The Bureau of Meteorology says it has decided to install a new weather radar in Tennant Creek, in the same place as the previous radar which was decommissioned 11 years ago.
BOM said negotiations with the Airport Development Group are in the final stages, and the radar would likely be operational in mid-2027 after construction and testing are complete.
The Northern Territory town about 1,000 kilometres south of Darwin, and the broader Barkly region, has been without a weather radar since 2015 when the equipment was controversially shut down.
The new radar will provide essential weather forecasting services for the town as well as smaller settlements, the Barkly’s remote Aboriginal communities and cattle stations.
Mike Nash pictured with other Tennant Creek locals and then-NT government minister John Elferink around the time of the radar’s closure. (ABC Rural: Steven Schubert)
Administrative errors
BOM chief executive Stuart Minchin told ABC radio the 11-year delay was in-part due to the site selection process, with the original preferred location being One Tank Hill, west of the town.
However, incorrect coordinates provided by BOM for this site led to “administrative challenges” and further delays in delivering the radar.
BOM chief executive Stuart Minchin said the airport location was the most suitable site. (ABC News: Matthew Holmes)
Dr Minchin said as the delay continued, BOM ultimately chose the airport location due to technological improvements and the lack of pre-existing infrastructure at the One Tank Hill site.
“The challenge we’ve faced over time, and the reason there was consideration of other sites, was around tower heights,” Dr Minchin said.
“But we now have some new technology that allows us to build a taller tower at the existing site, which is an advantage for us to make it happen quicker.”
First promised in 2019, the new radar was slated for delivery in 2022, but BOM pushed this back to 2023 due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
The new radar is expected to be accurate for up to 300 kilometres, with the next closest BOM weather station located about 460 kilometres south in Alice Springs.
It will be a high-power S-band dual-polarised Doppler radar, which measures wind and rain, with enhanced performance and range compared to the original Tennant Creek equipment.
BOM said other advantages for the airport site included access to 3-phase mains power and an existing Bureau lease.
‘About bloody time’
Amber Driver lives at Elkedra Station, a pastoral lease running a large-scale cattle operation roughly 210km south-east of Tennant Creek.
Elkedra was one of a number of cattle stations devastated by a major flooding event in February, with roads into the homestead still closed due to the resulting damage.
In the aftermath of the flood, the cattle industry called for the Tennant Creek radar to replaced, to help producers manage future natural disasters.
The Driver’s property on Elkedra Station was dramatically impacted by flooding in February. (Supplied: Amber Driver)
Ms Driver said she welcomed the announcement, but said after 11 years of waiting, her initial reaction was “about bloody time”.
“I feel like we have wasted so much time,” she said.
“We’ve had significant natural disasters, [the 2023] Barkly fires being one of them. We’ve had flooding events.
“This technology is a critical piece of infrastructure for our community.”
Elkedra Station’s Amber Driver says people in the remote Barkly have been waiting too long for the radar. (Hugo Rikard-Bell: ABC Rural)
She said installing it by the middle of next year “doesn’t pass the pub test”, and called for a quicker timeline.
“I’m thankful that the announcement’s been made. I appreciate everyone’s work to get to this point,” Ms Driver said.
“Let’s see the action.”
The new radar is jointly funded by the Northern Territory and Commonwealth governments.
It has already been constructed, and is ready for installation once site works are complete.
