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The observatory caters mainly for schools and groups, and features a new 200 seat theatrette planetarium as well as an observatory with a 14 inch telescope for night viewing, bookings essential.
The original Bathurst Observatory has become the Bathurst Observatory Research Facility and studies continue at this site.
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The complex is located 35km southwest of Canberra (Tourist Drive 5) and is a major link in NASA's Deep Space Network. Tidbinbilla sends and receives radio signals from distant spacecraft as they explore our Solar System and beyond. The centrepiece is the 70-metre antenna, the largest in Australia. The Visitor Centre incorporates audio/visual presentations, exhibits, models and images from the spacecraft. A highlight is an actual Moon rock. The MoonRock Cafe and giftshop is available for meals and souvenirs.
Address: Tourist Drive 5, Discovery Drive (off Paddy's River Rd), TidbinbillaBack to Contents
This observatory is operated by the Astronomical Society of NSW. It is located on Bowen Mountain near North Richmond (northwest of Sydney). It houses a 40cm Dobsonian telescope. The observatory is open on Saturday nights (nearest to Last Quarter Moon phase). Visitors are most welcome.
Address: Burralow Fire Trail, Bowen MountainBack to Contents
The famous Parkes observatory, 'The Dish', is located 20km north of Parkes (just off the Newell Highway). This landmark radio telescope is nearly 50 years old, but still considered to be one of the best single dish radio telescopes in the world. As well as a great view of the telescope, the visitors centre has displays, audiovisual and 3D presentations. There is also the Dish Café and a picnic area with free gas barbecues. Souvenirs and educational material are available.
Address: CSIRO Parkes radio telescope, Newell Hwy (PO Box 276), Parkes NSW 2870Back to Contents
The observatory is located on Observatory Road (off the road to Mt. McDonald) Darby Falls, Cowra. It offers one of the largest telescopes accessible to the public, a 500mm Newtonian. Also available are 400mm, 300mm and 200mm instruments, a 6" refractor and a flat screen planetarium.
Hours: Open Friday, Saturday & Sunday nights and every night during school holidays (weather permitting). Winter 7pm to 10pm, summer (daylight savings) 8:30pm to 11pm. Other times by appointment.Back to Contents
The observatory is operated by the Sutherland Astronomical Society (SAS) in Sydney. The building houses 41cm and 35cm telescopes. Visitors are welcome any Thursday night, with guest speakers on the 1st Thursday of the month. The society also run regular open nights for the general public.
Address: Cnr Green Point & Caravan Head Roads, Oyster Bay (PO Box 31, Sutherland NSW 1499)Back to Contents
Located on the border of the Central Coast and Lower Hunter, the centre is no more than two hours from most Sydney and Newcastle suburbs. Bookings are essential. Koolang staff have also developed curriculum and theme based presentations to cover all school levels K-12.
Address: Great North Road, Bucketty NSWBack to Contents
WSAAG (Western Sydney Amateur Astronomy Group) holds observing nights, where anyone can drop in and look through their telescopes. Observing nights are usually held on Saturdays closest to the New Moon. Dates can be obtained by visiting the WSAAG website.
Address: 105 Glossop Road, Linden NSW 2778Back to Contents
Located on the Macquarie University campus at North Ryde, this observatory is open to the public on Friday nights unless raining from March to November inclusive. Astronomy students will guide you with a range of telescopes. On cloudy nights, the program includes slide shows and Solar System demonstrations.
Address: Macquarie University via Culloden RdBack to Contents
Situated three hours drive south of Sydney, near Goulburn, Magellan Observatory has an extensive range of equipment for hire and comfortable accommodation in a dark sky location. Equipment includes a 24 inch computer controlled telescope in a 4 metre dome, Takahashi FSQ ED and 12.5 inch Ritchey Chretien in a 2.3 metre dome.
Address: 461 Covan Creek Road, Lake Bathurst NSW 2580Back to Contents
The oldest fully operational research observatory in Australia, Mt Stromlo Observatory (along with its sister observatory at Siding Spring) is part of the Australian National University's Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Once housing telescopes dating back to 1868, Mt Stromlo Observatory was devastated by the fire storms of 18 January 2003. However, Mt Stromlo Observatory is rebuilding and the site is now open for visitors. BBQ facilities are also available.
