Seeing conditions in northern Sydney

[Somnium]

Hi All

due to work and family reasons, i am looking to buy a place somewhere in the northern area of Sydney. currently looking at Berowra, Mount Kuring-gai down to Hornsby. my Wife has taken a job in the central coast so we need to be in commuting distance to both the central coast and Sydney CBD. I was thinking of taking this opportunity to relocate my observatory. while this location may be worse in terms of sky glow, I don't think seeing conditions could be worse anywhere in the world then i currently am located. does anyone have any experience with observing around there? any thoughts on how good/bad the conditions are. or any other suggestions for a good location to move with good skies that fulfils the above conditions ?

thanks for the input.

[dimithri86]

Hey Aidan,

I am in Hornsby (because my wife had a job in central coast). Its not a bad place to observe and be in the city. Due to the neighbours I mainly observe to the north and east, which are national parks, so its probably better than most. I can drive 20min down to dural or 1h upto the central coast if i need darker.

Dimithri.

[xelasnave]

I am in Hornsby at this very moment.
If I were buying I would look around Brooklyn. I have spent a lot of time down there but only on boats but it seemed rather good. Maybe the water could be an issue but many timesi have looked up and thought how good it seemed.
There is a station and freeway access but I don't know how prices go.Water front would be steep.
A little further North is Mt.White which is rural but probably as dark as you could expect.
I lived down from there on the river and it was pretty good for viewing.
Alex

[xelasnave]

I was parked at a little park North of Hornsby Hospital which you could set up a scope if you like.
Also Gary of Wildcard is at Mt.K so he may share his views (no pun intended)
Alex

[Somnium]

Thanks guys, yeah I am a little concerned about the water and also the fact that it is quite hilly which may play havoc with the air ... I might have to go out and make some measurements somehow

[gregbradley]

Hilly may not be a problem. It depends on the prevailing winds and how many hills are in front of you.

At my dark site it is also hilly. But the seeing there is routinely very very good. Its also 710 metres + so that helps but the hills there are really where the mountains start so not a lot in front of it, a bit though.

Greg.

[gary]

Hi Aiden,

We are located at Mount Kuring-Gai, backing onto the Ku-ring-gai Chase
National Park.

Though the skies are darker than suburbs between here and the CBD,
the challenge would be to find a property where the views are not obstructed
by trees, of which there are a large amount in the area.

Berowra being larger tends to have slightly more light pollution
but there would be a better chance of finding a property with
unobstructed views.

On the other side of the Pacific Hwy is Mt Colah which neighbours the
Berowra Valley National Park. Purely residential, it has less light
pollution than Berowra and with some luck you might find a property
with reasonable views.

As Alex mentioned, further north up the freeway is Mt White.
Semi-rural, it certainly is a better place to observe from but of
course further from the city and the convenience of grocery
shopping.

If you go onto the other side of Galston Gorge, to Galston, Arcadia,
Glenorie and Berrilee, you are in a different world again.
The semi-rural setting makes a good place for an observatory but
driving through Galston Gorge every day to get to the rest of
Sydney would quickly hone your twisty-turny driving skills.

[glend]

The area around Somersby, ie near the Pony Club, gives good access to the M1 and you would be west of the lights of The central coast and it will be much much cheaper than anything you will find in those areas of northern Sydney you mentioned.
Grab at any chance to get away from Sydney, i did and don't miss anyhting about it.

[Satchmo]

I'm a Berowra resident for many years. The sky can be good ocassionally in the early hours of the morning ( I have seen the LMC and SMC clearly ) , but particularly in the warmer months it can be hazy and pretty poor and very subject to Sydney sky glow.

There is a lot of terribly bright unshielded lights just south of me across the valley on the Beaumont Rd Industrial estate in Mt Kuringai , which has just about decimated any chance I have to get dark adapted- I stand in the back yard and I have about 10 shadows . 18 years ago there was almost nothing visible , just a few innocuous lights .

The sky can improve really quickly in a short distance so I would give Cowan a close look - its about 5 minutes down the old pacific hwy and much smaller suburb with next to no commercial development !

[Somnium]

I like the idea, but Sumersby might be a little far out for me and my daily commute to the CBD

[Wavytone]

Ummm. yes...

I live in Killara and over 40 years have chased down every dirt road from Newcastle to Wollongong and inland to Lithgow.

Basically... I have 2 hobbies - astro and paragliding.

You have choice or north, south, or west, via fast roads. South is basically useless. North is better but limited - from Hornsby the population spread in the Hunter Valley means light pollution. Sure there are some passable sites like the Pony Club or the Watagans, but frankly they aren't all that great and their days are limited as this area is growing, fast. That leaves the high country west, and easy access to the M2/M7/M4 is a reason why I chose to live where we do. Blackheath is the winter paragliding site (6 months each year) and an easy 2 drive from home. It's also good for stargazing.

In short:

1. The NSAS has an observing site in Terrey Hills which is surprisingly good. For example the Coalsack is clearly visible naked eye and this is rare for a site close to Sydney, it is off Mona Vale Rd and an easy drive from the upper north shore. 10 minutes from my home.

2. Having used a private property at Mt White, this is definitely a good location. The downside is you will have to buy a property there as there is no publicly accessible site. 20 minutes from Killara.

3. To have skies significantly better than Terrey Hills, you have to drive 2h plus to the upper Blue Mountains to Blackheath or thereabouts. See http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=145957 Blackheath is exactly 2h drive from Killara, more or less depending on where you are. For Mental (eastern suburbs) its more like 3h each way which means an all-nighter for him.

[Somnium]

That is good to know Greg



yeah, not too keen on driving Galston gorge every day ! i think i wouldnt go too muc further north than Mt Kuring gai and getting a place with unobstructed views of the sky is a must have. i am not too concerned with a little light pollution. so long as it is not too intense and cause large gradients, this can usually be overcome with a little more integration time. Peter Ward seems to handle it fine. i am more concerned about the seeing conditions, is it possible to get seeing around the 2" mark or even possibly sub 2". that is my main concern.



Cowan is an option ...