[AJames]

Originally Posted by citivolus

...it was interesting to read through. I wonder what good dark sky sites were excluded at the time due to remoteness, which today might be looked upon more favourably?

I think at the time there were a number of places that we set aside - Maralinga is one that come to mind - where the British decided to do some atomic bomb tests. Also Woomera region was rejected because of the security defence area This was probably why the observing sites like in the Flinders Ranges were never finally considered.
Another significant problem with desert regions was/is dust, with significant maintenance cost of clean mirrors and mechanical parts of the mount.
Yet the big issue remains altitude to get as less atmosphere as possible between the telescope and size.
Places like Kata Tjuta and Uluru, would be great places for large observatories - but the Aboriginal people I think might object a wee bit if we did that.
If it were me, I'd place an observatory somewhere on the ancient West Australian-Northern Territory plateau, several hundred kilometres either north or west of these places, and construct either a remote observatory - serviced every month or two. It is the right latitude, and still dark enough from any main city.
If I was made the "Australian Minister for Astronomy" and was going to select my ideal site, it would be on the north-western edge of the Nullabour in Western Australia, where the flat plain rises into the plateau. This would be abut 400 km east of Kalgoorlie and 300 kilometres from the Great Australian Bight , and roughly 80km north-west of a place called Rawlinna. The area is near an ancient inland river that once moved from north to south and flowed into the shallow sea that is now the Nullaboor [plain]. While remote, it would be the darkest of sites in all of Australia and would remain so for ages. (See attached map)
While this fantasy won't happen, you could at least be far from the maddening crowd!