Hi Lance,
Thanks for the post.
I have never heard of any Dark Sky communities here in Australia along the
lines of those set up in the States.
The closest we would come would be the de-facto community in the Coonabarabran
area, heavily influenced by the fact that the Anglo Australian Observatory
was built nearby and several of the people who are active enthusiasts in the
area work there or are retired after having worked there. In some ways it is a
similar set-up to that around the Limpia Crossing area in Texas, close to the
Prude Ranch where TSP is held. It is only a stones-throw to the McDonald
Observatory so there is some pressure to keep the light pollution in check.
However, just as the McDonald Observatory is serviced by nearby Ft Davis,
so is the AAO by the country town of Coonabarabran. Therefore, there are
sites that are marginally darker away from those service centers, but the reality
of the people and families who live there is some sort of balancing act between
the quality of the sky and the amenity of being to go into town for groceries,
schools, gasoline, etc.
I notice that this Texan real estate agent even promotes a parcel of land at Limpia
Crossing as ideal for a telescope -
http://www.texasmountainrealty.com/a...roperty_ID=100
The idea of an entire community built just for the purpose of observing has
obvious merit and you may well find fellow enthusiasts interested in forming one
here in Australia.
Jack Newton's house certainly looks nice!
Best Regards
Gary