Kulnura 24th June

[iceman]

I'll be keen to head up to Kulnura this weekend (24th June) for some observing.

Froggy - let us know if it's not ok? I'll PM you anyway.

Who else is up for it?

[ausastronomer]

Mike,

You just can't help yourself can you ? Don't own a telephone ?

CS-John B

[ving]

ahh yes, i remember telephones... how old fashion is that? ;)

[h0ughy]

what about a TELEX? SIck Family no can do, not this close to Qld astrofest

[GTB_an_Owl]

the owl will be looking for a branch to perch on (if his wings haven't been clipped)


how many on the central coast are going to queensland for the astrofest next month?

[frogman]

sorry boys no go for this saturday night !

[iceman]

Thx Anthony, will see what Friday's weather is like or maybe head to mogo creek.

[GTB_an_Owl]

time to try the pony club Mike ?

[h0ughy]

I'm not on the central coast but I am going. but thats off topic:P , see the queensland astrofest thread.

[GTB_an_Owl]

yes - been watching the thread hOughy - and knew you were going.

just thought the local boys will be looking here anyway (instead of posting there)
"BUT darling! - all the other boys are going", would be a good one to try on the missus.
looking for any excuse to get out with the guys observing - whether it be up the Mountain or as far away as queeensland - so much more fun in a group.

[iceman]

I'll try and check out the pony club, Geoff!

Can you get up there and take a few pics?

[GTB_an_Owl]

couple i took when first up there

looking up the driveway is west i think
second shot is across the field which would be south

will try to get up for more pics

this field is right on the main road (but the hours we would be there and getting serious there would be next to no traffic)
there is supposed to be another area a fair way behind this one that would be more isolated but i am yet to see it.

the pony club is 8k west from the crossroad at kulnurra
probably the same distance to froggy's from that point

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=13693&stc=1&d=1150714075

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=13694&stc=1&d=1150714075

[ausastronomer]

Geoff,

That site looks excellent. Do they allow you to "drive" onto the field or do you have to carry the gear from a parking area ?

CS-John B

[GTB_an_Owl]

I have been told the surface is well drained and stable and that it should not be a problem if we drive onto the field
I guess we would have to make a common sense decision if the conditions were too wet so as not to cut the surface up on any particular session

[GTB_an_Owl]

spose I better clarify this situation.
couple of months ago when it was thought Froggy was moving from his abode and it looked like we would no longer be able to enjoy his hospitality i asked a couple of mountain men i play tennis with if they knew of an alternative spot on the mountain we could use.
one of the suggestions was the pony club
provisional permission has been given IIS members and their guests to use the area for observing nites by the trustees of the pony club site.
whether we can use the club house facilities or not, i don't know at this stage, but i'm guessing we could.
lots more investigating and consultation needed between parties and maybe a few more of you to have a look to see if the site is suitable for our needs.
as I said , not much has been done because we have been able to enjoy Froggy's company and hospitality.

[iceman]

That's a great looking field, Geoff.

I'll go back through the PM's to find the phone number and speak to them. We can't use the paintball place on Saturday due to players camping there, so we'll need an alternative.

[Rodstar]

Looks good guys, I would like to check it out too on Saturday night if all is well with the proprietor.

[GTB_an_Owl]

Mike
I have contacted the keyholder for the Pony Club and we are on for this saturday nite (weather permitting)

we have the access to the field only at this stage - no clubhouse or electricity available
( I have the name and number to contact about future use of the clubhouse if we want to.)

more pics

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=13810&stc=1&d=1150966702

[Octane]

What's the weather looking like for Saturday night? It's going to be a 4+ hour drive for me.

Geoff, do you have an exact address for the pony club?

Regards,
H

[GTB_an_Owl]

more pics

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=13818&stc=1&d=1150967454

[frogman]

wow guys ... that looks a heck of a lot better than here !
nice low trees........
Have fun !

[GTB_an_Owl]

Directions

Official name is 'Tom McKenzie Park'

from the turnoff at Somersby(Kariong/Gosford exit off freeway) it is 18k to the crossroads at Central Mangrove (not Kulnurra like i said before)

keep going straight through (west) for another 10.3K

it is on the right hand side going out and you will notice a well managed hedge on the right not far before it

there is a house on the left dead opposite the gate

(if you hit a sharp left and fork in the road you have gone a few hundred yards toooo far)

NOW gentlemen and ladies - - - - no buying any new gear till monday

Mike

will pm you about where to pick up the key

geoff

will be interesting to see what it looks like in the DARK (if that makes sense)

[iceman]

Looks great, Geoff.

