[Wavytone]

OK... here's a list of pretty much all the sites I've tried in the mountains. BTW the primary reason to avoid the valleys is fog at night settles in them, and heavy dark soils (farmland, urban areas) mean dew.

The old coal mine on the Darling Causeway is out of bounds, there's a locked gate and fence at the railway bridge.
Bardens lookout on Mt York Rd - I've been there - only has a low horizon southwest, and lots of trees in other directions.

Via GWH:

1. Kings tableland - too light-polluted these days and have to carry scopes.
2. Katoomba airstrip... 'nuff said.
3. Narrowneck Road, south of Katoomba - too light polluted.
4. Hat Hill Rd, a dirt road running north of Blackheath to Anvil lookout;
5. Mt Blackheath - as some of you know, great horizon west and south but trees block the view to the east.
6. Hargraves Lookout - good but have to carry gear
7. Mt York. Possible for a small group, but too many trees.

Via Bells Line of Rd:

1. Mt Banks - as indicated by Alex, I used to frequent this regularly in the 1980's and 1990's but access to my old haunt is now blocked off and old the top carpark is suitable. It's a small are big enough for maybe 2-3 scopes at best. Despite the light-pollution map on Google showing it in the dark blue, 20 years ago I started to feel the sky was light polluted and if you were after galaxies, not so good.

2. Pierce's Ravine carpark, just past Mt Banks; this will hold a group but there are some small trees around it. Maybe cleared by the bushfire - worth a look.

3. Mt Wilson Cathedral Camping Ground - will hold a very big group but there are danged big trees.

4. Disused airstrip off the south side of Bell's Line of Rd, past ZigZag railway (see screenshot) - excellent site, will hold a large group easily. On Google earth this is a big white scar. The airstrip is coarse white river sand, as big as the main strip at Katoomba, though it now has a few potholes and puddles. Observing there is fine.

5. Hassan's Walls, reached via Lithgow - several good sites for 2-3 scopes but not for big groups.


IMHO the best accessible observing site in the mountains capable of holding a group - bar none - is the disused airstrip. Finding it is tricky because it is not obvious from Bell's Line of Rd as the road is higher and the camber puts the airstrip out of sight of motorists - take a GPS with you and for the first time, slow down and drive onto it in daylight so you can see where you're going. The south end is out of sight of traffic and the only disturbances at night will be possums in the trees.