The New Snake Valley Astro Camp! March 20-22 2015

[barx1963]

The New Snake Valley Astro Camp! March 20-22 2015

20th March – 22nd March 2014
Booking in at the bottom of this page.
PLEASE NOTE: We have kept fees the same as past years, but we have introduced a membership/registration fee of $10. This enable attendees to be registered as members which makes situation clearer as far as any potential liability for injuries, damage etc.

3 nights of beautiful dark sky away from City glare.
- LIMITED TO 50 BOOKINGS ONLY PER NIGHT-
(plus casual visitors also welcome, if setting up gear a $5- fee will apply)

- The observing field has 240 volt mains Power
- There are 12 bunkhouses (from 2 to 8 bunks) and lots of camping space on the observing field.
- Caravans welcome.
- Hot showers & toilets in a caravan park style amenities block.
- Large dining room for about 60 people
- Recreation room (billiards, table tennis)
- Fully equipped kitchen with all cooking utensils, crockery, cutlery, fridges etc.
- Lake for swimming, fishing, canoeing etc.
- BBQ facilities
*Please note, Bunkhouses CANNOT be booked for one night only.
Exceptions are accepted if you are in a shared bunkhouse with others staying more than one night. Alternatively, the campsite is available for one night if that's all you can stay.

* Alcohol is allowed, but 'drunkenness' or use of illegal drugs will not be tolerated.
* Aerosols of any description (Aeroguard, deodorant etc) are TOTALLY BANNED on the observing field. Stray spray could (and has) permanently damage optics.
* Persons violating above rules will be asked to leave and will forfeit fees paid.
* We would prefer for the field to be smoke free, please consider those around you

Snake Valley Astronomy Camps are fun, low key social events. A white light ban is in force (as expected), but due to the nature of our camps, imagers and observers are all mixed in together having a great social astronomy experience.
Dim Red Lights (Red LED Head Torches, etc) are acceptable.

THE BUNKHOUSES
The 12 bunkhouses range from 2, 4, or 6 bunks up to several with 8 bunks (4 sets of upper and lower bunks).
They have mattresses, but no bed linen. You will need to supply your own sheets, blankets, doona's, and pillows. Or just throw a sleeping bag on the mattress.

CAMPING
The observing field/camping area is on a very gentle slope to assist drainage, bordered on the west by trees and the
road, and on the east by the lake. Plenty of room for a lot of people to camp and set up.
240v power is supplied.

SKY
Very dark. There is a faint light dome visible low in the east, coming from Ballarat, Melbourne and Geelong.
OTHER STUFF
A “Beginners Sky Tour” will be held on Saturday night
A Lucky Door Prize (1 years subscription to Australia Sky and Telescope) will be drawn on Saturday
Solar Observing during the day

COOKING
The kitchen is fully equipped.
All cutlery, cooking utensils, pots, pans, jugs, you name it, it's probably there!
Microwaves, grillers, enormous gas ovens and stove top, 3 fridge/freezers.
All you need is your food.

SHOPS
There are supplies available locally.
3k - Snake Valley General Store: Basic groceries, petrol etc
closes 12:00 Sat, shut Sunday
5k - Linton Store: Basic groceries, petrol, hot fish & chips, hamburgers etc.
Open 7 days till 8pm
12k - Smythesdale: Supermarket, petrol, shops.
Open 7 days
20 minutes - Ballarat

LOCAL SIGHTS: Nimmons Bridge, Computer Museum, Jubilee Gold Mine Historic Reserve, Sovereign Hill, etc.

FEES
(to allow more people to attend the camp some people may have to share a bunkhouse)
PLEASE NOTE: No booking will be regarded as firm until payment is made.

Membership fee (Compulsory for all staying overnight) $10

Bunkhouses (per person)*
2 nights $60.00
3 nights $80.00
Campsite (per person)
1 night $25.00
2 nights $50.00
3 nights $75.00
Children under 5 y.o. - free

Please book in by completing details on attached form. This is available in Word and PDF format. Please scan completed form and return to us via email along with a payment receipt (see below). The flyer referred to on the form refers to information in this post.

If you have any queries or would like assistance with your booking, I can be contacted via email on snakevalleyastrocamps@gmail.com or by PM.

Payment details:
BSB 063510
Account 10397720
Please include your name in the detail field when making a payment. If possible email a copy of the payment receipt to snakevalleyastrocamps@gmail.com


Hoping to see you all there,
Malcolm

[Big Dave]

No details about the Pav? Will be going.

[barx1963]

Dave
Re: The Pav, I have sent you a PM!!

Malcolm

[Jen]

:eyepop:
Yes yes yes I'm there :) woohoooo but hey We been ripped off a night dam it only 3 this time :/ lol mmm maybe I might take the Friday off and get there early so I can set up instead of my usual Friday night socialising hehehe
Is it March yet :)

[barx1963]

I any one would like to see some photos etc from previous camps, to get an idea what they were like, there are threads here
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=115764
and here
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=108952
Lots of photos and interesting chat!!

Malcolm

[Greenswale]

Totally looking forward to this one. Dark skies, beaut surroundings, that lake, grass, excellent company, lots of other people's stuff to play with, and easy accommodation.

Add in a new scope, simply bliss.

Is it March yet?

[barx1963]

Thanks for that Wren.
I have here some photos from past camps to give people a bit of an idea what it is like!!

Malcolm

[barx1963]

And some more!

[strongmanmike]

Have to say...does look like fun...hmmmm :question:

Mike

[Big Dave]

Should come along Mike.

[strongmanmike]

I was considering it but then noticed I couldn't really have the time off work either side of that particular weekend and didn't want to drive that far for one night :sadeyes:

I'd like to come though so I hope you get plenty of visitors this year and I'll have a look next year if you run it again :thumbsup:

Mike

[barx1963]

Mike
Thank you for your support, I will let you know when our next Camp will be, we would love to see lots of non Victorians there!

Malcolm

[inertia8]

I'll try and get to at least one night of this.

[barx1963]

Bookings so far

Malcolm
Paul Byron
Martin
Big Dave
Jamie Pole
Rowland
Wren
Andrew McCann

We have been told that the following are about to send in their paperwork
Paul Albers
Jen (of course)
Paddy
Niko
Daniel
John G

Is it March yet!!

Malcolm

[barx1963]

Bookings so far

Malcolm
Paul Byron
Martin
Big Dave
Jamie Pole
Rowland
Wren
Andrew McCann
Barry Coverdale
John G
Ken
Niko

We have been told that the following are about to send in their paperwork
Paul Albers
Jen (of course)
Paddy
Daniel
Bo
Paul (Bluestar)
Fergus (inertia8) hopefully!
Matt T

So numbers are building, we have a few others who are interested, just waiting to hear.

For any that haven't been before I have attached a map of the local area showing the location.

Is it March yet!!

Malcolm

[danielsun]

Hey Malcolm, I will have my form and payment in shortly.
Looks like the Mrs and two boys may be coming along for this one too.:thumbsup:
and good to see the map is slightly more to scale than the previous ones!:lol:
Looking forward to it!!



