[mental4astro (Alexander)]

Thing with the beaches is the sea spray. No way to control it and it will be just about perpetually an on shore wind come evening as the hot inland sucks in the cooler sea air. If the swell is up too it makes things worse.

I fish the Sydney beaches during the night. During dead calm through to storms for the last 15 years, and lived in the eastern suburbs all my life. I wouldn't want my photo gear exposed to this. It can be done, but I would not recommend it. The sea spray alone can render a perfectly clear sky useless as it picks up the light pollution. Cactus if you are doing time lapse, and too much of a gamble for the long shot that is an off shore wind in Summer.

The east coast is the worst for light pollution in both directions too. Between Nowra in the south and Nelson Bay to the north is the greatest concentration of population and lights in all of NSW. That's some 300km. Inland from Sydney is really the only option.

Nice the romance of the beaches, but this is the way it is. Sorry to rain on the parade, but I too want to see this project succeed.

Inland there is Linden Obs, Hargraves & Mt Blackheath Lookouts, Katoomba Airfield, Hassans Walls near Lithgow, even Wiruna ASNSW's dark sky site. Sorry boys and girls but Crago is too close to Sydney for what is being sought. To the south west is the Belanglo State Forest where the MacArthur Astro Soc do their thing. These would be my suggestions.