1959
JANUARY 1959 PORT GAWLER, SA 1700hrs (CE2)
(Source: 1800 Freecall National Hotline Number - Callin Code 3796, 27 December 2004)
In January 1959, after 5.00 pm, Peter, who was a former pilot, his wife and daughter were walking along the beach at Port Gawler, South Australia, looking towards the sea when a silhouetted dome came up out of the water. They at first thought it must have been a submarine ‘nosing around’ as it was then the Cold War. It looked dark against the setting sun. It started to lift out of the water and was ‘absolutely spherical’. Then there was a white propulsion of sorts, a curtain of white underneath it. There was only the sound of the ocean. The object shone like glass. When it moved towards them, there was nowhere to go. They were rooted to the spot. It felt like it had stopped and was observing them. It looked silver, like polished aluminium. It rose out of the sea at a considerable height. Then another came in from the south and they stopped next to each other. The second one moved south and the other accelerated at approx. 3000 miles per hour, at least. Dominic McNamara AUFORN SA

03.01.59 ADELAIDE, SA 1330-1400hrs
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p134.)
Two objects swiftly crossing sky. One was a 2m long shining cigar seen for 3 minutes; the other a 2m square, spinning and shining. Two witnesses

07.01.59 PORT PIRIE, SA 1530hrs
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p134.)
Silver, sausage shape seen in W. Estimated height 500m speed 160km/hr. Two witnesses

08.01.59 RISDON, TAS 0920hrs
TA 1959-001
Two HEC employees saw a 3 metre long object disappear between buildings. Three other objects were sen in the sky and a fourth like an ‘inverted skittle with a ball on the end of a handle’ eventually appeared to dive into the River Derwent. TUFOIC

06.02.59 BRISBANE (WEST END), QLD 2400 hrs
QA 1959-018
"I was awakened from sleep at exactly midnight on 6.2.59 by my wife and asked to look at a very bright light in the sky. It was in the N.E. at about 10 to 15 degrees. As I watched, it appeared to rock and sway, in doing this its light changed colour from a very pale green, through white, and on to red, at the same time there was a very fierce pulsating which lit up the sky for about 15 or 20 times the diameter of the object. Occasionally as it oscillated it would throw its light into one direction, this was always to the east, and was like a beam or line, at times appearing yellow in it colour. By 00.45am on the morning of the 7.2.59 the object had slowly changed its position to the east by about 3 degrees, when at this time it rose quite visibly by 3 or 4 degrees. The U.F.O. remained in this position until 00.53 hours, when it distinctly drew closer to my point of observation doubling its size and increasing its brilliance considerably, in making this manoeuvre it crossed the path of a stella formation thus proving itself to be on a free orbit, and controlled intelligently. At 01.12 hours came the really unexpected. Travelling from W. to E. at a slight incline approximately 5 to 10 degrees and at a speed far greater than any jet that it has been my pleasure to observe came another object identical to the first one with the exception of the fact that it may have been a little larger and that its colours did not change position. This light passed directly in front of me and terminated its passage by merging with the original object, the whole flight from W. to E. took no more than 4 seconds, that is to say that it covered an arc of about 110 to 120 degrees in 4 seconds flat. After merging and becoming one, the observable U.F.O. remained hovering until 01.27 hours. Then it began to rise slowly getting dimmer as it did so, until it was lost from sight above the overhang of the roof above the window from which I was making this sighting, the time was then 01.38 hours. Throughout this whole sighting which lasted for one hour thirty-eight minutes the lights continued to change colour and position, the pulsating was continued. Summing up I believe that this was not so much a prodigal returning to the mother ship, due to the light sequence, as I do not recall lights ever being mentioned in regards to mother craft I may be wrong of course. I am more inclined to think that it was the reunion of the type of craft that has in the past been seen to divide into numerous divisions. I would also add that my wife who first made this sighting did not believe in flying saucers, please note that I said did not."

11.03.59 CABOOLTURE, QLD 1230hrs
QA 1959-022
"Today, the 11th March, 1959, at approximately 12.30 at a position on the Oakey Flats Road, seven miles south of Caboolture and about four miles north of Narangba, I and two other men, during our lunch hour were watching the vapour trails from five jet planes, for about quarter of an hour. There was quite a bit of high cloud and the planes were high above them. We were standing facing south when we noticed they were pursuing two disc-shaped objects or flying saucers. One jet plane gave up the chase and headed south. The other four were in pursuit of the discs in a northerly direction when the discs accelerated and lengthened the distance and were out of sight in a few seconds. The four jets then turned back and headed south also. The discs appeared about the size of a small bread-and-butter plate and the jets about the size of your finger, the planes also being too high to hear any sound from them."

