Visit Australia again after 2 years

[LT_Ng]

Hello everyone,

My name is William LT_Ng (LT as my account initial here) from Hong Kong, and I have been disappeared from this forum for almost 2 years.
Before my disappearing, I sometime posted planetary and deep sky object images in this forum. But in the past 2 years, I havn't posted any. Because my 12.5" Newtonian telescope and observatory were destroyed by a typhoon attack, and the Juipter was not at a good position for quality image captured. Moreover, the light pollution is so severe in HK that HK got a cover image recently on the May issue of S&T. So shame to a HK astronomy amateur. And because of it, I frequently came to Australia for AP in the past years.

This year I will spend my vacation from July 11th to 25th for sightseeing and AP in Australia again.

In the past years, we always went to Coonabarabran for AP, and the Warrumbungle Mountain Motel was our most favourite motel for accommodation and doing AP as they have a very large grass field and very wide open area for astronomy. The light pollution there is very low and the environment in the motel is very safe and thus we sometimes left our astronomical setup in the grass field in the daytime when we went out to other towns for sightseeing. If you have interest, welcome to take a look at their website of www.warrumbungle.com (http://www.warrumbungle.com) .

But this year, my friend Alan and I want to try some new places for AP in the east coastal area. We plan to spend our 1st week to travel around some places such as Newcastle and Port Macquarie in between Sydney and Brisbane for sightseeing and AP.

So, could you recommend us some motels similar to the Warrumbungle Mountain Motel with a wide-open and dark sky good for AP in or near Newcastle, Muswellbrook, Port Marquarie, Walcha, etc.?

If my memory is correct, Mike had organised a planetary imaging conference (?) in a place near Newcastle. Seemed this place is also good for AP and accommodation is available at this place at very reasonable price. Is it right? Could anyone provide me with information?

It is absolutely a great honour to us if you can provide us with a chance to visit you. If you would like to, please send PM to me.

Thank you very much in advance for any of your suggestion to me.

Best regards,

William LT Ng

[Octane]

Hi William,

I think you might find Newcastle might be a little bit light-polluted to do serious astrophotography.

However, you might like to join the boys at the Pony Club which is just over an hour's drive north of Sydney (so, that probably makes it about 30-to-60-minutes from Newcastle) for new Moon imaging and observing in July.

Have a look in the Star Parties forum for a thread with details and a map.

H

[gary]

Hi William,

Great to hear you are coming back to Australia again for a holiday.

Though these days searching for accommodation via the web is hard to beat,
a good hard copy accommodation guide is the NRMA Accommodation Guide.
See http://www.nrmaonlineshop.com.au/p-39-nrma-accommodation-guide-09-10.aspx

Having observed from the Warrumbungles Mountain Motel on many occasions,
I can attest to its amenity with regards observing.

Since you visited NSW before, you will be familiar with the topography and
climate. As a rule of thumb, observing weather is likely to be less favorable
along the coast, on average, compared to inland locations. However, since you
are also here for a siteseeing holiday, I appreciate that a change of scenery is
what you are looking for.

The Pacific Highway is the main route that connects Brisbane to Sydney
but an alternate more inland route is the New England Highway. However,
let us say for one moment that you favoured the more coastal of the two routes
as you were interested in detouring to see the ocean now and then.

With that in mind, I would recommend you consider looking for accommodation
in the hinterland areas away from major town centers and away from the
Pacific Highway itself. As a rule of thumb, since motel style accommodation
tends to be centered around towns or along the main highway, you might
want to consider investigating cottage, bed and breakfast and farm-style
accommodation which is more likely to provide you with grassy areas under
dark skies. However, expect to pay considerably more for such accommodation
compared to the Warrumbungles Mountain Motel. For example, a Google
search for cottage accommodation in the Buladelah area reveals this example page -
http://www.takeabreak.com.au/BulahdelahHunter/HunterCoast/Cottage/accomodation.htm
For example, I have stayed at one of the listed cottages there, specifically
"The Dairy" http://www.takeabreak.com.au/BulahdelahHunter/HunterCoast/TheDairy1.htm
It is not cheap, but it is private and the skies are dark. This particular place from memory
had only one bedroom, so it is probably not what you are looking for, but it will
give you some idea of what I mean, that is, a place where you need to take a detour off the
main highway to reach.

You will find similar accommodation in the hinterland regions along the entire coast.

IceInSpace runs an annual astrocamp at a dot on the map in the Hunter Valley
called Lostock. The property is owned by the Scouting organization and there
is an old cottage there. Others on this forum have rented the property at times
other than Astrocamp and could advise on contact details and pricing.
The Lostock cottage is a rough and tumble sort of place. If you were coming with
an observing buddy, which you mentioned you were, and neither of you mind staying
at place with rustic charm, then it is fine. If you told me you were just married and bringing
a new bride on her honeymoon, then it would be wise to forget it. :)

Another alternative is if you are happy to camp at times is to pack a tent
and a good sleeping bag and make use of some of the camping grounds
at places such as Crowdy Bay National Park just south of Port Macquarie.
See http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/nationalparks/parkhome.aspx?id=N0009
You are right on the beach at effectively sea level so the seeing is far from ideal.
However, the skies are dark but the limiting factor can often be what artificial light
sources your fellow campers bring. However, one would guess that in July you
would find many of the camp grounds pretty empty.