Cheers Daniel.

[barx1963]

Good to hear Daniel!!

Just to update the list
Malcolm
Paul Byron
Martin
Big Dave
Jamie Pole
Rowland
Wren
Andrew McCann
Barry Coverdale
John G
Niko
Rodney Doig
Ken (nico13)
Bo and Ryan

We have been told that the following are about to send in their paperwork
Paul Albers
Jen (of course)
Paddy
Daniel
Paul (Bluestar)
Fergus (inertia8) hopefully!
Matt T

[traveller]

Great to hear Daniel,
I was a bit worried my son will have to stick around with his dad all the time :lol:
Bo

[barx1963]

Woops, just realised I had put Ken (nico13) down twice!!
Sorry.

Malcolm

[grasshopper]

Hi Malcolm,

Blake would love to come along on the Saturday night so please count me, my husband and Blake in! :) We will arrange our own accommodation in Ballarat as discussed.

This will only be the 2nd astro event we have been to so I hope none of you bite!! ;) :lol:

Cheers,
Tara

[barx1963]

For those not so good with maps, attached are a couple of sheets with driving instructions from Melbourne and Geelong.
And for those with GPS, the co-ordinates are 37deg, 38' 25" S and 143deg 35' 22" E


Malcolm

[barx1963]

Another update
Malcolm
Paul Byron
Martin
Big Dave
Jamie Pole
Rowland
Wren
Andrew McCann
Barry Coverdale
John G
Niko
Rodney Doig
Ken (nico13)
Bo and Ryan
Tara (grasshopper) and Blake (casual, not staying overnight)

We have been told that the following are about to send in their paperwork
Paul Albers
Jen (of course)
Paddy
Daniel
Paul (Bluestar)
Fergus (inertia8) hopefully!
Matt T
Paul Fitzgerald, Alex and Steve

Malcolm

[Jen]

:) :)

[barx1963]

There are only 4 cabins left!!
1 x 2 Berth
2 x 4 Berth
1 x 6 Berth

So if looking for a cabin book in soon or you may have to share!

Malcolm

[Jen]

:eyepop: One cabin for Drew and I please :) I will fill out the paperwork tonight :)

[Jen]

Is it March yet ?
:) :) :)

[danielsun]

Sent everything through today, so the four of us may have snapped up one of the large remaining cabins. :D :P

Hey Bo and Jen, great to hear your boys are coming too! :thumbsup:

[barx1963]

Jen
Pencilled in!!

Malcolm

PS 18 days to go and it is March!!:D

[barx1963]

Some more bookings coming in. I have checked with Andrew who owns the site and he tells me one of the 4 berth cabins is actually a 6,
However at this stage I only have 2 cabins each with 6 berths left.

I will update the list of attendees tonight. If anyone is interested or willing to share, please let know.

Malcolm

[The_bluester]

Payment and form sent.

Better go get myself a battery setup. I prefer that to working off 240V in possible dew for safety reasons.

I might just pinch the battery out of my project car, it is big enough that even a night on the heaters for the SCT should not over discharge it, and it is old enough not to worry me too much anyway.

[barx1963]

Thanks Paul
Bookings so far are
Malcolm
Paul Byron
Martin
Big Dave
Jamie Pole
Rowland
Wren
Andrew McCann
Barry Coverdale
John G
Niko
Rodney Doig
Ken (nico13)
Bo and Ryan
Tara (grasshopper) and Blake (casual, not staying overnight)
Jen and Drew
Daniel, and his family!
Paul (Bluestar)
Andrew Campbell
Paul Fitzgerald
Steve Fleming
Alex Leahy

We have been told that the following are about to send in their paperwork
Paul Albers
Paddy
Fergus (inertia8) hopefully!
Matt T
Alistair (alistairsam)

So it is looking good!

At this point, I think I would like to say thank you to all the people that have booked in. Really it has been quite humbling and the group of us that are putting this together are really pleased that we are able to put this on.

[Forgey]

I'm coming Malcom for friday and saturday so 2 nights will get paperwork and payment sent shortly.
Also will bunk with BigDave and Jamie as per previous camps.

[barx1963]

No worries Paula. I had put Dave and Jamie in an 8 bunk room so lots of room. They had said Paul Albers was coming, or at least they mentioned they were wanting to share with him also. Do you know if he is coming?

Cheers

Malcolm

[Andy01]

Just checking, there's on site 240v power on the imaging field?
Cheers
Andy

[barx1963]

Andy
Yes there will be. Basically what we do is run leads out from the camp area on to the field. Plan is to enclose all the boards used to distribute the power in weatherproof boxes.

I am planning to head to the site shortly to do some measuring to ensure we have sufficient leads.

Cheers

Malcolm

[The_bluester]

Just waiting to hear back, might have another two to come in the bunkhouse room with the two of us already booked. Fill it up a bit better

[Jen]

Ohhhh yes we are filling up nicely woohoooo :)
:cool::cool::cool:

[barx1963]

Jen, it's not looking bad. Here is the current list

Malcolm
Paul Byron
Martin
Big Dave
Jamie Pole
Rowland
Wren
Andrew McCann
Barry Coverdale
John G
Niko
Rodney Doig
Ken (nico13)
Bo and Ryan
Tara (grasshopper) and Blake (casual, not staying overnight)
Jen and Drew
Daniel, and his family!
Paul (Bluestar)
Andrew Campbell
Paul Fitzgerald
Steve Fleming
Alex Leahy
Paddy

We have been told that the following are about to send in their paperwork
Paul Albers
Fergus (inertia8) hopefully!
Matt T
Alistair (alistairsam)

[byronpaul]

Hi all,

great to see a good mix of the regulars, some others who've attended past Snake Valley camps, plus some newbies.

Not long to go now .... surprised Jen hasn't started the no of sleeps countdown

Paul

[Paddy]

Oooh! It's not long til March!

[barx1963]

Yep it's getting closer. At this stage the cabins appear to be full. Barry has said he is willing to camp to free up a cabin. I would do the same but I am not sure I can squeeze a tent in with the other stuff I am bringing!!
To date we have 32 total attendees. 3 are only visiting on the Saturday.
There are a few others still coming that we are waiting on final paperwork and confirmation.

Malcolm
Paul Byron
Martin
Big Dave
Jamie Pole
Rowland
Wren
Andrew McCann
Barry Coverdale
John G
Niko
Rodney Doig
Ken (nico13)
Bo and Ryan
Tara (grasshopper) and husband and Blake (casual, not staying overnight)
Jen and Drew
Daniel, and his family!
Paul (Bluestar)
Andrew Campbell
Paul Fitzgerald
Steve Fleming
Alex Leahy
Paddy
Warren and Pamela Maag

We have been told that the following are about to send in their paperwork
Fergus (inertia8) hopefully!
Matt T
Alistair (alistairsam)
Paula

[supernova1965]

I am bringing my Russian SCT on my celestron 5se mount that I hope to sell or trade for a good Nikon lense that is good for widefield I also have a celestron powertank to sweeten the deal that has the foriegn plug untested as yet but will try charging on the trip to snake valley with the 12 volt cable.

