Quote:
Originally Posted by LT_Ng
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 .
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?
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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-3...ide-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/Bulahde...comodation.htm
For example, I have stayed at one of the listed cottages there, specifically
"The Dairy"
http://www.takeabreak.com.au/Bulahde.../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/na....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.
Best Regards
Gary
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW