Category: Astronomy
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Bathurst Observatory Research Facility
Ray Pickard’s Bathurst Observatory Research Facility, in bushland near Billywillinga, NSW, offers excellent dark sky viewing from its dome, plus a concrete slab for outdoor mounted ‘scopes. Its exhibition hall features displays of meteorites, fossils, and other fascinating objects that reflect Ray’s passions.
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![Bogan Gate Dark Sky Park[ing Lot]](https://inlandastrotrail.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/21A35B66-16CF-4BEC-92B1-7BDBAFE36C51_1_201_a-e1756864707173.jpg)
Bogan Gate Dark Sky Park[ing Lot]
The Bogan Gate Dark Sky Park(ing Lot) is an RV-friendly car parkin the tiny village of Bogan Gate, in the Parkes Shire, NSW, between the community hall and the famous Bogan Gate pub. The village expects to host an annual Dark Sky Festival during Science Week, starting in August 2026.
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Orroral Geodetic Observatory
The Orroral Geodetic Observatory, established in 1974, was crucial for Australia’s satellite laser ranging program, enhancing geodesy by measuring Earth’s shape and gravity. It facilitated precise distance measurements to satellites vital for understanding tectonic movements and contributing data for climate change and geological studies. Operations ceased in the 1990s.
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IAT Poster 2025
The first IAT poster designed by Mel Hoey from Made of Fridays, Forbes, NSW, using photo graph of the night sky by Merrillee Redden, Blayney, NSW, Australia, in early 2025.
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Canberra Astronomical Society (CAS)
Canberra Astronomical Society holds monthly meetings and regular public events at ANU’s Mount Stromlo Observatory, where its two telescope domes are located. Its stargazing nights attract hundreds of people. Reservations for these events are essential.
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MSATT Astronomical Teaching Facility
The MSATT Astronomical Teaching Facility at Mount Stromlo Observatory offers free astronomy education with advanced telescopes and instruments. Founded by Geoff McNamara and supported by philanthropists, it targets high school students. The facility provides resources, guides, and practical experiences to foster astronomical skills. Regular updates are available online.
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Oddie telecope
The Oddie Telescope was installed in Ballarat by philanthropist James Oddie to educate the public about astronomy. It was donated to the Commonwealth in 1909 and established at Mount Stromlo in 1911. Its dome the first Commonwealth building in Canberra. The Oddie was destroyed in the catastrophic 2003 bush fires.
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Dawes Point Ta-Ra
Dawes Point Tar-Ra, on Gadigal Country, is the location of European Australia’s first astronomical observatory, established in 1788 by William Dawes. A young local woman, Patyegarang, taught Dawes her language, which he documented. His notebooks have since been used to revive ‘The Sydney Language’ following its loss due to the…
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Long Baseline Array
The Long Baseline Array (LBA) utilizes very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) to connect radio telescopes operated by CSIRO’s ATNF and others, yielding high-resolution radio images of astronomical objects. Key instruments include Murriyang at Parkes Observatory, Mopra, and antennas from the University of Tasmania in Hobart and Ceduna.
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Linden Observatory
Linden Observatory, in the Blue Mountains, NSW, was established by engineer and amateur astronomer Ken Beames in the 1940s. Now managed by a charity, it is home to what was once Australia’s largest optical telescope. The site is in urgent need of volunteers to help preserve and maintain it, however.
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Mount Stromlo Observatory
The Australian National University’s Mount Stromlo Observatory on the outskirts of Canberra, houses ANU’s Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA), its many heritage telescopes, and other facilities, including the Advanced Instrumentation and Technology Centre, MSATT Astronomy Teaching facility, and the new Quantum Communication Ground Station.
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Kamay-Botany Bay National Park
The Kamay-Botany Bay astro-sites are difficult to write about because interactions here between the region’s First Peoples and Europeans in 1770, 1788, and in later years, have been so profoundly consequential. Future IAT posts will acknowledge this heritage in the spirit of truth-telling, with reference to the following themes: Page…
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Stargazing At Bogan Gate in the 1960s
Retired educator Neville Jennings recalls his early teaching years at a village primary school at Bogan Gate, NSW, in the 1960s when the Parkes radio telescope was being built. He intertwines his memories of teaching his young students about astronomy and space with his own experiences of the night sky…
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Murriyang: Parkes Radio Telescope
Murriyang is a 64-meter radio telescope at Parkes Observatory, part of CSIRO’s Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF) network. Operational since 1962, it has been used to make many fundamental discoveries. Murriyang played a crucial role in the Apollo 11 Moon Landing and now supports NASA’s Artemis mission to return to…
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Staring at the sun
Novelist Tracy Sorensen visits the Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network (BiSON) facility at Narrabri’s Paul Wild Observatory and struggles to understand the mysteries of photons, spectropscopy and helioseismology. A great story.
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Tebbutt’s Observatory
John Tebbutt’s Observatory in Windsor, NSW, is a significant but underrecognized 19th-century astro-heritage site. Scholarly literature details Tebbutt’s outstanding astronomical achievements and his contribution to colonial society. The site, which includes the historic Tebbutt homestead, faces an uncertain future and urgently requires financial support to ensure its preservation.