[Jen]

:cool::cool:

[barx1963]

The New SV Camp starts in one month today!

Malcolm

[The_bluester]

Really looking forward to it. I have not managed a star party or astro camp in about two years.

[SimmoW]

Count Uri Abraham and me, Simon Waters , in! I'll send off the region form this week.

Any accommodation left? Bunkhouses preferred ?

Thanks, sounds fun.

[barx1963]

Simmo. Welcome aboard!
The bunkhouse situation is officially tight. At this stage we should be OK. I will do a quick check of the cabins over the weekend just to make sure we can all squeeze in!!

Cheers

Malcolm

[barx1963]

Updated List

Malcolm
Paul Byron
Martin
Big Dave
Jamie Pole
Rowland
Wren
Andrew McCann
Barry Coverdale
John G
Niko
Rodney Doig
Ken (nico13)
Bo and Ryan
Tara (grasshopper) and husband and Blake (casual, not staying overnight)
Jen and Drew
Daniel, and his family!
Paul (Bluestar)
Andrew Campbell
Paul Fitzgerald
Steve Fleming
Alex Leahy
Paddy
Warren and Pamela Maag
Alistair (alistairsam)

We have been told that the following are about to send in their paperwork
Fergus (inertia8) hopefully!
Matt T
Paula
Simon Walters
Uri Abraham

[barx1963]

Hi all
As you may be aware we have reasonably good bookings. Confirmed and paid bookings are for 30 staying on Friday and Saturday nights and 12 staying on the Sunday night. I hope these numbers will improve as we have several others who have indicated they are coming but yet to send paperwork, and some others have indicated interest.

The issue that has come up is in regard to the Monday night. Initially when I booked the camp I only booked the 3 nights. This was largely because the Monday has always been the least attended night (but often the best skies!!) and it costs close to $400 to book the extra night regardless of how many people attend. In effect that means that the people staying shorter terms would be subsidising those staying for Monday night, or the cost per head would be prohibitive for that night.

The good news is we have enough people booked and paid that we think it is a goer for the Monday IF! (and this is a big if!) we have say 8 people attending. If the extra cost was say $25 per head for that night, the difference could be made out of the small surplus we have now. The other thing to be aware of is that we will have to do any clean up on the Tuesday morning rather than the Monday. I should be able to come up and assist, although I may also attend the Monday night, but it will be largely up to those there to help out with final clean up.

The big question is, are you interested in the Monday night? We will have to make a reasonably quick decision, as I need to let the site owners know within a couple of weeks.

I will be posting the same info on IIS and also in the Yahoo group, so if you see this multiple times, sorry, just trying to make sure no-one misses out!

On another matter, some have asked about the power supply to the observing field. I have gone out today and purchased a number of weatherproof boxes used for holding power boards and a quantity of extension leads. We already have access to a couple of 20m and a 30m (thank Wren) leads so there should be plenty of power.

Cheers

Malcolm

[Jen]

Cmon guys I'm in for an extra night :) we all know that's always the best night hehehehe :) and I need an extra day of learning how to use stoopid photoshop lol lol :)

[danielsun]

I would normally be up for all nights if I could but unfortunately this time round can only do the two. :(
As we all know it's usually the last two nights that are always the best.

[barx1963]

Updated List

Malcolm
Paul Byron
Martin
Big Dave
Jamie Pole
Rowland
Wren
Andrew McCann
Barry Coverdale
John G
Niko
Rodney Doig
Ken (nico13)
Bo and Ryan
Tara (grasshopper) and husband and Blake (casual, not staying overnight)
Jen and Drew
Daniel, and his family!
Paul (Bluestar)
Andrew Campbell
Paul Fitzgerald
Steve Fleming
Alex Leahy
Paddy
Warren and Pamela Maag
Alistair (alistairsam)
Neale Walters
Bob & Peter Halsall

We have been told that the following are about to send in their paperwork
Fergus (inertia8) hopefully!
Matt T
Paula
Simon Walters
Uri Abraham


Malcolm

[Jen]

Oh no drew is not going to be happy about that one :(

[Jen]

C'mon guys take another day off work :) :)
Monday nights are the best hehe :)

[barx1963]

Hi guys
Just to whet everyone's appetites, or at least those of us on the visual side of things, at this stage I believe the dobs that will be attending include a 24", my 20", Pauls 18", Paddy' "big" 16" and a couple of 12"s. There may be others but those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

If anyone knows of interesting gear that may be coming along, let us all know!

Haven't had much response, despite Jen's imploring to the Monday night proposal. If you are interested, please speak up.

With the cabin situation, I believe Simmo and Uri are only staying 1 night so have decided to camp instead, so I have a cabin free that Barry had originally booked. Barry is happy to camp, but if it isn't taken up he can pop back in there.

Only three weeks to go and in 3 days it will be March!!:D

Malcolm

[Jen]

Yeah johnny the 12" dobbie will be there cause I've claimed the hubbies ute again yayyyyyy :) :) it's now the astro car lol lol :D

Yeah c'mon guys we need more Monday night peeps I have lots to learn this camp and with four clear nights there won't be a lot if sleeping :) :)
Please please don't make me go to work on Tuesday :P

Omg it's nearly march wooohoooo :)

[The_bluester]

I would love to extend out to do the Sunday and Monday nights but I can't really afford the leave from work.

[barx1963]

Updated List

Malcolm
Paul Byron
Martin
Big Dave
Jamie Pole
Rowland
Wren
Andrew McCann
Barry Coverdale
John G
Niko
Rodney Doig
Ken (nico13)
Bo and Ryan
Tara (grasshopper) and husband and Blake (casual, not staying overnight)
Jen and Drew
Daniel, and his family!
Paul (Bluestar)
Andrew Campbell
Paul Fitzgerald
Steve Fleming
Alex Leahy
Paddy
Warren and Pamela Maag
Alistair (alistairsam)
Neale Walters
Bob & Peter Halsall
Simon Walters
Uri Abraham

We have been told that the following are about to send in their paperwork
Fergus (inertia8) hopefully!
Matt T
Paula

[SimmoW]

Sent The forms and payment today Malcolm, so add Uri and I to the list! Really looking forward to it.

[Greenswale]

Hey Jen,

Are you gonna paint the ute purple????!!!

[barx1963]

Thanks Simmo!

Malcolm

[Jen]

:rolleyes::rolleyes:
Ummmm the thought of that sounds like an awesome idea but I think I would be pushing my luck there Wren hahaha ;)

Hey it's finally March woohooooo :) :)
20 more sleeps :) see you all soon

[barx1963]

Jen
I was awaiting your purple prose suggesting that March had finally arrived!!

Malcolm

[dmurton]

I only just saw this. I'm in, plus one extra as well. If there is a bunk for us, it would be brilliant. It will be great to catch up with everyone.

Dave

[barx1963]

David
Thanks for booking into the camp. To confirm your booking, just fill out the forms attached to the first post in the camp thread and make the deposit.

