Wycliffe Well
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 📍 Place
Contents 4
| Type | Place |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Wycliffe Well Roadhouse |
Wycliffe Well is an abandoned roadhouse on the Stuart Highway in Australia's Northern Territory, about 375 kilometres (233 mi) north of Alice Springs and 130 kilometres south of Tennant Creek. From the late 1980s it promoted itself as the "UFO capital of Australia", attracting visitors from around the world, until a flood in 2022 forced its closure.[1][2]
History
The site takes its name from a water well sunk in 1875 for workers on the Overland Telegraph Line. During the Second World War a market garden near the well supplied troops travelling to and from Darwin. According to writer Tim the Yowie Man, an army driver named Viv Martin reported seeing a small silver craft there during the war.[2]
In 1985 former navy sailor Lew Farkas bought the run-down roadhouse.[1][2][3] He later said the previous owner had kept UFO sightings secret so as not to scare off buyers.[1][2] In the late 1980s a story in the Tennant Times about sightings at Wycliffe Well drew international interest. Farkas then built his business around aliens, painting murals, selling souvenirs, installing a UFO landing pad and keeping a ledger of reported sightings.[1][2][3] He said he spent about $4 million over 25 years on the site, including a 300-seat restaurant called the Galaxy Auditorium.[1][3]
Farkas sold the business in 2009 or 2010. A later owner added more alien props before selling to United Petroleum, which was mainly interested in selling fuel.[1] A Vice writer who visited in 2017 found the attraction broken and faded.[1][3]
Theories
Local theories for the sightings included an alignment of landforms, tectonic plates and man-made structures, and the relative closeness of the U.S.–Australian intelligence base at Pine Gap near Alice Springs.[1][3]
Flood and abandonment
In late December 2022 a flash flood swept through the area and destroyed the roadhouse. It was abandoned and later vandalised, and termites began eating the wooden buildings.[1][2] In 2024 the head of Tourism Central Australia said he hoped it would one day be restored but that there was little money to invest.[1] According to Australian Geographic, reported UFO sightings have dropped since the roadhouse closed.[2]
References
- Wycliffe Well — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Tim the Yowie Man, "Wycliffe Well: Australia's outback UFO hotspot", Australian Geographic (19 June 2025) · australiangeographic.com.au · archived copy
- "The strange story of Australia's outback UFO capital", Vice · vice.com · archived copy
This page was last edited on 31 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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