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Nuclear Archipelago

Secrets, Power and the Biggest Atomic Blast in Australia

By: Elizbeth Tynan

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Paperback | 1 August 2026

At a Glance

Paperback
320 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.4 x 15.3 x 1.83

Paperback

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The final book in Elizabeth Tynan’s landmark trilogy on the history of British nuclear testing in Australia.

Nuclear Archipelago tells the shocking story of the two British atomic weapons test series held at Western Australia's Monte Bello Islands in 1952 and 1956. Operation Hurricane and Operation Mosaic took place at a rugged archipelago 100 kilometres off the Pilbara coast, and each of the three bombs sent fallout over vast distances across the country. One of the tests, Mosaic G2 in June 1956, the largest nuclear weapon test ever held in Australia, sparked panic at the time that it had been a nuclear accident. In both the Mosaic tests, the crew of a British ship was deliberately positioned in the path of fallout. The biodiverse natural environment of the islands was left contaminated and has never been cleaned up.

The book explores the politics, the secrecy and the controversies, including the true nature of Mosaic G2 and its role in the clandestine development of the British hydrogen bomb.

'An excoriating examination of nuclear politics, atomic colonialism and shameful cover-up – a definite must-read.’ – Peter Garrett

‘This multi-volume work must rate as one of the most significant projects currently being undertaken in the study of Australian history.’ – Simon Caterson, The Australian

About the Author

Elizabeth Tynan is professor in the Graduate Research School at James Cook University, Townsville. She is a prominent writer and researcher of the era of British atomic testing in Australia. Her book Atomic Thunder: The Maralinga story (NewSouth, 2016) won the Prime Minister's Literary Award (Australian History) and the CHASS Australia Book Prize in 2017. Her follow-up book The Secret of Emu Field: Britain's forgotten atomic tests in Australia was published by NewSouth in 2022.

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