Over 200 people saw this UFO in 1966—and their stories will leave you stunned

A quiet school day in suburban Melbourne suddenly turned extraordinary.

Students and teachers found themselves staring at the sky, unsure whether they were witnessing a marvel or a threat.

The memory of that day has lingered for nearly six decades, sparking debate and fascination across Australia.

When the Impossible Landed in Clayton South

It was Wednesday, 6 April 1966, around 11:00 am when a Year 9 student burst into Andrew Greenwood’s science class with an urgent announcement.

'This student bolted into the classroom and said, 'Mr Greenwood, Mr Greenwood, there's a flying saucer outside!' The recess bell rang and there was a mass exodus of students onto the sports oval,' UFO researcher Grant Lavac later recalled.

Hundreds of students and staff watched what one witness described as 'a round-humped object with a flat base' hovering near the school for 20 minutes while circled by civilian aircraft.

Some witnesses reported seeing three metallic discs moving silently through the sky.

Thirteen-year-old Marilyn Eastwood was among the first to rush to the sports oval and vividly remembered the scene.

The object reportedly descended into a nearby field before lifting off and vanishing, leaving behind flattened grass circles with discoloured edges.

Terry Peck, playing cricket nearby, chased the object to The Grange.

'I was about six metres away from it,' she told the Herald Sun.

'It was bigger than a car and circular. I think I saw some lights underneath it. Two girls were there before me. One was terribly upset and they were pale, really white, ghostly white. They just said they had passed out, fainted. One was taken to hospital in an ambulance.'

The Silence That Followed

In the hours after the sighting, police and military personnel reportedly inspected the site, adding to the mystery.

The Dandenong Journal ran the headline: 'FLYING SAUCER MYSTERY: SCHOOL SILENT What was it?' noting that 'students and staff have been instructed to talk to no one' about the incident.

Many witnesses said they were told not to discuss what they had seen.

'Shortly after the incident an ad hoc assembly was called and the headmaster told all the students, 'You're not to say anything about this event, you're not to talk about it,' essentially saying 'shut up',' Lavac explained.

Jacqueline Argent recalled a more intimidating encounter: 'They had good-quality suits and were well-spoken,' she said.

'They said, 'I suppose you saw little green men.' I spoke to my parents about it at the time and they were pretty outraged.'

A Teacher’s Final Testimony

In 2021, Andrew Greenwood spoke publicly for the first time.

'I can remember running out into the oval, looking into the sky, and seeing these things, and just standing there absolutely transfixed,' Greenwood said.

'I haven't seen anything in my life like it before, haven't seen anything since.'

Greenwood described a grey, almost cylindrical object moving with precision in the sky and claimed that two senior Royal Australian Air Force officers later threatened his career if he spoke about the incident.

'Absolutely, I was threatened,' he said.

'I was told that I should not say anything about it.'

A Mystery Remembered in Steel and Slides

The City of Kingston created Grange Reserve UFO Park at The Grange Reserve in Clayton South, featuring a silver UFO with red slides commemorating the 1966 incident.

Visitors can still explore the playground, which includes information boards detailing the events of 6 April 1966.

The Westall sighting reached international attention in a 2021 episode of the Netflix series Top Secret UFO Projects, where UFO investigator James Fox shared a photograph allegedly taken two days before the sighting by a young engineer 17 kilometres away.

The Balloon Theory

Not everyone believes the event was extraterrestrial.

Documents uncovered in 2014 revealed the HIBAL program, a secret US-Australian initiative using large silver balloons to monitor atmospheric radiation between 1960 and 1969.

Keith Basterfield suggested a runaway HIBAL balloon may have drifted off course from Mildura and landed near Westall High School, alarming witnesses.

However, Shane Ryan, a University of Canberra lecturer, noted that students were familiar with light aircraft and immediately recognised the UFO as something different.

'Everyone said straight away that they knew it was not a plane,' nor a weather balloon.

The Search for Truth Continues

Grant Lavac, who has interviewed many witnesses, said the lack of official explanation was the central issue.

'They just want to know what it was and why they were told to shut up about it,' he said.

His petition to parliament calling for an independent inquiry into the Westall incident attracted more than 350 signatures, citing alleged cover-ups, witness intimidation, and confiscation of evidence.

'If it was something that was maybe not prosaic, it's a compelling reason for the RAAF to consider devoting resources to the investigation and reporting of UAP,' Lavac added.

The Witnesses Who Won’t Forget

Eyewitnesses have preserved their memories through testimony and drawings, despite ridicule and censure.

Every year on 6 April, former students and staff reunite at The Grange, commemorating the event that took place in broad daylight and remains part of Australia’s UFO history.

Not everyone is convinced.

Hazel Edwards, a teacher at Westall High at the time, said in 2016: 'I think there were a lot of kids that were hyped up. Look at the so-called evidence, most of it is just hearsay.'

What It Means for Today's Australia

The Westall incident has become a cornerstone of Australian UFO lore and gained international recognition.

Its impact on witnesses and the community endures, raising questions about government transparency and how unexplained events are treated.

Whether it was something extraordinary or a misidentified military test, the Westall incident represents a shared Australian experience that has bound a community for six decades.

Visitors can explore the Grange Reserve UFO Park at Clayton South, about 25 kilometres southeast of Melbourne’s CBD, beneath the same pine trees that sheltered one of Australia’s greatest unsolved mysteries.

What’s your take on the Westall incident—do you believe the witnesses saw something extraordinary, or was it merely a misidentified object?