Address: 15 minutes from Canberra City, Mt Stromlo Observatory, off Cotter Road, Weston Creek, ACT (On Tourist Drive 5)Back to Contents
This facility, operated by the Port Macquarie Astronomical Association Inc., is situated in Rotary Park (opposite Town Beach) Port Macquarie. A multimedia presentation is given and celestial objects can be viewed through the Meade 200 telescope. Special nights can be arranged for groups.
Address: PO Box 1453, Port Macquarie NSW 2444Back to Contents
As well as providing accommodation in self contained log cabins, Ryder Homestead offers guests guided star gazing tours. Located 30 minutes north of Bathurst the Homestead enjoys very dark country skies.
Address: 130 Thompson Street, Wattle Flat NSW 2795Back to Contents
Siding Spring Observatory is home to thirteen telescope domes and enclosures. The operational telescopes include Australia's two largest optical telescopes - 3.9m Anglo-Australian Telescope and the ANU 2.3m Advanced Technology Telescope. There are telescopes operated or owned by a number of different educational and research institutions, including the Anglo-Australian Observatory, Australian National University as well as the UNSW. The Uppsala telescope, jointly operated by ANU and University of Arizona, operates as the southern partner in the Catalina Sky Survey funded by JPL NASA. There are telescopes operated by the University of Seoul South Korea as well as the Faulkes South Telescope, operated by Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network. The latest telescope to become operational on the mountain is the Australian National University's robotic survey telescope Skymapper. Siding Spring nestles into the Warrumbungles at the entrance to the national park, 30 minutes west of Coonabarabran. The Visitor's Centre includes a cafe, souvenir shop and astronomy exhibition. From the Visitor's Centre, there is access to the viewing gallery for the 3.9m Anglo Australian Telescope. The Exploratory offers hands on displays, videos and much more. Special tours can be organised on request for groups. An open day is generally held in late October in conjunction with the Warrumbungle Festival of the Stars.
Address: Observatory Rd, Coonabarabran NSW 2357Back to Contents
This is Australia's oldest observatory, situated near The Rocks on Observatory Hill and overlooking Sydney Harbour. It offers a 3-D Space Theatre and telescope tours, fascinating historic and interactive displays and night telescope tours (which include stargazing through the observatory's telescopes). There is also a mini-planetarium on offer during wet weather. Day tours include the 3-D Space Theatre, a dome tour and solar viewing (weather permitting). Sydney Observatory is part of the Powerhouse Museum.
Address: Watson Road, Observatory Hill, The Rocks SydneyBack to Contents
The Australia Telescope operates in the radio region of the spectrum. It uses high technology to combine the signals from a number of dishes, to obtain the performance of a single theoretical dish a number of kilometres in diameter. The Compact Array is located at CSIRO's Paul Wild Observatory near Narrabri. It consists of six 22m dishes five of which are spaced along a 3km track with the sixth a further 3km to the west. From the visitors centre there are great views of the dishes, displays and video presentations.
Address: 1828 Yarrie Lake Road, Narrabri NSW 2390Back to Contents
The UWS Observatory is open to the public and runs public astronomy nights, school, holiday and group programs during the day or evening. It features a 0.6 metre (24 inch) telescope which is available for night viewing by the public.
Hours: Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 9am - 3pmBack to Contents
Operated by the University of Wollongong, this public science centre includes a planetarium (BlueScope Steel Star Theatre), observatory, laser light shows, extensive interactive exhibits, demonstration theatre (Illawarra Coal Science Theatre), and a gift and resource shop. The BlueScope Steel Planetarium has a state of the art Zeiss ZKP3 star projector, laser projector and full-dome show projector. The observatory houses a high quality computer controlled telescope which is used to observe the Sun and stars.
