1961
1961 DARWIN (COBOURG PENINSULA), NT 2000hrs (CE1)
Source: AIUFOFSR ISSUE 84/85 - AUGUST/NOVEMBER 1999
64-year-old retiree Desmond Nelson of Alice Springs has been fortunate enough to have multiple sightings. The following is an account of some of the sightings courtesy of Keith Douglass.

In 1961, two witnesses were near the Cobourg Peninsula, NT in a Landcruiser with a tray type roof rack. It was a star lit night. All of a sudden it was all lit up around the car - time 8pm. Could not see anything in the rear view mirror, thinking that the roof might be on fire, he slid the window (old car) open and looked up and saw a circular craft, yellow in colour and had a long green vapourish tail behind it. They kept on driving a bit worried to stop, it followed them for quite a while it then took off into the sky at great speed, this was also sighted at Pirie Creek and was reported on the local radio station." Keith Douglass UFORAS

15.03.61 BOWNA, NSW 2045hrs (CE1)
Source: Keith Basterfield & Peter Thomas
Mr F. Reynolds and his son were camping, and saw an unusual sight by a river. It appeared to be a large caravan with four windows and a red light near by. About four ‘persons’ seemed to be moving between this ‘fire’ and ‘van’. Looking through binoculars they noted that the whole van and fire seemed to move sideways in a jerking manner. He looked out again later but there was nothing visible. An inspection of the area revealed a mud flat without any traces.

03.06.61 DARWIN, NT 2130hrs (RADAR)
Source: Page 148 of digital copy of RAAF file 580/1/1 part 3.Telex originally classified "Secret."
Radar RAAF Darwin "reported radar contact during met balloon flight 2130hrs. "Contact at 40000 feet descended to 32000 feet in approximately 5 minutes. Contact with no apparent lateral movement. First sighting azimuth 180 elevation 80 deg range 15000 yards." Witnesses: 1 male. AURA

05.08.61 MT. HALE, WA TRACE
Source: CUFOS
Two objects were seen from which came a ‘snowy white fine mesh’

21.11.61 ADELAIDE, SA
Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p141.
Amateur astronomer reported a cluster of 6-8 object due E of Somerton. "They were crescent shaped and travelling at high speed" They disappeared into cloud.

between 1961 and 1964 GREAT AUSTRALIAN BIGHT
Source: 1800 Freecall National Hotline Callin Code 5392. Reported October 2005
Mary was an airline crew member in the early 1960s. At the end of a flight that took off from Perth at midnight, heading to Melbourne, sometime between 1961 and 1964, the Captain mentioned that the plane had been orbited by an unknown object of some type. This thing flew around the plane twice then left. It had gone from wing tip to the nose of the plane, to the other wing tip, and round to the tail, and round again as the plane flew along. Mary knew the Captain well enough to know he wasn’t one to make up stories, and that he was serious about this event. Apparently it occurred somewhere over the Great Australian Bight, just a couple of hours into the flight. Both the Captain and First Officers saw it, and told Mary that there would be “no point in reporting the incident”. Daniel Sims AUFORN QLD