BBC Film Crew Again

[solissydney (Ken)]

Can anyone assist the BBC Researcher in her e-mail to me ?.
"I hope you do not mind me picking your brain one last time but I also want to ask your opinion about doing time lapse photography is Sydney. I understand that the Blue Mountains are probably the best place for this is this correct? But if we needed a second location to do this where would be the second best place. I was thinking a remote beach a couple of hours away from Sydney would be ideal. Are there any particularly good beaches for stargazing and time lapse around Sydney. Also would the beaches/ areas North or South of Sydney be best."

In order to be helpful don't just mention such and such beach, or location is the best.
A little more involvement please. How well do you know the suggested location, do you live nearby, are you prepared to communicate directly with the Researcher from the BBC via e-mail?
Ken

[trent_julie]

Wow what an opportunity!
First place I can think of is north of Palm Beach in Sydney. Good luck with it!

Trent

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

I'd be asking to go with them. You could be their personal guide.

[solissydney (Ken)]

North of Palm beach.
How bad is light pollution from Woy Woy/ Gosford. Have you been imaging from there?

[trent_julie]

Ken,
Not as bad a south that's for sure, I have imaged south before and it all seems bright, I have not imaged on the North side, but I know that travelling that way from sea on many occasion it's a lot darker. Heading South it starts getting dark around Jervis Bay. I'm sure locals of either direction will pipe up soon enough.

Trent

[solissydney (Ken)]

Sounds great, I am warming to Palm Beach myself.
Being about 2 hours from Sydney should suit the film crew.
Many years ago I imaged the Moon rise from the back of Mona Vale Hospital, a great place for taking images from over the ocean. but took no notice of light pollution then.

[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.

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Palm Beach looks good because of its relative isolation and it has the NP behind it but it is only ~40km from the CBD. I would have thought some places in the Royal NP would be at least as good. There were some good Comet Lovejoy shots taken from just north of Bald Hill. Further south it starts to get dark south of Kiama. We went out to Black Point at Gerroa for Lovejoy and it would have been fine to look to the east except for the cloud. Seven Mile Beach would also be good. We also tried Saddleback Mtn Lookout just inland from Kiama and it was dark to the south but the northern horizon is a bit blocked and has a bit of light. By the time you reach Jervis Bay it is quite dark.

Being a local I know these sites quite well but because I go inland for my astronomy I have less direct experience with the seeing but I still think my assessment is reasonable. If they want to speak to me directly please pm for my contact details. Note that I'll be away for three weeks from 1 Nov enjoying the clear mornings in FNQ .