Welcome aboard!

Cheers

Malcolm

[Jen]

Woohoooo 2 weeks to go :)
:cool::cool::cool:

[barx1963]

Updated List
At this stage I think we are up to 44 booked in. All the cabins are now occupied assuming I get confirmation of the latest booking.
I will be doing a full reconciliation this weekend of all the bookings over the weekend to make sure I have accurate numbers.
On another note, we had a small mention in te latest edition of Aust S&T which arrived at my local newsagent today. (Thank you Jonathon, the new editor, for finding time to get us in at short notice!)

Malcolm
Paul Byron
Martin
Big Dave
Jamie Pole
Rowland
Wren
Andrew McCann
Barry Coverdale
John G
Niko
Rodney Doig
Ken (nico13)
Bo and Ryan
Tara (grasshopper) and husband and Blake (casual, not staying overnight)
Jen and Drew
Daniel, and his family!
Paul (Bluestar)
Andrew Campbell
Paul Fitzgerald
Steve Fleming
Alex Leahy
Paddy
Warren and Pamela Maag
Alistair (alistairsam)
Neale Walters
Bob & Peter Halsall
Simon Walters
Uri Abraham
Thomas Phan x2

We have been told that the following are about to send in their paperwork
Fergus (inertia8) hopefully!
Paula
David Murton x2

[The_bluester]

I am waiting to hear back but a mate of mine who was previously tied up on the weekend might be able to come now. I warned him if you top the 50 mark he will be out of luck, but there bunk space available with Andy and I if he does come. If he swings it, I will get him to note on his form that he would be bunking with us.

Here is hoping for great weather, it has been a very long couple of weeks at work and I am really looking forward to a brain break.

[barx1963]

OK I have done the reconciliation of bookings and we have 44. Paul(bluestar) has another that we are waiting on, David Murton and John (sorry don't have a surname yet) are about to book but I have included in the numbers as they are regulars, and Jen tells me Paula will book soon.

The other thing I have to raise is unfortunately the Monday night is not really viable at this stage. Several attendees who normally would do it are unable to this year and it meant it would only be 3 or 4 that night, which apart from the cost issue means that safety becomes an issue and it leaves a lot of work at the final clean up to very few. I have contacted those who expressed definite interest personally to let them know.

The updated list as at tonight is:

Malcolm
Paul Byron
Martin
Big Dave
Jamie Pole
Rowland
Wren
Andrew McCann
Barry Coverdale
John G
Niko
Rodney Doig
Ken (nico13)
Bo and Ryan
Tara (grasshopper) and husband and Blake (casual, not staying overnight)
Jen and Drew
Daniel, and his family!
Paul (Bluestar)
Andrew Campbell
Paul Fitzgerald
Steve Fleming
Alex Leahy
Paddy
Warren and Pamela Maag
Alistair (alistairsam)
Neale Walters
Bob & Peter Halsall
Simon Waters
Uri Abraham
Thomas Phan x2
Rodd Westwood

We have been told that the following are about to send in their paperwork
Paula
David Murton x2
Grant and Adrian

[traveller]

Thanks Malcolm and Paul for your hard work.
Looking forward to catching up with some familiar faces and meeting some new ones.
Cheers
Bo

[byronpaul]

Yes Bo,

it's all coming together nicely.

We're going to have a great crowd and plenty of gear on the field to check out the wonders of the night sky .... and let's not forget all the Solar Scopes that will be pointed at our closest Star during the day.

Can't wait to catch up with the regulars, meet some new people, and do what Snake Valley does best!!!!

Only 10 sleeps to go.

[rcheshire]

Malcolm. Count me in for Monday night.

Again thanks to all for all the hard work.

Regards,

Rowland.

[Jen]

:party::party::party:
One week to go wooohooooo :)

[barx1963]

Yes that's right, actually less than a week to go.
Over the next week, there may be times I will be out of contact, so if you don't hear back from me on any questions, requests, concerns, please be patient.
I can be contacted on my home phone on 03 52313048, on my mobile 0448 567187, emails at snakevalleyastrocamps@gmail.com or my personal email on barx@iprimus.com.au. Please do not send emails after Friday morning as I will not have any easy way to retrieve them. Best bet is to ring on my mobile. from Friday morning onwards.

Don't forget, if staying in cabins, BRING BEDDING!!

One thought that occurred to me, with over 40 staying and the majority males, there are only 3 shower stalls in the men's block. Please be considerate of others and try not to take looooong showers during the camp. Similarly with the kitchen facilities. this year we have no Saturday feast so all meals will be self catering. As such, when planning meals, try to go for something that is quick and easy to cook so everyone gets a fair go on the stove. Also please wash up and put away your dishes as you go.
We will be supplying tea (teabags) and coffee (Nescafe only, sorry to any coffee afficianodos out there) and sugar, but please bring your own milk.

Cheers

Malcolm

[pfitzgerald]

Does that include pillows Malcolm?

Paul

[Jen]

Yep bring ya pillow :)

[barx1963]

Yep, the cabins are basic, just a mattress.

Malcolm

[pfitzgerald]

Thanks Jen/Malcolm

The gear is all packed - just waiting for Friday now. See you guys then.

Paul

[The_bluester]

Can't wait. Accuweather looks pretty promising at the moment for at least two of the three days, hopefully that firms up rather than changing.

I am busy building myself a battery box for the event. One box with a larger and a smaller battery inside and separate lighter sockets in the side. One for the mount and one for heaters. Next month I will probably add digital voltmeters to monitor battery condition and a USB charging port to the mix. Maybe some smart switching to allow me to supply either port from either battery if required so if one is failing and the other still good I can change over without de powering things. It will take a bit of thought on that one I think and a diode arrangement so that you can switch both batteries to one output temporarily without the better battery dumping current into the discharged one.

[JohnG]

Malcolm

Has anyone thought to include a long extension ladder to disable the Flood Light..

Cheers

[Jen]

We going to watch you climb up there john hehe :)

[Jen]

Ok I'm half packed :) I don't know how I ever got this stuff in my little car :) four more sleeps :) woohooo
179008

[pfitzgerald]

Friday night has two visible ISS transits and Saturday one - here's hoping for a couple of clear nights.

Paul

[JohnG]

Again.....:lol:

[traveller]

Guess sling shot comp is out of the question :P

[Jen]

Hehe well Drew is bringing the live entertainment he has restrung his favourite guitar :)

[The_bluester]

Sounding like an excellent weekend coming.

I keep meaning to ask, I know there are no fridges in the bunkhouses but is there 240V for battery chargers etc?

[Jen]

Yep there is plenty of power around the place to charge things up etc and there is also three fridges in the kitchen that you can put your food and drinks in :)
Some cabins do have power points in them but not all of them :)

[The_bluester]

Luck of the draw then, see how we go.

[barx1963]

I've never had an issue finding a free power point as there are several in the dining room and kitchen.

Cheers

Malcolm

[barx1963]

Yes John.
I have organised it.

