[robzy (Rob)]

Hey guys, we recently got an 8" Skywatcher Dob as my younger brother has recently taken an interest in astronomy.

We've taken it out to the yard a couple of times and had some good viewing of the moon, and seen a bit of Mars and Jupiter. We've even caught a tinge of M42, which was pretty cool.

The thing is that it's becoming obvious that our yard ~10km out from the CBD is not at all an ideal viewing location, a whole tonne of light pollution that makes it difficult for our eyes to become sensitive enough, and pretty useless for seeing much at all.

That's left me wondering how to find places more suitable for viewing. I know that there are quite a few astronomy clubs out there, that we do plan on joining, but I'd definitely appreciate the freedom of knowing there's somewhere I can go down to by myself.

So yeah, how does one find viewing locations in Melbourne? Somewhere off Nepean Highway (SE Melb) would be great.

Thanks,
Rob.