Woomera, South Australia and Woomera was chosen as a site for such a facility. The establishment of the Woomera Immigration Detention Centre in 1999, through the refurbishment of the original Woomera Village construction camp at 'Woomera West', eventually brought in new permanent staff (as the Nurrungar people were leaving) to settle and maintain the village population at around 1,200. The immigration detention centre, however, proved to be a highly controversial facility and it closed in early 2003 after only about 36 months of operation, at which point the land and buildings were handed back to the Defence Department. Following the closure of the
Proof Range, South Australia Proof Range, South Australia Proof Range is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located on the eastern coastline of Gulf St Vincent about north-northwest of the Adelaide city centre and about south of the town centre of Port Wakefield. Its boundaries were created in January 2000 in respect of the “long established name.” Its name is derived from the use of the land within its extent for the testing of weapons and ammunition as part of the Port Wakefield Proof and Experimental Establishment. Proof Range is located within the federal Division of Wakefield, the state electoral district