Cheers

Malcolm

[The_bluester]

All good, we will manage, seriously thinking about bringing my coffee maker, I function much better with a nice brew in me! We will find somewhere to plug it in.

[Jen]

Yep go for it we have had coffee machines brought in at previous camps there is plenty of room in the kitchen for one :)

[The_bluester]

Mine is only a little tacker so it won't eat much room.

[Jen]

As long as it comes with chocolate and marshmallows hehehe ;)

[The_bluester]

Order noted. Perhaps I had better but another brick of coffee.

I never usually worry about dusting the chocolate on.

[JohnG]

:thumbsup:

[mtfreestyler]

Hey guys,
I'm thinking of joining you all on the Saturday night with my girlfriend and we were going to be camping overnight too.

This is all dependant on the seeing conditions though so will we be able to pay once we arrive?

[mccann73]

Hi all

Looking forward to this weekend!! What time does everyone start arriving on Friday, I have a half day and want to try get out of Melbourne before the peak hour craziness starts and have some extra time to remember how to put up my tent again!

Cheers
Andrew

[barx1963]

I am planning to leave home between 9 and 10am and it usually takes a bit over an hour to get there, although I travel slow with all the gear on board!
Paul, Barry and a few others should be there about midday.

Cheers

Malcolm

[traveller]

Feeling excited. Is it friday yet :lol:
Also, is anyone planning to bring one of those woollies coffee pod machines? I have some pods and a machine, but we may want to just have one machine to share and byo pods.
Bo

[Greenswale]

I will bring an Aldi pod machine, and lots of pods. Free (Ahem!!!) for anyone to use, but users might make a coin donation to the club? Only does black coffee, no sooky lah-lah milky stuff.

Will arrive a bit after lunch, Friday.

[barx1963]

Sounds like there could be some serious coffee overdoses happening!!:eyepop::cool::rundog:

Malcolm

[JohnG]

You better keep a constant supply to the purple one if I am to teach her Photoshop :lol: :rofl:

[barx1963]

Hmmm... I would have thought less caffeine would make her sit still and concentrate!!

[Jen]

Hahaha you guys are very funny :rofl: :rofl:
I can sit still for a little while :rolleyes: :lol: when I'm sleeping :P
Oh and just for the record Jen doesn't drink coffee at all lol lol ewwww it's yucky but I will eat the marshmallows and chocolate hehe :D

[Jen]

I think you are going to need a constant supply to put up with me buahahaha :rofl: :rofl:

[JohnG]

:lol: Lucky I have my hair short, don't have to pull it out... Looking forward to the challenge.. :thumbsup:

[dmurton]

Wren,

Just don't leave your coffee gear behind again!

David

[john.pullen1]

Just checking that I am on your list David Murton was booking for both of us, I am the John without a surname , you referred, I am the one and only John Pullen.

I have been the last 3 camps and its a fantastic weekend.

Can you confirm?

John .

[barx1963]

Yes John, you are booked in. I will update the list tonight.

Malcolm

[SimmoW]

Looking forward to Friday!!

Hey Malcolm, is there a microwave oven there? I tend to live on such meals when at the ASV site, so don't want to be red faced if there's no MW!

Simon

[barx1963]

Yes, there are 2 microwaves. The kitchen is much better than the facilities at Heathcote, besides the microwaves, there are 3 large fridges, a large gas stove, plenty of crockery, cutlery and utensils. Also toasters and kettles.
Some of the pots and pans are a bit battered but work fine.

Malcolm

[byronpaul]

Getting close now :D

Looks like a lot of people are well on the way with packing and remembering the key inclusions like ...... Coffee !@#!@#

Going to be a great crowd, with lots of good kit along. Guess some of the "boys" will also be bringing along some of their RC toys for daytime amusement as well.

For those new to Snake Valley camps, the atmosphere is very relaxed and lots of laughter to be had ..... usually at the expense of somebody else having a dah moment :lol::lol::lol:

Whilst we want to avoid white light at night, nobody it terribly precious about the separation of visual from imaging and you're free to set-up as you wish.

Typically, imagers are closer to the Rec Hall to avoid long power runs to the bottom of the field, and Dob Corner is usually toward the bottom of the field but we don't usually have power down there as we are all on batteries. The field itself is probably about 100m x 75m so there's plenty of room.

There's going to be plenty of Solar gear along as well including Malcolm's newly acquired double stacked Lunt, which along with Patrick's Double stacked kit, and a bunch of other Solar scopes, we are going to have some great daytime viewing to do.

Whilst it looks like Jen's already stitched up some of JohnG's time to teach her Photoshop, we have plenty of imaging and visual expertise onhand should any newbies want to maximise the opportunity to pick up tips and advise.

We also have a lot of both day and night Photography expertise in attendance, so make sure you pack your camera kit for some stunning wide fields or timelapse.

As the happy one from Swan Hill would say ..... only 3 sleeps to go .....

[The_bluester]

Make that two!

It has been a pretty high stress couple of months at work. I am really looking forward to a couple of relaxing nights under the stars.

Accuweather still looks good for at least Friday and Saturday nights and reasonably good for those staying Sunday night.

[The_bluester]

Went out and bought myself a bit more gear today. I have always been doubtful on the ability of my batteries to get through the night if I need the heaters (My Kendrick controller seems pretty twitchy about it's cutoff point)

Out with one battery in my battery box and in with a 13.8V lab supply to keep the battery I will leave in there charged up and to supply all the gear. I see about 6A max between heaters and slewing on both axes so I expect my 12A continuous rated supply to be ample. The battery can float me over any power interruptions and add some filtration to the output.

[Jen]

:cool::cool::cool:
2 more sleeps woohoooo
Drive safe everyone see you soon :)

[barx1963]

Ok time to update the list of attendees. Paula is now unable to attend and Daniel is only bringing one son not the entire family.

Malcolm
Paul Byron
Martin
Big Dave
Jamie Pole
Rowland
Wren
Andrew McCann
Barry Coverdale
John G
Niko
Rodney Doig
Ken (nico13)
Bo and Ryan
Tara (grasshopper) and husband and Blake (casual, not staying overnight)
Jen and Drew
Daniel, and his son
Paul (Bluester)
Andrew Campbell
Paul Fitzgerald
Steve Fleming
Alex Leahy
Paddy
Warren and Pamela Maag
Alistair (alistairsam)
Neale Walters
Bob & Peter Halsall
Simon Waters
Uri Abrahams
Trac Phan
Hang Tran
Rodd Westwood
David Murton
John Pullen
Grant McKechnie
Adrian Sozio

Which makes a total of 43. I have also had contact from a Bill Yeo who is with the ASWA and is hoping to be able to make it to camp and a Gerald Bristow who may come on the Sunday

All good at this stage!!

Malcolm

[Mckechg]

Whats Phone Service like out there?