Anyway, I hope the above tips might be helpful for you to investigate further.
In a nutshell, motels with large lawns and no exterior lighting away from town centres
and away from the highway are probably difficult to find. Cottages, farm stay and
bed and breakfast accommodation away from the towns and highway generally
can be a safer bet for the observer, but expect to pay considerably more than
(i.e. two to three times) what one pays to stay at the Warrumbungles Mountain Motel.
The National Park system has some parks with camp grounds but July can be cold.

Enjoy the trip. :thumbsup:

Best Regards

Gary
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW

[norm]

Hi William,


From Port Macquarie and assuming your planing to head to Brisbane from there, you could potentially head inland via the Oxley Hwy. You'll miss out on the ocean views, but the north western inland is a pretty place to visit. Wauchope is an old timber town, but moving inland you'll pass thru' subtropical forests over a long windy road. As you approach Walcha you can detour and visit a couple of waterfalls (Tia and Aspley).

At Walcha there's a few bread and breakfasts, which I would say are reasonably priced (http://www.walchansw.com.au/)

From Walcha you can head towards Armidale on the New England Hwy , its a reasonably sized small city and nice to visit. From Armidale you can then make your way to Brisbane visiting numerous towns on the way.
(if your not use to the driving those distances you may want to stay overnight somewhere between Armidale and Brisbane to break up the driving time).

It will be a long drive from Port M. because of the detour inland, but if your in no hurry its a nice change in scenery. If your not planning to head to Brisbane, from Walcha you can head south back to Sydney via Tamworth or Gloucester (6-4.5 hrs respectively).From Tamworth you could literally do Coona again. :)

If you happen to be around Walcha between 12-17 July, drop me a PM.
I'm planning to be up there with my scope. We could goto the local airstrip and do some viewing one night etc.

Cheers, Norm

PS: Word of warning. Temperatures start to fall around this time of year, especially at night. So make sure you bring warm clothes.

[Paul Haese]

William that is great you are coming to Australia.

It is myself and Anthony who have organised the planetary imaging camps and not Mike. The last one was at Nambucca Heads. Mike has the Ice in Space camp, but this is for deep sky imagers, visual observers and planetary imagers alike. At present Anthony is going to Western Australia up near Geralton around opposition. You might like to join him there too if you have time.

I hope you have a great time in Australia.

[LT_Ng]

Hello Octane, Gary, Norm and Paul,

Thanks so much for your advices and suggestions.

I think I know a bit about the weather pattern in Australia in July and August, and that is why I went to Coonabarabran for astronomy in the past years. How about the weather in the east coastal area this year? We have a very abnormal weather in HK this year. It is almost half of a year past, but we could only have total number of clear sky less than 10 for astronomy! Seemed it was a wet and rainy year in HK this year. Is Australia, especially for the coastal area between Sydney and Brisbane, of the same case?

I will follow your suggestions to go inland more for astronomy in the 1st week, and may be back to Coonabarabran again. But we must visit those interest places suggested by Norm when being back to Sydney along the coastal highway from Brisbane.

Finally, I have to say sorry to Paul for making a mistake about the organization of planetary imaging camps. Tasimania is another place I want to visit, and I think it is the most beautiful season from March to May. Is it right? But this dream can only be come true when I get retired. Because my annual leave can be applied only in July or August.

Again, thanks for your informations provided. They are very helpful to my travel planning.

Clear skies,

Wiliam

[gary]

Hi Wiliam,

Hong Kong's monsoonal weather bears more resemblance to tropical weather
in regions of Australia north of the Tropic of Capricorn. The type of humidity you
experience there in Hong Kong in August is more like what one would experience
here in Australia in places such as Darwin or Cairns in January.

For regions south of the Tropic of Capricorn, which are the destinations
you are planning on touring, the climate is more temperate. July, August and
September are the drier months in Sydney but when it clouds over, as it
is today, it tends to stay that way for days at a time. The weather systems involved
at this time of year often cover a major part of the state, so if it is raining
in Sydney, it is likely to be raining up and down the coast and some way inland of the state
as well. Summer, on the other hand, is often typified by clear and very hot days,
then a build up with a thunderstorm in the afternoon that then
often clears by late evening.

When you travel west from Sydney, the landscape is predominantly green
even out to Coonabarabran, as you are familiar with. Travel several more
hours in a generally north-westerly direction and some time before you
reach Bourke in the state's far west, the soil turns Martian red and pretty much
continues that way across the continent until you reach the shores of the
Indian Ocean on the other side.

