http://www.asnsw.com/sites/default/f...y/spsp15ms.jpg
Each year, since 1993, the Astronomical Society of New South Wales has hosted the now famous South Pacific Star Party (SPSP), at its 107 acre (43 hectare) country property Wiruna near Ilford, NSW, between Lithgow and Mudgee, about 3 hours north-west of Sydney, through the Blue Mountains and into the NSW Central Tablelands.
The South Pacific Star Party provides amateurs with the chance to meet other amateur and professional astronomers, and observe under dark skies with superb seeing conditions, through all types and sizes of telescopes.
"Among the eucalyptus woodlands in New South Wales, Australia, there is 100 acres of land [Wiruna] designated for stargazing. Owned by a local astronomy society [the ASNSW], the land has both observation facilities and basic accommodations, though most prefer to camp. Each year, the society hosts a "South Pacific Star Party" during which 200 to 400 people convene for a weekend of star watching beneath one of the world's darkest skies." --Forbes.com, 18 June 2008.
Registration Information
Participants MUST Register in Advance.
If you take your chances and "just turn up", you will be turned away, as the event is normally over-subscribed.
If you are not sure if you may have to work, please register anyway.
If you are not sure if the weather is going to be good, please register anyway.
If it turns out that you have to work, and you cancel before the registration deadline, you can get a full refund by contacting the Treasurer.
If you are fussy about the weather, no refunds, as the event offers fantastic value, no matter what the weather conditions are like, and you should come anyway.
If you find out that you can't make it after registering, please contact the Treasurer to cancel so that our participant list can be updated.
Yes, you do need to register by the due date. It is easiest and preferable if you register online but, if this is not possible, you can phone or email the Treasurer who can handle your registration manually.
Numbers Limits and Waiting Lists:
Participant numbers will be limited to the working capacity of the site.
Roast Dinner numbers are limited to the capacity of the ovens.
If you attempt to register, but see a message that the event is full, you will have missed out this year. Contact the treasurer if you want your details to be added to the database so that you will be notified when registrations open for next year's event.
If the Roast Dinners have all been sold by the time you register, note that alternative meals are available in the Pavilion from the 1st Kandos Scouts.
In 2019, there will be no waiting list. A small increase in the number of registrations has been allowed to compensate for the typical number of cancellations and no-shows.
Entitlements, Orders and Discounts:
Registration entitles you to take part in the voting for the Astroimaging Competition and to enter your name in the Lucky Prize Draw.
Registrations will open in late February, when the online registration page is ready, and close by mid April in time to get the T-shirts ordered and printed.
SPSP T-shirts may be ordered in advance with registration but, if registering in the last few weeks before the star party, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to fill your order. If your pre-ordered T-shirt(s) cannot be supplied, you will receive a refund at the star party.
The registration fee covers everything from one overnight stay to the full weekend. There are NO DISCOUNTS for short visits.
The MEMBER DISCOUNT: You do not need to be a member to attend the star party but you will pay a little more if you are not a member. A discount of $25 applies for a member registration. If you are a member and you are logged in when you register, the $25 discount will apply to your Individual or Family registration. Your family members do not need to be ASNSW members. For member couples, it is cheaper to register as a Family ($115 less $25 discount = $90 total) than separately.
Family registration: A "family" consists of up to three related adults and any number of related children. Extra adults and friends of the family should register separately.
Kids' Ages: We ask you to enter the ages of your children for two reasons - one is for the kids' workshop activity and the other is to make sure that they go into the Kids' Lucky Prize Draw. Yes, the kids have their own draw, with pretty good odds of winning (usually) a 6" Dobsonian telescope!
Accommodation:
You will be offered a drop-down menu to select if you are going to use a tent, caravan, campervan, etc. We use these numbers to manage the camping and caravan areas.
If you are a Wiruna regular and have a permanent site, please select the last option "I already pay the annual site fee".
Confirmation of your Registration: If you pay online when you register and your payment is processed correctly, you will receive a confirmation email (receipt) from the ASNSW system as well as an email from PayPal. If you do not receive these emails within a few minutes of registering, it means that you did not complete the registration process and no payment was made.
See important notes about completing the process for "Family Registrations" on the Registration Page. If you choose to "Pay Later", you will receive a confirmation emailed invoice from the ASNSW system - this email will provide details that you will need to make a payment.
Please ensure that your payment is received at least two weeks before the commencement of the Star Party.
lots of reminiscing to do 
Cloud Free Night Service
...bloody awesome scope, thanks for bringing it along 
