Australia’s Biggest UFO Sightings: Witnesses Seek Answers After 60 Years

On April 6, 2026, witnesses to the 1966 Westall UFO sighting in Melbourne, Victoria, marked the 60th anniversary of what remains the largest mass sighting of an unidentified flying object in Australian history.

The incident occurred on April 6, 1966, when students and staff at Westall High School and the adjacent primary school observed an unidentified object in the sky. According to reports from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), hundreds of witnesses described the event, with some reporting the sight of up to three objects.

Witness Accounts of the Incident

Tania Vassie, who was 13 years old at the time, described seeing a strange, rounded, two-storey disc floating up above in a clear autumn sky. She reported that the object moved erratically, zigzagging and dashing at high speeds from one direction to another before she alerted other students and teachers.

Other witnesses described the object as round with a domed top, with colors ranging from white, grey, or silver. Shaun Matthews, who was visiting The Grange—an open area south of the school—reported seeing an object approximately twice the size of a family car with a slight purple hue.

Accounts of the object’s behavior varied. Some witnesses stated the object hovered, while others claimed it descended behind a row of trees and landed in The Grange. Some reports also suggested the object was being pursued by five unidentified aircraft.

Reports of a Landing Site

Following the sighting, students walked to The Grange to investigate a possible landing site. Reports of what they found were inconsistent. some students described a circle of grass that appeared burnt, boiled, or pressed down. Another student told a local newspaper that they saw a vague circular area that had been flattened by the wind. The number of circles reported ranged from one to three.

Theories and Explanations

The Westall incident remains definitively unexplained 60 years later, leading to various theories regarding the nature of the objects.

• Extra-terrestrial Visitation: Many UFO enthusiasts believe the event was a visit from beings outside Earth.
• Military Programs: Ken Stallard, a former student and retired school principal, suggested the object was likely part of a secret military program, though he maintains it was a UFO because it was an unidentified flying object.
• Atmospheric Phenomena: Some experts have suggested the objects were weather balloons. At the time, reports mentioned a balloon release from Laverton that may have drifted into the area.
• Experimental Aircraft: Other theories suggest the sightings were of experimental aircraft.
• Mass Hysteria: Some have questioned if the event was a case of mass hysteria.

Despite these theories, hundreds of witnesses have continued to stand by their accounts, insisting the objects behaved in ways that were inconsistent with any known aircraft.

Legacy and Commemoration

The event has become one of Australia’s most enduring mysteries. In the decades following the sighting, the incident has been commemorated through documentaries, reunions, and the installation of a local UFO-themed playground.

For some witnesses, the experience was accompanied by a sense of secrecy. Reports indicate that students were told not to talk about the sighting, and some, like Tania Vassie, only felt comfortable discussing the event in recent years due to the surrounding conspiracy theories.

I saw what I saw and so did all my school friends, hundreds of us. It was unidentified, it was flying and it was clearly an object.

Ken Stallard