When it comes to weather for observing in Australia, I have a saying, which is that
the inland of Australia is not all desert without good reason. :) The reality is that
the coastal areas of Australia are green and wetter than the inland regions and the
further you go inland, the drier and clearer and warmer it tends to be. So, for example,
if one were coming to Australia to see a rare astronomical event and one had
a choice of either setting up a scope at, say, Port Macquarie on the coast or at, say,
Bourke in the states far north-west, to have the maximum chance of clear skies
one would plan on Bourke.

Places such as Coonabarabran, Mount Kaputar, Nyngan are a compromise in
one sense in as much as that they are away from the coast and tend to be
on average, drier, but aren't as far to travel to as say Alice Springs.

The risk one runs on an astronomy expedition to Australia where the observing
locales are chosen to be east of the Great Dividing Range is that one could
get a full two weeks of overcast skies. The contrary is also true, where you could
get two weeks of clear skies. However, with that in mind, if it were I, I would make
my plans as flexible as possible. As suggested earlier, get yourself a hard copy
of the NRMA Accomodation Guide and a SIM module for your mobile
phone when you arrive. When you arrive, if the weather is fine on the coast,
pick accommodation out of the guide and phone ahead and book. If the weather
forecast is not looking so promising and you really want to observe, then look
at the weather bureau forecasts and if need be "head west young man". If it
looks clear in, say Nyngan, book yourself a room and if you don't mind driving,
start driving. Your old haunt at Coona' might also be the go in that instance.



Sounds like an excellent plan. Then you get to do a bit of both.



Tasmania is a fabulous place to visit, but it certainly is not the observing
destination of choice. Tasmania is an "all four seasons in one day" place and
it is not uncommon to have a blistering hot day in December but for it
then to start snowing at places such as Cradle Mountain. The weather there can
also be incredibly different at any two places only a hour apart. March to
May is certainly a nice time to visit though with regards site seeing.
When planning a trip from A to B in Tasmania by road, always count on it taking
much longer than the number of km on the map would indicate, often owing to
the winding or slow going roads.

[AstralTraveller]

Hi,

One accomodation idea would be cabins in caravan parks. There is more likely to be space set up there than near a motel. Unfortunately there will most likely be some lights around but less than at a motel. Depending on the layout you may be able to find a suitable dark corner nearby.

Cabins generally provide blankets but not sheets, though I think some will hire sheets for an additional fee. There will also be basic cooking gear so you don't have to pay for takeaways or restaurants. The last time I stayed in one I think it was about $60 per night for two people, but that was in Corryong and I think prices might be higher where you are going.

[Jen]

:hi::hi::hi:

:gday::gday: Gday William welcome back to OZ hope you enjoy your stay :thumbsup: Im sure there will be someone here that will be able to help you out cheers :thumbsup:

[LT_Ng]

Hello Jen,

Thanks for your greeting, and I think I will have a nice trip this year.

Yes, there are many good guys here, and I must say thanks to them for providing me with so much useful information.

Clear skies,

William

[LT_Ng]

Hello Everyone,

Sorry for no more following up to this thread in the past 2 weeks, and I have to say thanks to Gary for providing me with so many advice and suggestions to my trip.

Here is my updated planning of my journey, if you are interested to know.

July 11th morning: arrive Sydney International Airport
July 12th - 15th: stay 3 nights in Coonabarabran for astronomy
15th - 16th: on the way to Brisbane
16th - 19th: stay 3 nights in Brisbane and visit Paul in Obi Obi
19th - 23rd: on the way back to Sydney from Brisbane along M1 highway and enjoy east coastal scenary
23rd - 24th: stay 2 nights in Sydney, visit friends and enjoy the dynamics of this great city
25th morning: back to HK

If the weather in Coonabarabran (we have booked 3 nights at the Warrumbungle Mountain Motel) are exceptionally good for imaging, we will stay there for 1 to 2 more nights, and so the above schedule may have some adjustment in according with the weather conditions.

As new moon happening on July 12th, we don't want to miss that night too. We had been staying at motel Gold Panner in Baththrust before, and it is a very nice motel. The light pollution in and around that motel is not so severe that we can do imaging there or somewhere about few km away.

But this year we want to try another motel/place with our way west to Coonabarabran. I know there are members living in Oberon. Is there anyone living in Oberon, Blayney or Cowra could tell me that whether your location is dark enough for imaging? Is there any motel similar to Gold Panner suggested to us to have a try?

In addition, sometimes for catching up the time to arrive in our destination, I may drive a bit over the max. speed allowed in the rural area. Is there any new speed checking system or method that I have to be aware of?

Lastly, if you are interested to know more of Hong Kong and me, it is my pleasure to meet you up with my trip, and please drop me a PM.

Clear skies,

William

[[1ponders]]

Hi William. I wouldn't risk going above the speed limit. There are a lot of speed check cameras throughout NSW and Qld these days. If you speed it is likely you well get caught.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/7566130/nsw-gets-covert-mobile-speed-cameras/

I'm looking forward to catching up with both of you. If you are pushed for time, phone me and we can try to work something out.