Country locations

[Sma012]

Hi Guys,

I haven't used my telescope out in the country yet but i'm planning to head out there rather soon. Does anyone have any ideas of a great place where i can get an ideal experience with a nice Carton of VB? I mean NSSW Western side. Preferabbly a few hours drive from the west side of sydney.

[mental4astro]

Two hours west of Sydney's CBD you can get to Katoomba Airfield. Session on tonight if this is west enough for you. We try to make it there monthly for the New Moon weekend.

Sadly I can't make it tonight, :(.

A good place to check as well is in the 'Star Parties' forum where the Airfield is listed too.

[Terry B]

You can use my front paddock any time you like especially if you bring the carton on offer.:drink:
The skies are very dark if a little cold.

I am a bit further afield than you want but it is a nice trip up to the northern tablelands.:D

[Wavytone]

John, I did a fair bit of reconnaisance some years ago...

The closest site (and it's surprisingly good) is a big sandstone rockshelf on the escarpment off the Kings Tableland road (at the end of Hordern St), south of Wentworth Falls. It looks across to Sublime Point, and has good horizons in all directions.

Next is the Katoomba airstrip as Mental suggested, another 20 minutes up the road.

Then:

Hargraves Lookout, on the end of the Shipley Plateau Rd out of Blackheath. This site can turn on the most excellent seeing, but it is very exposed - best if the weather is dead calm. Hargraves has an advantage that being light sand/sandstone country, dew was never a problem. This was one of my favorite spots for many years.

You can also go down into Centennial Glen, but get in touch with the landowners so they know what you're doing first. It's a nice sheltered place to be if it is windy up the top. Another spot a few minutes away is the paraglider launch at Mt Blackheath, provided you don't make holes in the astroturf (which stands out as fluoro green on GoogleMaps).

Mt Banks and/or Pierces Pass (off Bell's Line of Rd), there are a couple of carparks; another favourite spot in years past. As with Hargraves it's light sand/sandstone country, so dew was never a problem.

The Lithgow Scenic Airways airstrip, it's a gravel strip further along Bells Line of Rd on the left a few km before the descent into Lithgow and easily seen on Google Maps. The way the road cambers (it's on the left of a fast sweeping right-hand curve with concrete blocks in the centre of the road) most people have no idea it's there and most miss it first try. Drive down the far end to get away from the road and its pretty quiet apart from possums squabbling in the trees.

Cathedral camping ground at Mt Wilson, sheltered if its windy, but roaming dogs can be a problem at night. There is also a lookout at Mt Wilson with room to set up a scope with a car close by, if interested I can find it on a map.

Hassan's Walls - Drive to Lithgow via Bell's line of Rd. While driving through the old part of town before you reach the intersection with the Great Western Highway, there is a turnoff to the left marked "Hassan's Walls". This leads to the escarpment which towers over Hartley Vale. Several spots for a scope, with excellent seeing, but dew is heavy there and those with SCT's will have trouble keeping the corrector clear.

The road to Jenolan from Hartley - there's a picnic area on the left before the descent into the Jenolan valley, I have observed from there once... bloody cold even in January. For that matter you could set up in the carpark outside the old Hartley courthouse and save yourself 90 minutes drive.

You can go all the way to Mt Canobolas but that's a very cold place to observe from and not really worth it seeing wise.

Further afield...

Mt Borah, 90 minutes drive past Tamworth; though you will have to make an arrangement with the landowner who might also let you stay in a cabin at his place;

Harrietville/Bright/Wandiligong in the Victorian high country, found a couple of good spots to observe from, good seeing and very dark.

Mt Kaputar, the best site I've observed from, but that's an 8 hour drive and a whole story in itself. Well worth going if you can make a group.

[floyd_2]

Is the observatory on Bowen Mountain (past North Richmond) still there? I used to observe there many moons ago and it was a fairly good site.

I think Hawkesbury Astronomical Association used to (and still may) observe there.

Dean

[mithrandir]

I think ASNSW might have said something if Crago Obs had gone missing.

[Wavytone]

Light pollution is spoiling Mt Bowen, inevitably. But worth going for a look through the scope esp. as Bowen can turn on some pretty good seeing, and the optics are great (thanks to Mark). And it's most definitely an ASNSW site.

However it is very much inferior to all the ones I listed below, due to the light pollution.

[qld]

i dont understand why you wont go to Wiruna(the asnsw site at Ilford) its got no light polution, dark site hot showers camping or ski lodge type accommodation,and lots of fellow astros to help out, and some big scopes (25 17.5,20 16 etc,,,,and a house full of astro imagers....just 2.5 hours from Sydney.see Asnsw site for details cost is very reasonable and so is lunch at Sofala,Mudgee or Bathurst , always worth a visit.From my experience by supporting venues like this you support your hobby because the money goes back into improving these facilities ,by going somewhere which is as close that is unsecure just does not make sense to me....you can even take the family!

[multiweb]

I'm in Hinchinbrook so pretty much in the same location as yours. Crago (http://www.asnsw.com/crago/index.asp)(Bowen mountain) is about 1h drive [ASNSW] through the M7. Then you have Belanglo State forest (http://www.macastro.org.au/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=83)about 1h drive too through the M5 [MAS]. Darker but Crago has better seeing. Then there's Wiruna (http://www.asnsw.com/wiruna/index.asp)for new moon week-ends about 2.5h drive.

[GH1967]

Slightly OT but can anyone suggest places in Sydney (or the types of places in cities generally) that can afford reasonable viewing?

Obviously I'd prefer the optimum conditions of the country, but travelling that far isn't alway practical, and I'd like to think I'll use my telescope a lot more than the occasional country trip :)

[mental4astro]

Hi GH1967,

Occasionally we do a session at the oval of Randwick Girls' High School. These events would be posted on the 'Star Parties' forum. Sometimes there are a few weeks notice, sometimes as little as a few hours.

Where abouts are you located? I'm in the Eastern Suburbs, so if you are after a local observing bubby, we might be able to arrange something.

From the High School and from my backyard is where the majority of my observing is done. Trips to Katoomba Airfield are organise once a month, but life gets in the way, so, like this month, I wasn't able to get there. The folks who did had a good time.

The main line of this thread is looking for dark sites around Sydney. With most of our popullation being within the metro area, a couple of hours drive tends to be the norm.

Look in the club directory in "our community" at left, or, again, in the 'Star Parties' forum.

If you note the area you live in, someone else closer to you might be able to 'bubby-up' with you.

Mental.

[mithrandir]

And if you're in the north-west a few of us try to get out to Dural Pony Club on Fridays.

[GH1967]

Thanks gents.

I'm down South near Hurstville.

[mental4astro]

Hi GH1967,

I'm waiting to confirm Katoomba Airfield for Saturday June 12. Should be doing so in about an hour's time. You are most welcome to join us there. I'll be making a thread in the 'Star Parties' forum today.

In the mean time, we might do something here in town dotting around the 12'th. Let me know if you are interested. I'm looking to iron out the heating of my scope before the 12'th of June, so I'll be out with my scope probably the weekend before. Let me know if you are keen if Maroubra/Randwick is not too far for you.

[Wavytone]

Been there in years past; IMHO it's not a particularly great site. It's no better than Hargraves, the Lithgow Scenic Airways strip or Hassan's Walls, all of which are close enough to be OK for a Saturday night for me.