Hi all,
Rod is making the Airfield available to us on Saturday 23rd of August. Many thanks Rod.
One thing is for certain, it will be very cold up there this time around. This winter has been a hard one, and Rod tells me its snowed up there more regularly this year than any other he's been up there. So go prepared,
If you haven't been to the Airfield before you are most welcome to come. Doesn't matter if you have a scope or not you are welcome. We are a friendly bunch, and don't bite too hard...
Access to the Airfield is via Medlow Bath, the next village after Katoomba heading west. At Medlow Bath's only set of traffic lights turn into Station Pde, and then turn left into Rutland. Rutland is also known as Grand Canyon Drive. The Airfield is 4km from this intersection with the last 3km being unsealed. Being unsealed it can experience erosion that can create nasty ruts in the road surface, so take it easy.
The Airfield is totally BYO power, food, drinks, etc. Loos are available for kids and ladies and those feeling less adventurous (Duncan...
). There is no knock-off time as we are welcome to stay overnight. When you've had enough you make your call. There are sofas in the office building we can get some kip in too. The office building also has a combustion heater that becomes the centre of the universe during winter,
This is an informal gathering. We all share the cost of a gift to Rod of his preferred brew. The hat gets passed around for this.
These get togethers are a great chance to ask questions if you are new to astronomy. Folks who come up bring a wide variety of instruments and gear, and their interests vary just as widely from visual through to imaging (and even sketching...
). The Airfield's elevation at 1000m also makes it not only one of the highest observing sites close to Sydney, but also its elevation makes a big impact in reducing the influence of Sydney's light pollution.
Heading to the Airfield
Note that some natsav systems call this site "Katoomba
Airport", and won't show Katoomba Airfield.
On entering the Airfield's gates, keep to the left hand track - there is no access to the observing field using the other two tracks. Drive past the "no entry" sign and turn right up the hill past the various buildings. The setup slab is on the left once you reach the main runway.
The first pic below shows the route to the Airfield coming from Katoomba. The second pic shows the way to the observing slab on the main runway.
If you have a telescope, bring it along! If all you have are binoculars, brilliant! Bring them! Binos are a fantastic astronomy tool. I always bring my pair. If you don't have a scope, no problem either, we like to share the views through ours.
Mental.
. And my new OIII filter is keen to see the Veil 
I think I might be loosing it... 
