Woomera ? quirky military ghost town

It seems many places in this part of the world are touted as quirky - not sure that would be the correct term for Woomera though. When we arrived in Australia in April 2003, it had just been closed down as an immigrant detention centre due to purported human rights abuses and riots at the site due to overcrowding. Its other claim to fame has been military and aerospace research - particularly with rockets/missiles. As you drive into Woomera off the highway you're immediately struck by the conformity of all the buildings and these numerous cinder block apartments bordering the town. The caravan/'tourist' park is on the outskirts with a few portable trailer cabins scattered throughout the essentially barren concrete compound. Needless to say - we had a look and kept on driving. The hub of town centres around the visitor's information complex which also houses a small museum and bowling alley (...of course!). We came in on a Sunday afternoon and there were literally a total of 2 people walking the streets and maybe 5-6 (including staff) in the Visitors Centre - it was very eerie - kind of like the model town in Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull flick, just before the nuclear bomb goes off. We managed to find a hotel called the Eldo which seemed to be the former military dining hall. The dining facilities had been refurbished with modern wood rails and a nice looking bar and bistro. The rooms on the other hand looked to be not too dissimilar from the dorms Jen and I had in our first year at McGill. Once unpacked and into our room we ventured out for our regular picnic lunch. En route we ambled through the outdoor rocket and airplane museum along the main street and then found a park with a playground. We set out lunch while the wind picked up and made our cheese slices nearly airborne. A bag of lollies, some funny leather shoes and some balls with holes knocking over 10 pins fueled our afternoon entertainment. The Eldo Hotel bistro cooked up some lovely bratwurst and kids meals for dinner and we tucked in early for a big drive to Coober Pedy - the Opal Capital of the World - in the AM.