[Exfso]

Last time I went a couple of years ago it was ok with Telstra, but forget the rest, might have changed now...:shrug:

[Jen]

I'm with telstra and have never had a problem, but i think Optus is a little dodgy out there :) and well vodaphone forget it lol lol :rolleyes:

[erick]

Have a great weekend, folks! :hi:

[The_bluester]

In before Jen. One more sleep! (Not stealing the purple though)

Jen, I have been trying to figure it out, did we meet once on a SV club night a couple of years ago? Would have been a January or February club night.

[niko]

thanks Dr Eric - nice to know you're thinking of us

[Forgey]

Have a great time everyone, will miss u all. Jen try not to get into too much trouble without me lol

[Jen]

Erick a blast from the past :) when are you coming back :)

[Jen]

Yep we sure did Paul :) yep that's me there is only one purple Jen around here :lol: thank god everyone says hahaha :)

[Jen]

Paula I will try to behave :) but I'm not making any promises hehe I'm having some photoshop masterclasses this weekend so we will see how this pans out hehehe poor poor john :) my head hurts already just thinking about photoshop lmfao :) but I do love a challenge bring it on I say I've got some magical imaging I wanna do :) watch this space lol :D:D:P

[Jen]

Well.....no more sleeps if your anything like me and pull an all nighter tonight also because I'm too busy packing and being all excited and stuff Hahahaha :)
:rofl::rofl:
:D

[The_bluester]

Funny enough, I usually do better with voices than faces after astro nights. Damn dark!

See everybody tomorrow. Andrew and I hope to land at about 5 or so.

[barx1963]

Hey Erick.
Sorry you cannot be there. Hope you get out this weekend to the Negev or at least away from the lights and catch some photons!!

Cheers

Malcolm

[The_bluester]

It is a small world, I was just speaking to a contractor who does work for me in SA and it turns out he met someone a week or so ago who was looking at coming over for SVAC!

[Hagar]

The time is now very near. I hope you all have a great time and get some great weather.

Clear skies.

[Akwestland]

We are so envious of all the people that are heading off for this gathering.

We were hoping to attend, but the timings have not worked this time. We are hoping to be with you all looking skyward over the weekend if we can get some clear skies from our dark site here.

Lets hope that everyone has a safe trip and that all have a fantastic time at such a great event.

Cheers,
Andrew & Kim.

[barx1963]

Thanks Doug, Andrew and Kim for your wishes.

Must confess I am getting a tad nervous given this is the first camp I have had a hand in organising. But with the great bunch we have coming I am sure it will all work out.

See you all up there!

Malcolm

[RB]

Clear Skies to all at Snake Valley.
Safe travels and good luck on your first one Malcolm!

RB

[traveller]

See you all tomorrow around 6, drive safely.

[Nico13]

Thanks Malcolm to you and all the others who have had a hand in getting this together. :thumbsup:
See you all tomorrow. :D

[Jen]

:eyepop: it's today, it's today :D :D
Jens doing the happy dance
:party::party::party:

[barx1963]

Love it Jen
Well I'm all packed. Don't know how I squeeze all the gear in "Clarence the Captiva" but managed it. They tell me that one of the advantages of visual observing is you don't have to drag as much gear around as imagers.:shrug:

Anyway, just to let you know I will only be contactable by mobile once I leave so any last minute requests, complaints, etc will have to be made on 0448 567 187 .

See you all up there.

Clear skies and steady seeing!!
Malcolm

[The_bluester]

Just about packed, see everyone there.

Safe travels. And I hope the SV sky looks as good tonight as the Kilmore sky does right now.

[supernova1965]

Great first night just walking around and meeting everyone

[mtfreestyler]

Hey guys,

Since it is my first time joining you in Snake Valley what is the best way to get there from Melbourne?

[supernova1965]

If you put Crystal Lake cabins in your GPS that should get you here

[supernova1965]

Saturday Morning pano

[grasshopper]

Arghhhh! The weather in Melbs is looking pretty brilliant right now, so I am hoping it is the same for those of you up at the camp. We were hoping to make it up just for a few hours tonight but due to unforseen circumstances it wasn't possible to get there early enough - unless we left right now, but we wouldn't get there until 8:30pm. *Me* says "lets do it" but *responsible me* with 2 young kids says "pour yourself another glass of wine" and wait to hear the reports from everyone else about how amazing it was, and see some of the photos from the astrophotogs and then kick myself for not being able to make it. We'll be taking young Blakey (and possibly little cheeky Sadie if she isn't in bed!) out into the front garden for some viewing tonight instead (hardly the same though!).

Have a wonderful time guys - I really look forward to hearing how the camp goes, and I hope that I get to meet you all at an event sometime soon x

[supernova1965]

Misty Sunday Morning on Crystal Lake

[pfitzgerald]

Just got back from Snake Valley Astro Camp - and a huge thank you to Malcolm and the organising crew - it was a fantastic weekend - especially for a 'newbie'.

Alex, Steve and I were all made to feel welcome by Malcolm and from what understand were many of the 'old hands'. Being able to look through the solar scopes (Thanks Patrick et al) and the large Dobs on Saturday was much appreciated - I think that in future I'll be well and truly hooked on solar observing!

The weather was kind, the fellowship warm and the accommodation etc. 'just right' (albeit a tad rustic ;-)). I will definitely be going on the next one if work and family circumstances allow.

Thank you all once again.

Paul

[traveller]

Yes, agree with Warren and Paul (sorry I didn't get a chance for a proper chat with you).
Wonderful weather, wonderful company and wonderful eye candies scattered around the field.
Thanks to Malcolm, Paul and the other "old hands" for pulling off this successful camp. Waiting for the photos and time lapses.
Cheers
Bo

[Mckechg]

Hi All,

home after 2 nights at SV. All I can say - what a brilliant bunch of folks, warm and welcoming to the NEVAS crew. (even if we accidentally laid our scopes out like we were circling the wagons as it was described.

The 2am chats with folk over a cuppa trying to warm up, the advice (which was welcome) the weather, the and the facilities were great.

Thank you Malcolm for organising such a great event. (and others if involved)

We will surely be back if you want us :-)

Grant

[pfitzgerald]

No problem Bo - we'll catch up in person eventually!

Paul

[danielsun]

Well Just got back from another 2 great nights at Snake Valley, really wish I could have stayed longer but it was a ripper time!!
As usual was great to catch up with our regular bunch and great to meet lots of new ones and putting faces to names.:thumbsup:
Also great that the weather was kind to us this time around with some nice dark clear skies.
Had a great night Saturday night with Malcolms ,Patricks and Pauls big Dob sky tour. Really enjoyed having a visual and the spectacular views through these big beasts!!:eyepop:
A big thanks to Malcolm, Paul (Byronpaul) ,Barry and others that helped keep this great camp going. It was well organized and another complete success!
Looking forward to November.:thumbsup: :)

A few pics....

[danielsun]

And a few more pics...

