RELEASED FROM A TIME CAPSULE
Situated 65 nautical miles south-west from Dampier and Karratha, and around 120 nautical miles north-east of Exmouth, Western Australia’s Montebello Islands archipelago comprises 174 small and low rocky islands connected by a labyrinth of narrow channels.
Named by the French explorer Baudin in 1803 to commemorate the French victory in northern Italy over the Austrian army at the Battle of Montebello in 1800, the archipelago’s desolate landscape offers a unique beauty and strong sense of being far removed from the bustle of civilisation.
The islands hold the stain of a tragic injustice brought upon the Australian nation, yet today, after a 40-year lockdown, they shine again with a wealth of fascinating history, plus untapped riches in their turquoise and cobalt-coloured coral reef waters.
In the early 1950s, Australia’s Prime Minister at the time — Robert Menzies — granted permission for the British Government to conduct part of its nuclear weapons testing at the Montebellos. The British detonated three atomic bombs at the
