Australia’s first International Dark Sky Park
The Sun is a telescope
At the scale of the Drive, the dome of the Anglo-Australian Telescope is the Sun. You arrive not at a sculpture, but at a working observatory on Gamilaraay Country, in the Warrumbungle ranges.
Siding Spring Observatory
You have travelled from the frozen edge of Pluto, through the stormy giants, past the Red Planet, and into the warm inner system. Now you stand at the heart of Australia’s first International Dark Sky Park, nested in the Warrumbungle Mountains on the unceded lands of the Gamilaraay people.
The 3.9-metre Anglo-Australian Telescope is the physical Sun of the 1:38,000,000 model. Coonabarabran, Astronomy Capital of Australia, is home to the country’s largest optical astronomy research facility. Maps and local knowledge live at visitor centres along the five tourist drives and at the Exploratory at Siding Spring itself.
Dark Sky Hub
Ancient, scarred trees. Heritage rock art of fish and goanna. Hidden aquifers. The Emu in the Sky watching over it all. Night-sky experiences here sit under some of the darkest skies on Earth. Slow down. Listen. Let the land and the stars speak in their own language.
We are honoured to share this place. May the journey — and your time here — be filled with wonder, respect, and the peace that comes from being in right relationship with Country and cosmos.