12.03.59 PURNONG LANDING, SA
SA 1959-004
A young boy was preparing for bed when he saw a ‘man in red’, about 2 metres tall, crimson faced, red jacket and trousers, white trimmings, standing by his bedroom door. Keith Basterfield UFORSA

13.03.59 PURNONG LANDING, SA 0210hrs
(Source: Personal investigation by Keith Basterfield and Garry Little 26 Dec 1972; ASR 5/2; Adelaide "Advertsier" 24.03.59; Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p127 cites the date as 13 March 1954.)
SA 1959-003
Cresting a hill, Mr Towill and Mr. Briggs in a truck came upon a ‘dome’ illuminated by coloured lights. They stopped the truck and watched the 10 metre diameter object as it went through a regular sequence of colour changes. The lights all then went out and the men approached from the 100 metre distance they had stopped at. As they did so, the object took off silently at a 45 degree angle and was lost to sight after 20 minutes in the southern sky. Briggs recalled, in an interview on 26 December 1972, that on the evening of 13 March 1959 some nurses had seen a similar object near to Purnong Landing. Keith Basterfield/Garry Little UFORSA

23.03.59 ADELAIDE, SA
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p134.)
SA 1959-006
Two men said they saw a strange object, firstly in the sky and then on the ground. UFORSA

31.03.59 ADELAIDE, SA 1805hrs
(Source: Adelaide "Advertiser" 1/4/59; Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p135.)
"..elongated circle with indistinct edges" flying quite high. Three witnesses.

31.03.59 ADELAIDE, SA 1950hrs
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p135.)
Round object with red flashing lights from W to E in southern sky, circled and lost in W.

31.03.59 ADELAIDE, SA 2000hrs
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p135.)
Met Bureau received a report.

31.03.59 PORT ELLIOT, SA 2330hrs
(Source: Adelaide "News" 02.04.59 p15; ASR 6/4/14; (Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p135 cites date as 12 April 1959.)
SA 1959-002
Barry Neale (15) was driving home to Goolwa when he saw, on the ground about 100 metres off the road, a glowing reddish-orange object with a row of portholes. It illuminated the trees, and was about 2 metres wide. He got to within 300 metres of it, and drove around a wooded area in time to see it take off at high speed. No radioactivity was found at the spot. UFORSA

29.04.59 ADELAIDE (BLACKWOOD), SA 1930hrs (PHOTO)
(Source: Adelaide "News" 30.04.59; Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p135.)
A spinning saucer shaped object with a row of steady lights was seen before it rose vertically and disappeared from view. A ten second time exposure was taken by a Mr Lightfoot. Newspaper article has a photo. Duration: 2-5 minutes.

LATE APRIL 1959 VARIOUS PARTS OF SA (NL-IFO)
(Source: Adelaide "Advertiser" 01.05.59)
Brilliant object seen travelling SW to SE in the southern sky. Disintegrated in "shower of sparks." Believed to be nose cone of Sputnik 3.

01.05.59 ADELAIDE, SA 1930-2000hrs
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p135.)
Light in NE sky "changed colour from red to the colour of an ordinary bright star several times." Duration: 10 minutes.

29.05.59 PORT ELLIOT, SA
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p136.)
"They reported seeing four yellow lights travelling parallel to the horizon" out to sea. Duration: ten seconds. Two witnesses.

31.05.59 ADELAIDE, SA 1813hrs
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p136.)
"A bright red/orange object with a tapering tail, moving from west to east at an elevation of about 25 degrees in the southern sky."

13.06.59 nr NOURLANGIE CAMP, NT 2200hrs
(Source: Courier Mail - Darwin/13.06.59)
Seven people have reported sighting a flying saucer in Arnhem Land to the RAAF Command in Darwin. And they backed their claim with a signed and Justice of Peace witnessed statement. The statement was handed to the RAAF Command yesterday by Darwin Safari Tours managing director, Mr. Allan Stewart, and Sydney photographer, Ron Jamieson.

Mr. Stewart said that last Sunday, while returning to Nourlangie Camp at 10pm, Sydney photographers, Ern McQuilland and Jamieson excitedly told him they had seen a flying saucer. They saw a reddish object rising very fast to about 50 or 60 degrees above the horizon. It appeared to hover for 30 seconds then moved upwards again. It stayed in position for about five minutes. Mr Stewart said the object lit up the clouds brilliantly. Back at the camp, he said three other safari members. Misses Coral Mason, Lola Fimmister, and P. Kerr, and two other natives, Fred and Dolly, also saw the saucer. Mr. Stewart estimated the ‘saucer’ rose from the plains between East and West Alligator Rivers.