Address: Science Centre, Innovation Campus, Squires Way, Fairy Meadow 2519Back to Contents
The observatory, situated approximately 6 km South of Bundaberg, is operated by The Bundaberg Astronomical Society. The 6 metre dome houses a 480mm Newtonian telescope and a 14 inch computerised Meade telescope with CCD imaging using ST8E and Starlight Express technology. The observatory opens to the public on Friday nights. Midweek opening can also be arranged for large groups.
Address: PO Box 4221, South Bundaberg Qld 4670Back to Contents
The public observatory is located on Cunnamulla Rd, near the Charleville airport. The Centre includes an observatory for night viewing of the stars and planets. During the day, a theatre presentation, seven interactive displays and two mini talks: an update on the latest discoveries in the Solar System and a meteorite talk where the collection is taken out of the cabinet for you to hold. Special programmes can be arranged for groups and schools. Sun viewing is also available through the telescopes (bookings essential).
Address: PO Box 681, Charleville 4470Back to Contents
The observatory is located in the heart of Maidenwell, near the Bunya Mountains, 2.5 hours drive northwest of Brisbane and 40km south of Kingaroy. They are open to the general public in the early afternoon (other times by appointment) Thursdays to Tuesdays and conduct stargazing sessions 7 nights a week. Star Theatre show times are 2pm and 4pm Thursdays to Tuesdays (Wednesdays by appointment). On sunny days, live video images of the Sun in Hydrogen Alpha light are projected onto a giant screen. At night viewing is through three Meade LX200 GPS 14" telescopes. They give special audio/visual presentations to schools and social groups and have full wheelchair and amenities access. Camping and cooking facilities are available on site. The roll off roof observation deck can seat up to 35 people at a time. They sell astro equipment and conduct a basic astronomy course once a year.
Address: Main Rd, Maidenwell Qld 4615Back to Contents
Springbrook National Park is only a 45-minute drive from Surfers Paradise. The observatory is open to the general public, astronomical groups, schools, and researchers by appointment. This facility has a C14 with Titan Robotic Mount, C11, 5.0", 4.5" refractor, CCD equipment, hydrogen alpha filter for solar prominence observation and sunspot viewing.
Address: 2337 Springbrook Road, Springbrook Qld 4213Back to Contents
Situated on Hamilton Island, the observatory is open to the public regularly during the dry months from April to November. Viewing is complimentary.
Address: PO Box 40, Hamilton Island Qld 4803Back to Contents
This world class planetarium is located in the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mt Coot-tha, at Toowong in Brisbane. Programs are presented in the Cosmic Skydome which has an artificial sky projected onto the interior of a 12.5m dome. The Planetarium has been upgraded and is equipped with both the traditional Zeiss Spacemaster projector and new digital planetarium systems installed in 2004 and 2007. All shows include a current night sky tour recreated in the Skydome. The display areas contain recently-updated astronomical and space items, short videos and space news updates run in two small theatres, and the shop has astronomical and educational products. The Planetarium observatory has a variety of telescopes and sessions must be pre-booked. School shows are also available during weekdays.
Address: Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha, Mt Coot-tha Rd, Toowong Qld 4066Back to Contents
Located in the heart of the northern Flinders Ranges, Arkaroola have a total of eleven Advanced Ecotourism accredited products including ridgetop, astronomy and waterhole tours. There are also many guided and unguided bushwalks. They have three astronomical observatories offering two Celestron 360mm and three Meade Maksutov-Cassegrain computer assisted telescopes. There are also three 'star chairs' with 20x80 astro binoculars, spare piers and wedges suitable for BYO telescopes and astrophotography/CCD equipment.
Address: Private Bag 106, Port Augusta SA 5710Back to Contents
The Heights School Observatory is located at the Heights School, Modbury, Adelaide. It was formed primarily for students of the school with an interest in astronomy, but anyone is encouraged to join. There are two main telescopes and a classroom. During the day solar observations are made.
Address: Brunel Drive, Modbury HeightsBack to Contents
Owned and operated by the Astronomical Society of South Australia (ASSA), Stockport Observatory is located in the small town of Stockport (6km north-east of Hamley Bridge) approximately 80km north of Adelaide. It provides a convenient astronomical facility away from the light pollution which surrounds Adelaide (population 1 million). Public star parties are held at Stockport in February, May, August and November. See web site for details.
