Status: Unverified — accounts vary; a runaway research balloon and a towed target have been suggested, and some researchers cite memory contamination.
On the morning of April 6, 1966, students and a teacher at Westall High School in Melbourne reported seeing a flying object. They described it as round with a domed top, and white, grey or silver in color. According to the students, it descended behind a row of trees into the Grange, an open area south of the school. Some accounts say it was chased by five other aircraft, and a bystander at the Grange said he saw an object about twice the size of a family car with a purple tinge.
Witness details differ. Some said the object landed and took off, others that it hovered. Students variously described a flattened, burnt or “boiled” circle of grass, and reported anywhere from one to three circles. A few days later, air force personnel and UFO enthusiasts visited the field but reported nothing of interest.
A newspaper the next day suggested a weather balloon. Researcher Keith Basterfield later found archive documents suggesting a test balloon launched from Mildura may have been blown off course and come down in a paddock near the school. Skeptic Brian Dunning favored a weather balloon for the first part of the event and a towed target drogue for the “chasing” aircraft. The case is commemorated with documentaries, reunions and a local UFO playground.
Sources: Wikipedia: Westall UFO
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