Is the key to unlock the gate to drive on the field?

Lovely looking field. I bet it's wet after all this rain though.

[GTB_an_Owl]

key is for the entry gate (in one of the pics) it's locked after each use.
you drive up around the clubhouse to get onto the field
pic of that there somewhere

actually, i think we could open the gate next to the clubhouse in pic 7 in the second lot to get onto the field

[GTB_an_Owl]

forgot

ground was pretty good Mike
could see it was wet but not squishy
my boots never got wet or muddy walking over it

[h0ughy]

so how do you get there from Newcastle (if I can get a leave pass)

[GTB_an_Owl]

HOughy

take the Somersby Interchange off the expressway (exit for Peats Ridge, Central Mangrove, Wisemans ferry)( the one after Ourimbah)
easiest to take the second option to get off that road and turn right to go to Central Mangrove.
you are then at the "crossroads" - so it is 10.3k straight through from there
just before you get there you will see "Ironbark" road on your left.

will try and put up a map

[ving]

looks like a great place! :)

[iceman]

The first one there will need to get the key.

Who's planning on getting there first?

I may not be there before 5:30 or 6pm.

[GTB_an_Owl]

map

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=13856&stc=1&d=1151032995



Mmmm - not to bright - but will give you an idea

[Octane]

Geoff,

Thank you kindly for your reply.

I can program Tom McKenzie Park into my Navman, so I will have no further dramas getting there.

Regards,
H

[iceman]

It's unlikely I'll be first one there, so would appreciate someone who plans to get there before dark to put their hand up to get the key.

PM geoff (GTB_Owl) for directions on getting the key.

[iceman]

Anyone?

[RB]

Mike, I would have done it but I don't have a car atm.
My wife had to go out and won't be back till early evening.
My other vehicle is off the road.
I'm planning to get there but not sure what time atm.
I'll Pm Geoff in case no one else can do it earlier.
OK?
If she comes back earlier I'll post here.

[jakob]

I plan to be there by 5pm.
Let me know by 3.30 if you need me.
Regards, j

[iceman]

I've PM'd you my phone# jacob, so I can give you instructions on getting the key.

If anyone plans to be there before 5pm, PM me to get my phone number.

[GTB_an_Owl]

Mike

i plan to get there between 4-30 and 5pm - so i will check if the key is still there on my way through.

[iceman]

Great night last night. Thanks to Geoff, Andrew, Humayan, EyeBee (Ian) and Jakob for the company.

Was a great night, with only about 45 minutes lost due to passing cloud.

The new field has its pros and cons, but nothing that can't be overcome.

It's about the size of a cricket oval, flat with great views horizon to horizon. One streetlight and one house light were the only lights around, but could be overcome by tarps and poles and position on the field..

Hard to tell how dark it was, because the cloud in sydney reflected the lights back down so it wasn't the darkest night, but I didn't feel it was any lighter than the paintball place.

Saw a great fireball earlier in the night, brightened to at least -8 as it headed down from the false cross south west towards the horizon.

Anyway I did a tonne of observing last night, more than in months.. I even took notes! Will write an observing report when I get a spare half hour.

Missed the company of Rod, John and Andrew. Hope you guys had a great night too.

[RB]

Like Mike said it was a great night.
We missed the company of Rod, John and Andrew M.
It got really cold towards the end, around 2am.
Humayun was imaging and Geoff and I were keeping him company.

Here's a few mug shots of the boys:

Mike-FireBall-Iceman,
The Yellow Crested Owl (Geoff),
Jakob-Jupiter-Man, and
Humayun-the-Human-Hartmann mask.

:D

[Rodstar]

Sounds like you fellas had a good time. Sorry I missed out on the fun, but I had an invitation to observe with Hector and, well...... the temptation was too great.

See you all next time.