Address: Observatory Road, Stockport SA 5410Back to Contents
The planetarium has sessions for primary/secondary schools as well as the general public. Sessions are by appointment only. An open to the public session is available on the first Saturday of the month at 2:45pm.
Address: University of South Australia, Building P, Mawson Lakes CampusBack to Contents
The recently constructed Woomera Observatory is a Woomera Board owned and operated facility. The main viewing telescope is a Celestron 14" f10 SCT CGE pier mounted in a 3.5m Sirius Dome. A large selection of eyepieces, focal reducers and T-adaptors are available to suit Nikon and Cannon. Their secondary telescope is a tripod mounted Meade 10" f8 SCT. The main building also has a theatrette with video projector and DVD player. Kitchen and toilet facilities are available.
Address: Cariwan St, or PO Box 191, Woomera SA 5720Back to Contents
The Planetarium, after being closed temporarily in 2008, will reopen at the Queen Victoria Museum's Inveresk Site, in Invermay Road, in mid-2009.
Address: Queen Victoria Museum, Invermay Road Launceston Tas 7250Back to Contents
The Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing at Swinburne University of Technology is offering public 3D tours through the Universe in the Virtual Reality theatre during school holidays.
Address: The Virtual Reality theatre is located on the ground floor of the AR building in room AR104.Back to Contents
The observatory contains three historic telescopes: The Jelbart (a 125mm refractor), the Oddie (a 220 mm Newtonian), the Baker Great Equatorial Telescope (a 650mm Newtonian, commissioned in 1886) and a 300mm Newtonian. The Adcock-Federation telescope (406mm Cassegrain-Springfield) has disabled-access. They are open every Friday and Saturday evening, (every night during school holidays) other times bookings are required. There are regular events at other times, updates on website. Astrotour 3D Movies are available in conjunction with Swinburne University of Technology.
Address: Cnr of Magpie and Cobden Street, Mount Pleasant, Ballarat EastBack to Contents
This is Australia's first digital planetarium and is at Scienceworks in Spotswood. The theatre seats 160 and produces shows for all ages. The planetarium is open seven days a week from 10am and runs special evening sessions in March.
Address: 2 Booker St, Spotswood Vic 3015Back to Contents
The historic Old Melbourne Observatory is located in the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. There is a Monday night program called the 'Southern Night Sky Experience' and a program focused on the moon, called 'Lunar Tours'. Bookings are essential for both programs. The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne has a visitor centre, function rooms, Observatory Café, Terrace Tearooms and a Gardens Shop.
Address: Birdwood Avenue, South Yarra Vic 3141Back to Contents
The observatory is situated in the Shire of Gingin, an hour north of Perth. Their main instrument is the 25 inch Brodie-Hall telescope. They have five other telescopes ranging from 11" to 16" as well as six pairs of binoculars. Also available for use are the amazing Sky Scouts from Celestron. They specialise in school programs and community groups.
Hours: See web site for costs and times.Back to Contents
Situated in the Darling Ranges, 40km inland from the West Coast, Perth Observatory conducts international standard astronomical research and wide ranging educational outreach activities.
Star Viewing Nights are conducted as part of the observatory's public education program, using a dedicated facility with several large telescopes, including the largest in regular public use in the Southern Hemisphere. The observatory also has transportable telescopes to conduct Astronomy Field Nights at remote sites.
Guided tours in the day time are also conducted and can include viewing of historical astronomical artefacts in our museum, a demonstration of the operation of old and new research telescopes, a safe view of the Sun with a dedicated solar telescope, and a general or specific astronomy computer presentation.
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This facility specialises in the presentation of astronomical information and the viewing of the night sky through their telescopes. The observatory is one and a half hours drive from Perth. The observatory is also the home of Fair Dinkum Skies, Robotic Telescope Facility, in affiliation with New Mexico Skies Observatories in the USA. The property is Sunarise, 25 Pingelly Heights Rd (off Aldersyde Road), Pingelly. Astro Ventures caters for schools, various community organisations and private parties on request.
Address: PO Box 512, Pingelly WA 6308Back to Contents