“I don’t claim to know what it was, nor will I guess, but it was a strange experience”, he said.

20.06.59 SOUTH AUSTRALIA 2200hrs (NL)
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p136.)
"…a cluster of three lights with an illuminated tail." (Frank) "It was flying very high and very fast and glowed with an orange light." Ashton). "The objects were an orange colour and
were travelling very fast." (Brooks).

22.06.59 MOONTA, SA 2045hrs (NL)
(Source: Adelaide "Asdvertiser" 23.06.59; Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p136.)
NW sky changed from bright white light to orange colour. Duration: 45 minutes.

22.06.59 PARUNA, SA 2100hrs (NL)
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p136.)
"…a bright orange ball" Appeared to approach them.

26.06.59 BOIANAI, TERRITORY OF PAPUA AND NEW GUINEA
(Source: FSR, special issue no.4, August 1971; Pages 112-127on digital copy of RAAF file 580/1/1 part 2 from VFSRS documentation)
This well-documented sighting had thirty-eight witnesses. A brilliant light was seen to approach a mission station. It appeared to be hovering some one hundred metres up and was solid and circular, with a wide base and a narrower upper deck. At a number of intervals a shalf of light came from the object and shone into the sky on a forty-five degree angle. As the group watched, ‘men’ came out onto the deck. There were four ‘men’ in all. Eventually the spotlight and the men disappeared, and the object moved through cloud and was lost to view.

26.06.59 GOODENOUGH BAY, TERRITORY OF PAPUA AND NEW GUINEA 1915-1930hrs NO
(Source: Pages 89 & 180 on digital copy of RAAF file 580/1/1 part 2. Original file reference AD.93/5/2 Port Moresby; AURA)
Object approached from N to NE, descended and then hovered some 500 feet up in air. 45 degree elevation. “Silhouette of a rugger football,” and had a kind of ring around it with about four semi-domed portholes visible in the side. A glow came from the portholes. Duration: 4 minutes. Witnesses: 1 male. AURA

27.06.59 BOIANAI, TERRITORY OF PAPUA AND NEW GUINEA
(Source: FSR, special issue no.4, August 1971; Pages 112-127 on digital copy of RAAF file 580/1/1 part 2 from VFSRS documentation; AURA)
Another disk was seen with two smaller objects also present. Four figures appeared on top as on the previous night, although this time they were observed to respond to waves form the priest and natives. The disk also seemed to waver like a pendulum in response to torch signals.

07.07.59 BURREN JUNCTION, NSW 2120hrs (NL)
(Source: Pages 171-173 on digital copy of RAAF file 580/1/1 part 2 .Original file reference 5/2/1 Air (56a) Penrith)
A Police constable saw a bright red light which was on an object in the sky. It was reddish on top. From the object’s bottom shone a red light. The object hovered over trees. Seemed close. Appeared to go away to the WNW and went out of sight.

The Police constable reported that at 0770 that day a man in the same area reported seeing “big grey cattle float” on the side of a road. Later two workers reported seeing a large grey thing” with a dome on top which they watched for several seconds before the dome suddenly disappeared.

The policeman recalled that on 17 July 1959 he had seen the same thing again in the W moving. Witnesses: 1 male. AURA

08.07.59 NORMAN RIVER nr KARUMBA, QLD 1837hrs
(Source: Courier Mail - Brisbane/12.07.59)
Four prominent Australian businessmen and doctors last night reported having seen an unidentified flying object in North Queensland’s Gulf Country last Wednesday. They said they saw a ‘round patch about half the size of the moon’, a mixture of yellow, red and green iridescent light travelling twice the speed of a Canberra jet bomber. They said it stayed in the sky five to eight seconds before disappearing.

The men are: Mr J H Horn, a director of General Motors Holden; Mr W A Green, Managing Director of Eagers Holdings Ltd; Dr Athol Quale, a Wickham Terrace specialist; and Dr C A M Renau, a Melbourne surgeon.

They reported their sighting when they returned to Cairns yesterday. They said they saw the object at 6.37pm when they were getting ready to shoot crocodiles 20 miles up the Norman River from Karumba.

Mr Green said in Cairns last night: “There’s no shenanigans about this. It was something none of us had ever seen before. What impressed us most was that the object travelled parallel to the ground. It did not move up or down, as you would expect with something natural. And the thing was dead silent.”

Mr Green said the object was about 10 to 12 degrees above the horizon. It travelled north-west, and disappeared to ebb only two or three miles from the hunting party, and about 2000ft from the ground.