[Andy01]

That was an awesome weekend! 2 perfect clear nights and a great turnout in a very relaxed environment. Bring on the next one in Nov. Btw VicSouth is on nov 6-9 and new moon is Nov 12 so maybe the following weekend?
Cheers and thanks to all the organizers for a great job well done
Andy

[barx1963]

Hi guys and girls.
I am at home at the moment but will be popping back to SV in the morning. I am not going to ramble on, but a few comments are in order. Firstly, great camps don't just happen, they work because those attending get into the spirit of the weekend and commit to making it great. No matter what I, Paul, Niko and Barry did, if you guys don't show up and participate, it means nothing.
Secondly, thanks for being so positive when we had our discussion on the Sat arvo, great to hear such constructive ideas and feedback.
Thirdly, to the "newbies". Welcome to the SV community. Without new blood, groups and camps will die, so entering into the occasion by you guys was a shot in the arm. I would especially like to mention Pamela Maag and Warren Maag who turned up and were kind enough to put on a cheese platter and snack on the Saturday afternoon. Enabled a lot of us to not worry about cooking that night and a great way to mix.

That's about all I can think of right now as I am slightly brain dead, so I will put up some more comprehensive stuff later.

Cheers

Malcolm

[The_bluester]

And another one to add a thank you from an SVAC newbie. I had been looking forward to a relaxing weekend for quite a while and it really was that. Thanks to the organising committee for getting it back off the ground, and thankfully the weather was great for at least two of the three nights.

It was great to have a peer through some really big dobs on Saturday night and see a few of my "usual suspect" targets in a new light with some serious aperture, and to bag the Horsehead! I really doubt I will be able to see that from home with my C925 but I might get an appropriate filter and have a crack anyway, my skies are not far off SV so it might be possible.

Thanks to all the camp attendees as well for a great and social time.

I am not sure I will be able to make another camp this year but I actually expect to be on long service leave this time next year, so pencil me in for that one already.

[croweater]

Hi crew, I'd just like to add my wife Kerry and I to the thanks list. We drove over from Millicent, S.A., booked a room in Ballarat and then went out to your camp on Saturday night Big thanks to Bo for showing us around when we arrived and letting me peer over his shoulder while he battled with his computer to align his mount (seemed to be a lot of that going on). Even though I've had a scope for many years this was my first star party and it was great to see a lot of gear that I've only seen in magazines. The people were laid back and friendly and we would like to have met more but I blame Rodney from NSW for not having done so. We got waylaid by his beautiful 24" dob. Many thanks Rodney for about 2.5 hours showing us everything we wanted to see. He was friendly and patient and it was like having my own big scope with included driver! 5128, omega cen, 47tuc, m104, m83, m46, Thor's helmet, the horsehead(I really struggled with that one), and Ghost of Jupiter neb(my favourite for the night. The inner shell very bright and star glowing at the centre). Thanks to everyone for a great night and hope to bring my scope and stay for the next one. Cheers, Richard.

[Paddy]

What a ripper SV camp that was! As always, such a warm, relaxed and friendly crowd. It was great to have so many people new to the camp - this enlivened the event greatly. Full credit to Malcolm for advertising it more widely! Wonderful to meet astro buffs that I've not met before and great to catch up with good friends, share eyepieces, lies and laughs. The fantastic atmosphere of this camp has continued and strengthened.

I don't think I'm going to get over the views through Rod's 24" SDM in a hurry, especially the Ghost of Jupiter.

Superb organisation by Malcolm, Paul, Barry and Nick - well done guys and thanks heaps for keeping this great event alive. And whoever ordered the weather, top stuff. Still have a bit of sleep deprivation.

How long til November?

[The_bluester]

I think we were looking at the horsehead and Thor's helmet etc together. Just a curiosity, did you happen to meet a bloke working for the SA power authority at a trivia night or something a few weeks ago? I was talking to someone who does some work for me in SA (A bloke by the name of Geoffrey) on Thursday to let him know I would not be in the office on Friday and he mentioned that he met someone who was coming to Snake Valley.

The world is pretty small.

[Dave47tuc]

Congratulations to all on SV camp being successful again.
10 years this year and going strong.
Well done Malcom for keeping the fire going.
Thanks for the photos Daniel :thumbsup:

Again well done to all on making the SV camp a great one :)

[croweater]

No Paul,it wasn't me. We came fairly spur of the moment. You must have been the big tall guy! anyway was good times.

[The_bluester]

You might be thinking of Andrew, who came along with me and was looking at the Sharpless bubble, Thor's helmet and Horsehead too. Andrew is taller than me.

[danielsun]

No worries Dave and great to see you still pop in for a look.:thumbsup:

Also yes, a big thanks to Warren and Pamela Maag for putting on the cheese platter for all on Saturday afternoon. :thumbsup:

[Jen]

:hi::hi: hey Gday Dave :hi::hi: long time no see :D

[Jen]

IS IT NOVEMBER/SEPTEMBER YET :question:
:hi::hi: hey everyone after 9 hours sleep during the whole camp i have finally recovered (i think) and i only just unpacked the car today. hahaha :rolleyes: :P :D :) :thumbsup:

Wow wow wow one again AWESOME camp and it wouldnt be a successful camp without out the support of our little astro family :) so a big thank you to all of you :thumbsup:
Specially to Malcolm and the crew for making the effort to keep this camp going there is really a great bunch of peeps here and you all know how much i love these camps ;)

It was great to catch up with the usual crowd (i did miss a few too) but also a big welcome to the noobies :thumbsup: i hope we havnt scared you away and that you will be back next camp i hope i didnt keep you all awake in the early hours hahahaha :P Even the weather played nice this time round woohooo :D

It was great to see dob corner getting busy this year the visual peeps neally became extinct at one stage lol lol those SDM's are just a beautiful piece of equipment OMG i sooooo want one LOL :D

It was a very hands on camp for me this time round as im heading to the darkside (imaging) it went way to fast i had so much to do and so much to learn in so little time (its a shame we didnt get my scope up and running properly) grrrr stoopid vista :mad2: but i got to learn my way around photoshop and imaging plus thanks to John G :thumbsup: so i wanna make a big shout out to John and thank you for taking the time to teach me photoshop your patience was amazing hehehehe :P i must have been a good student because i got lollies (snakes) so if anyone wants some lessons on photoshop next camp Johns the man he is a very good teacher ;) And also big thanks to AL, Niko, Ken(nico13), Neale, Marty , Daniel and everyone else for all trying to help me get up and running you guys are the best and i miss you all already :)
:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thum bsup::thumbsup:

Great camp, great company i loved it, once again a huge success :D is it November yet :P

[Jen]

Oh and in the middle of my photoshop lessons with John i was given a little test to see if i could process a pic in photoshop by myself so i was left unattended for a short time (while the cats are away the mice will play) :P
Guess what i found :question:
I can make purple stars :rofl::rofl::rofl:

179729

And we found Comet Glossop hehehehe :lol:

179730

[Greenswale]

Jen, Jen Jen. Such a departure - a green 'comet'?!

[barx1963]

Hi Richard
Thank you so much for the kind comments on the camp. Rodney certainly went above and beyond with sharing his scope, I know how big scope owners love getting to use their scopes under dark skies so spending 2.5 hours showing a stranger was wonderful.