[GTB_an_Owl]

ya just can't do anything with a yellow crest on a cold nite - can ya

good nite - good company - not so bad seeing either
my cousin the Emu was out and about strutting her stuff quite visibly

our first nite at the pony club field indeed showed promise

a couple of lights as mentioned by Mike can be screened out or overcome
the surface was flat and solid (after a bit of recent rain)
large area to set up in and low tree line make for a great horizon view in all directions
looking at google earth it is 780 feet above sea level

we noticed flashes to the east early on in the evening which turned out to be a storm out to sea and as mike said a bit of light polution low to the south - probably from Sydney

I witnessed the fireball with Mike - magnificent!
probably another dozen or more lesser shooters during the nite
had a bit of a look at the swan nebula for the first time and a few peaks through Mike's scope - made for a satisfying evenings viewing

Andrew and I , indeed stayed to keep the balaclavered boy company until he was satisfied with his photographic efforts.
needless to say I won't be rushing in to astro photography - stick to the Dob and simple viewing for a while me thinks
Andrew helped "H" dismantle his 3 legged Beastie and we locked the gate at 3am and returned the key
Did I mention Jakob? - think he was very happy about arriving in the daylight hours and having a bit of a look round and enjoyed his nites viewing
the "iceman" didn't live up to his name and went home early complaining of cold toes (sorry Mike)
must admit though, while i was keeping the boys company i was sat in a chair with a blanket round me - it did get quite cold

Thanks for the evening fellas

[GTB_an_Owl]

google earth co-ordinates for the pony club for those interested

33deg 20min 18.44 south
151deg 09min 26.45 east
783 feet above sea level

[RB]

I'd like to take this oppertunity to thank you Geoff for all your efforts in securing the pony field for us.
In organising it via the people in charge of it, and going out to report on it for us and finally getting the key to open and close up the field.

Cheers.
:)

[GTB_an_Owl]

only too glad i could help Andrew
and no thanks needed
well not to me anyway
Local identities and custodians, Reg Bennet and Peter Comensoli were instrumental in securing use of the site for us.
I merely asked Reg if he new of somewhere on the mountain suitable for us to use and he delivered the goods
the local IIS group still has somewhere to gather each month and enjoy some viewing and each others company and that's all that matters

[GTB_an_Owl]

google earth pic of the pony club ground

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=13978&stc=1&d=1151252859

[iceman]

Was great to meet 2 of your clan too, RB.

Elizabeth will no doubt be a great astronomer in the years to come! That 8" LB is a fantastic scope.

[ausastronomer]

Hi All,

As a few of you know some of us headed to Mogo Creek where we figured the skies would be a little darker. Apart from the dew, conditions were pretty good out there.

Just wanted to pass on my little story of excitement that occured on the way out to Mogo Creek.

I was heading out to Mogo Creek along George Downs Drive at About 8pm. Between Central Mangrove and the turnoff to Paintball Place I had spotted a large amount of fauna on or beside the road including:

2 Rabbits, a possum, a wombat, a wallaby and a fox.

I thought, "Geez there is a lot of fauna out tonite, don't usually see all that much on that short section of road."

I continued driving and about 5 kms past the turnoff to Paintball there was a skittled Wallaby "all over the road", which was going to present a driving hazard on the return trip. I decided to note the position using the odometer so that I could avoid it on the way home and advise the other guys about it. I slowed down a bit, to about 75km/hr whilst I glanced at the odometer a couple of times to check my maths.

After I had the position noted, I gathered my driving concentration again and started to accelerate a little. I looked up and standing in the middle of the road in front of me was a couple of hundred kilos of what I thought was a "Red Deer". I slowed down and thought, "no it can't be". I looked again and thought "it is", the deer then climbed straight up a 6 foot embankment on the side of the road and disappeared into the bush. I originally thought it was a Red Deer. I called National Parks and Wildlife this morning to confirm I wasn't seeing things and the ranger advised me that it wasn't a Red Deer, but a very similar species called "Javan Rusa Deer". The Javan Rusa Deer grow to about 200kg and stand 7 feet tall at the top of the head. He mentioned they rarely went near the road but were very prolific in the area and almost pest proportions to native flora. The Ranger mentioned that there was used to be a deer farm in the area and about 6 years ago the owner just "opened the gates" and let them all go.

A little bit of excitement for the night, but it also indicates how carefull you need to be whilst driving in this area at night.

CS-John B

[ving]

oh dear...

sorry :P
great story john! those dear grow massive dont they! :)

[GTB_an_Owl]

would you class that as a "dear - john" story Ving?

cause it up and left him

[jakob]

Geoff,
Nice view of the field. The back area doesent look too inviting!

I enjoyed the night but my effort didn't amount to much exept good learning expirience.

Also enjoyed the views through Mike Scope with the UWA EP. The etx looks a bit flat after the taste of a real outfit. Thanks Mike.

[GTB_an_Owl]

plenty of scrub back there Jakob

more than i was prepared to walk through in search of the clearing that is supposed to be back there

apparently there is a bird watching group that also use the site on a regular basis