20.07.59 WOOMERA, SA EVENING
(Source: Adelaide "Advertiser" 21.07.59)
An object was widely reported from various parts of the state. One report stated it was a "cluster of three lights." Another reporter said it was flying high and fast and was orange. From Renmark it was seen to the NE, was orange and travelling fast.

20.07.59 WOOMERA, SA 2215hrs (NL)
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p137.)
"A bright orange-coloured flying object was observed at the Woomera rocket range. It was not associated with any range firing, the authorities admitted. A forecaster at the Woomera meteorological station stated that the object was sighted at 10.15pm and remained visible for 15 seconds. ‘It was travelling almost horizontally. It was moving very fast, and looked like a bright shuttlecock, then appeared to break into three parts, which burnt out.

25.07.59 GLOSSOP TO BARMERA, SA 2100hrs (NL)
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p137.)
Driving W when saw bright orange crescent in sky to the W. "They said it was shaped like a football cut in two and made no noise." Duration: 7-10 minutes.

15.08.59 ; BRISBANE (off WOODY POINT), QLD 1930hrs
QA 1959-013
Mr T Sinclair of 57 Mirrabooka Rd, Ashgrove, was fishing in a boat off Woody point on a clear moonlit night when he noticed an object deep orange in color, hovering. It then moved slightly left then right and after watching the object for approx. 10 to 12 minutes he looked away for approx. 2 minutes. During this time the object disappeared.

Estimated height was approx. 800 to 1000 feet, it’s distance was within half a mile. UFOR(QLD)

SEPTEMBER 1959 nr EURAMO, QLD
(Source: UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere by Michael Hervey)
Mr Max Mencel reported that whilst driving a tractor he saw a brilliant, large conical object, approximately 10 metres long, hovering just above the cane-tops. Its vivid red and orange coloured light illuminated a nearby house.

24.09.59 MANDOURAH & DOCTORS GULLY, NT 1830hrs (NO)
(Source: Pages 107-108 on digital copy of RAAF file 580/1/1 part 2. Original file reference BS.5/6/Air (32a) Darwin)
Large 80-100 foot object reported. Black, shallow. Close to surface-speed 80-90 mph. Shot upwards towards Delissaville Creek. “A green very light shot off from the water in a direction east or north from Mandourah, after the object was seen.”

At 0715hrs 25 September, the same object was again seen off Mandourah and shot up Middle Arm. AURA

17.10.59 ADELAIDE (LOWER MITCHAM), SA 1935hrs (NL)
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. pp137.)
Red ball in NW sky "…falling towards the earth."

20.10.59 SOUTH AUSTRALIA 2210-2220hrs
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. pp137-138.)
a. OODNADATTA
Sky lit by blue flash. Object appeared travelling from S/SE to N. Red tail, and long yellow trail. Explosion heard. And seen. Duration: 30 seconds. Multiple witnesses.

b. COOBER PEDY
Also seen.

c. MT CLARENCE STATION NORTH-EAST SA
Also seen.

22.10.59 ADELAIDE, SA (NL)
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. pp138.)
Object covered with red and green flashing lights travelling at speed.

23.10.59 ADELAIDE, SA (NL)
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. pp138.)
Two female and one male witnessed a large white light with smaller red light on top.

28.10.59 PARNDANA, SA 0410hrs (NL)
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. pp138.)
Brilliant white light size of Moon watched before it faded, slowly moving E. Duration: 30 minutes.

29.10.59 ADELAIDE (ELIZABETH VALE), SA
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. pp138.)
"Looking out of my car, I saw an orange oblong tube about two feet long moving slowly in front of my car. Then it picked up speed and disappeared into the clouds."

09.11.59 ADELAIDE AND COUNTRY TOWNS, SA 220hhrs (NL)
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. pp138.)
Brilliant object in sky. "It was falling towards the horizon in the north-east. It was a bright yellow-green colour."

20.11.59 ADELAIDE (BLACKWOOD), SA 0415hrs (NL)
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. pp139.)
Two Police officers on patrol saw initially a "cluster of stars" low down near the W horizon. "The cluster reflected moonlight and appeared to skim above sea level in a northerly direction. Then it disappeared." A few moments later they saw a "…bright, long, flat shape with a bubble design on top travelling across the face of the moon. It took about thirty seconds to complete this course, then disappeared again." It was well defined and about 1/8th Moon diameter in size.

25.11.59 ADELAIDE, SA 2305hrs (NL)
(Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. pp139.)
Six people witnessed a dozen white lights seen above clouds. Duration: 30 seconds.