I don't think I got to meet you personally, but please stay in touch so I can let you know about upcoming camps etc.

Cheers

Malcolm

[RB]

I'll see if Mike wants to put these up as Image of the Week (IOTW).

RB

:P

[barx1963]

Well the first of the “new” Camps are behind us. Before anything else, I think I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who attended. As I have said on other occasions, camps only work because people turn up!!
We were very lucky with the weather, lovely sunshine to get the solar scopes out and clear skies, although not perfect, at night on 2 nights out of 3. I hope everyone managed to view or image something over the weekend. Haven’t seen too many images posted yet, so looking forward to those.
I am going to do a quick summary of things under 4 headings, positives, things we learnt, things that could be better and thank you’s.
POSITIVES
- Great atmosphere. I think by and large we all got on well. Beginners were welcomed and the spirit of co-operation was really evident. I only found out after the event that the power to some of you went out maybe twice? Instead of hearing complaints, all I heard was the problem was located and everyone just got on with it.
- Pre booking makes life easier for everyone. Only a handful of people had issues that needed dealing with on the weekend such as payment etc. which gives us as organisers more time to concentrate on actually running the camp and, after dark, doing some astronomy ourselves!!
- The Sky Tour was a success I think. For first time visitors and some regulars, it enabled them to have views of objects through decent sized scopes. It also gave first timers and beginners a “focus”, something to do were they could feel welcome.
THINGS WE LEARNT
- Snake Valley is NOT the place to sleep in a car!! As a couple of attendees found out it gets really cold at night and cars can be very hard places to get sleep in. I will try in future to encourage attendees not to try it!!
- Most people are really willing to help out. Having been involved in organising events ranging from World, National and State Archery Championships, State Dance Championships, rock’n’roll dances, and the like, and now an astro camp, I often feel like all the work is being done by a small minority. But by and large, people will usually jump in and help if the opportunity arises. It was really gratifying arriving back at the site on Monday morning to find virtually all the clean-up had been done (luckily Neale was on hand to point out that I “knew when to turn up!!”). That same spirit was evident throughout the camp.
- Snake Valley is a really good place for an astro camp. It is not perfect, there are cars going past, Ballarat creates a light dome to the east and it gets really cold, but I think the positives outweigh the negatives.
- Publicity does work. Getting flyers at Bintel, a note in AS&T and mention on the ASV Calendar all helped to spread the word.
THINGS THAT COULD BE BETTER
- One of the things I have always loved about SV camps is that we have never gotten too “rule hungry”. Having been at camps were accidentally switching on a white light headlamp will lead to streams of verballing from across the field. That has not happened at SV.
Having said that we do have a red light policy on the field. There were some instances of white lights being used to assist with setting up gear and also a green light. I chose not to make a big deal of it on the night, but it is something we need to keep an eye on.
- We have taken on board the comments regarding the Saturday Night feast and I hope to have something in place for next time
- Sky tours should be organised slightly differently. For those involved in showing objects, we should just let them do their own thing, rather than trying to all find the same object.
THANK YOU’S
- Lot’s to mention, and if I tried to mention everyone who did things, I would almost certainly miss some one out, but a few deserve mention.
- Paul, Barry and Niko for their support and advice all through the process of getting the camp running
- Paddy for joining in the Sky tour. His knowledge and ability to articulate that knowledge of deep sky objects is inspiring
- Rodney Doig for being so generous in allowing complete strangers to view through his wonderful 24” SDM
- Warren and Pamela Maag who travelled from Phillip Island and still found time to prepare that wonderful afternoon spread on Saturday
- John Glossop for travelling all the way from Cootamundra to give Jen a Photoshop lesson!
- The crew who stayed on to Monday morning to help clean up, I am sure I will miss someone but I can remember Neale, Jen, Paul, Niko, Ken and I am sure there were others!
Anyway, I think that is enough of me waffling on. As I said I have probably forgotten something important. I will leave with one last thought.
Amateur astronomy is a small hobby, but we have something very powerful to share with the world. We have the wonder of the night sky and the idea that by learning about the universe as it is, we can help to make the life we have on this little planet a bit better. If we want to spread that message and get more people “looking up” we need to continually attract new blood. I hope this camp has gone a small way to achieving that.
Cheers
Malcolm

[The_bluester]

I think that is a pretty good take on what worked and what maybe needs a polish. I did get one white light in the face early on Saturday morning but I was about to pack up anyway so I said nothing. As you wrote, at some star parties you would get a real serve for it. I think it is one of the beauties of the SVAC, everyone got along and that I heard and no tempers showed themselves even at silly o'clock.

One thing to perhaps press a little harder in future camps is the cold, we did suffer a bit from wishing we had more blankets on Friday night though Saturday was milder. I am glad I was not sleeping in a car that is for sure.

I think it is safe to say that both Andrew and I will be back.

[Nico13]

Hi all,
Yep had a great time at camp, a little slow getting this out but better late than never as they say. Yes more thanks to the organizing committee.
Good to have a look through the big Dob's, very impressive to see Centaurus "A" like that.

Hey Jen I got my UE Boom today, I think the wife will swipe it though. :)

Here is my Horsey from the weekend, I'm still learning RGB processing and I've added HA into this, that's apparently why the colour is a bit subdued.
Mind you it's less than an hr of each RGBL and HA so about 4.5 hrs total.

[Jen]

:lol: :lol: the beginning of jens dark side to astrophotography hehehe :rofl:
I'm bringing purple back :P

[Jen]

Hahaha awesome ken you will have to get another UE Boom box hehehe you can pair them together for stereo sound :) would sound super awesome :) they are great aren't they ? I could have sold 10 of those at camp I reakon lol I just love my music and it's a must have when I'm out observing PS I love the horsey I can't wait till I get an image of that :) one day :)

[Jen]

I'm loving the reviews/pics guys keep em coming :)

[Cloudyagain]

And it's great to hear one so young loves music so old:lol::rofl:

[traveller]

Great job on the Horsehead Ken,
How is the Leo Trio coming along?
Bo

[Jen]

:D :D
It was great to see you dancing and singing on the field hehehe :) it was one of my fav highlights of the weekend :)

[Andy01]

In case you missed my post in the deep space section, here's my main image from the SV camp weekend. Enjoy :)
http://www.astrobin.com/166688/

Andy

[rcheshire]

It was a great weekend. Music had me going too, dancing in the dark, out of sight.

Ken - Horsey is looking good.

Andy. Comment on Astrobin - superb!

EST TAMEN NOVEMBER

[Cloudyagain]

I've just posted my image of IC 2944 taken at SV on Astrobin.

http://www.astrobin.com/169366/

Neale.

[Big Dave]

Would I be right in saying that may have been the best SV ever?
Good Weather - Tick
Pav - Tick
Good Company - Tick

My two main pics (Eta and Rosetta) and a few other random shots from my phone. I was playing most of the night in an Australian HAM Radio contest which was also fun.

Till the next one..... :)

[Jen]

Wow nice pics Andy, Neale and Dave and omg those mini pavs were awesome :)