1 Maralinga buried, uncovered -- 2 Britain's stealthy march towards the bomb -- 3 Monte Bello and Emu Field -- 4 Mushroom clouds at Maralinga -- 5 Vixen Band other 'minor trials' -- 6 The Australian safety committee -- 7 Indigenous people and the bomb tests -- 8 D-notices and media self-censorship -- 9 Clean-ups and cover-ups -- 10 Media, politics and the Royal Commission -- 11 The Roller Coaster investigation -- 12 The remains of Maralinga -- Appendix: British atomic tests in Australia.

In September 2016 it will be 60 years since the first British mushroom cloud rose above the plain at Maralinga in South Australia. The atomic weapons test series wreaked havoc on Indigenous communities and turned the land into a radioactive wasteland. In 1950 Australian prime minister Robert Menzies blithely agreed to atomic tests that offered no benefit to Australia and relinquished control over them -- and left the public completely in the dark. This book reveals the devastating consequences of that decision. This book is the most comprehensive account of the whole saga, from the time that the explosive potential of splitting uranium atoms was discovered, to the uncovering of the extensive secrecy around the British tests in Australia many years after the British had departed, leaving an unholy mess behind.

Winner 2017 Australian Premier's Literary Award for Australian History.