Off to Magellan Observatory for the weekend :)

There was some discussion a while back on how we 4WD'ers and campers enjoy being out under the stars, & sitting around a campfire while yakking to friends whilst sipping from a bottle of your favourite.

Well - "stars" are going to be the central theme for us this weekend. We're off to Megellan Observatory at Lake Bathurst, in the Southern Highlands/Central Tablelands area 200km south of Sydney. The observatory is set on 120 acres of private land at 780 metres in altitude. Accommodation is available in the form of a fully-equipped 3-bedroom house all to yourselves. Linen is provided, all you need to bring is food and grog. Prices are very reasonable - starting at $170 for a couple for two nights.

The clear winter skies should give a nice clear window to the stars here, and the observatory is equipped with a number of different telescopes to look through. You can also hire CCD cameras to take snaps of whatever you see. Very cool indeed! Even during the day you can look at the sun's corona through their solar scope. Zane, the owner, conducts "sky tours" for a nominal fee.

We'll let you know what it was like when we get back, for those that are interested. I can't wait! If it's all pretty cool, I'll get a nice refractor for Omaroo.

Here's the website:

home.goulburn.net.au/~magellan/

Cheers
Chris