6 hours within Sydney with a perfect westerly view?

[GOTO]

Hi all,
Can anyone please share a location for viewing that has a perfect westerly view once past the Blue Mountains? I am happy to drive up to 6 hours from Sydney for the right spot. I am finding it remarkably hard to find a place that isn't hemmed in by coastal cloud.
Thanks
Geoff

[OzEclipse]

Define "perfect westerly view?" Just a decent western horizon or a perfectly flat zero horizon?

Then do you mind occasional passing traffic or do you want complete solitude?

Joe

[Rerouter]

Hargraves Lookout is the top that comes to mind, its not to the horizon west, but it gets you within say 5 degrees altitude tops for the night sky from one of the lookout walkways,

[LonelySpoon]

Wow!
I moved rather than drive that far!

I don't have a perfect westerly view but can get Venus & Mercury after sunset.

Down near Yass. There are also some fairly deep truck rest areas south of Goulburn with a lot of sky around them.

Neville
LSO

[GOTO]

Hi Joe, nope don't mind traffic just hoping to see a decent westerly view.
Cheers
Geoff

[GOTO]

I love Hargraves and often go there but need somewhere further west as the cloud often covers that too.
Thanks
Geoff

[GOTO]

Hi Neville,
Yass seems fine but may I ask where exactly? The town itself is in a hollow and I haven't found somewhere with a good view. The area just south of Goulburn is what I like but its rather hard to find somewhere to set up and not get run over by a B-double :)
Cheerio
Geoff

[N1]

6h gets you out past Dubbo. Things really start open up there, even with the mostly flat topography. Depending on what equipment I was taking, I'd just go when the forecast is good and find a spot. There should be plently. Google Streetview is great for some recon from home.

[astro744]

I thought the surrounds around The ‘Dish’ at Parkes we’re quite flat in a recent trip but cannot quite remember what it was like due west. It would be 5hr+ from Sydney. Anything west of Nyngan maybe but thats 7hr+.

I don’t think you need to go that far west as I’m sure there would be something closer. Have a look at online maps and turn on terrain and see if you can work it out from there. Also Goto VisitNSW and look at town photos. I saw a picture of a very nice view from Bourke and Lightning Ridge but that is 9hr+.

[By.Jove]

Apparently there is a Blue Mountains astro club, they would know.

Using the light pollution maps it is possible to find a Bortle 1 location within 6h to the southwest of Sydney.

[OzEclipse]

Hi Geoff,

There are a few places in the outer Central west I can recommend.

Turn off Lachlan Valley Way about 3km before Boorowa onto Cunningar Rd. (First Photo) A few km along there is a bridge over the Boorowa River with a spot where you can get off the road near the bridge. It's a bypass road leading to a causeway crossing. There is a derelict rail bridge there. -34.466956, 148.676282. The cocky's pass by occasionally going to and from pub. Later after closing time, that traffic ceases. You can get accommodation in Boorowa is desired or pitch a tent or park a caravan there. Skies are at least Bortle 2 there. In cold weather, it's a little fog prone.

The Goldfields highway out near West Wyalong is much darker and drier. (2nd photo with wheat silo) Motels in WW are pretty cheap. There are many places you can go. Railway sidings at stand-alone wheat silos not located in towns are happy hunting grounds. They usually don't have much artificial lighting and you can drive in 100m off the main road to park. Back roads in this area are well off the highway and often have large verges on which you can set up. Skies are Bortle 1 or borderline Bortle 1/2. There are relatively few remote dark national parks out here, mostly private farmlands but many highway rest stops and broad verges.

Link highways that run north south connecting major east-west routes carry far less traffic especially trucks. The Olympic Highway and the Goldfields are two such examples.

Like Yass, WW Boorowa are accessible via the Hume Hwy which is much faster and free flowing to put distance between you and Sydney than going out through the Blue mountains. I live 230km east of Sydney as the crow flies rural midway between Young and Cowra well off the highway. Skies overhead are borderline between Bortle 1/2. Photographically, I can pick up a faint glow on the east horizon from Sydney, can't really see it visually.

[LonelySpoon]

Take the road out towards Wee Jasper, it really opens up just a few k out of town.

The road towards Good Hope is another one.

As far as I know, there are 3-4 major home observatories in the Yass area.

Neville
LSO

[Boozlefoot]

Bald Hill @ Hill End.....not far from Hargraves but good lookin'.

You might want to bring some blankets to keep yourself warm in cooler months.

Good to the West. Mt Canobalas to the SW.

I'm still cheering in Windeyer.

[Boozlefoot]

And 6hrs will get you to Coolah Tops.

[GOTO]

Thanks everyone. I did get as far as Yass last Sunday before I heard the launch had been cancelled. I've got a few place to scope out at this point.
This is what I was trying to find. Its a truck stop just shy of Gundagai

[seeker372011]

For the last Venus transit, we started driving West intending to keep going till we ran out of clouds.

Finally set up at a rest area in Bookham. Haven’t been there after dark but think it would be quite good. Easy access and toilets handy.

Gundagai town itself is quite dark, was there last week at a Caravan Park and I didn’t have a sky quality meter but it was a lot darker than our clubs observing site at Lindedn