siding spring observatory

Visited here about 20 years ago and came back with my son as part of a learner driver tour. The telescope is awesome and we were lucky enough to be able to watch a new instrument being installed on the top of the telescope. When the engineer had finished we watched him come all the way back down and he popped in to the viewing room to have a chat and describe what he had ben doing.The visitors centre has a good little café and lots of displays to go through. It is getting a little dated though and is in need of some updates.

We were glad we went a little out of our way to visit this historic site. The views from the entry to the main observatory are spectacular. The main observatory (started more than 50 years ago) is a monument to smart thinking back when it was started. The sky is so clear.We liked the visitors centre too...the woman in charge was ever so pleasant - and busy too with making yummy toasted sandwiches and milk shakes.Yep...worth a stop.And the benefit is you can enter (or leave) via the Warrumbungles - just gorgeous!

Loved visiting the observatory. It's fascinating and certainly provides a bigger insight into astronomy and our universe and galaxy. When visiting this area, be sure to stop in Coolah for more great adventures.

This is an amazing place where you can see a real telescope, the AAT. The visitor centre was good although would benefit from greater variety of shirts. Set in the fantastic Warumbungle national park and had a narrow escape in a huge bush fire two years ago.

i just loved our visit to this observatory. it reminded me of my childhood visits to the Carter Observatory in Wellington NZ where we saw Jupiter one night. Absolutely loved the Virtual Solar System on our way from here to Coolah

Situated on the edge of the Warrumbungal National Park, the spectacular views over the countryside from the base of the telescope make the Observatory a worthwhile visit alone. There is a lot of reading to do and a mass of information in the Exploratory and Visitor Centre however I felt that the displays and information needed updating; most of the hands-on appliances seemed to be broken or at least not working properly and I also felt that these were out-dated. For those interested the cafe and gift shop attached are good and the grounds are a pleasant place to stop for a picnic lunch.

Even if you are not into astrology this place is well worth a visit. The museum is not large but well presented with very interesting facts and the information boards on the scenic drive to the observatory add to the overall presentation. It is fascinating to view the huge telescope from the glass enclosure as well as learn its history and the "how" and " why" as to the site being developed.

A must see for everyone, while I am not that familiar with Astronomy we did enjoy touring the observatory and the museum. Both were very interesting and full of facts, the views were awesome.

So interesting, the telescope is so huge, our kids couldn't beleive it. They now want to be astronomers! And the views are fantastic. Worth the drive.

We took a break from general sightseeing to go and find out a bit about space observation, an interesting few hours followed. Also given its elevation some superb views - well worth a detour, as they say in some guide books

The place has a great opportunity to impress with the telescope and views but either are accessible.

We visited the Siding Springs Observatory OPEN DAY on the 3rd of October 2014. It was really something to see, what an amazing structure the Ango-Australian Telescope is. We were given a tour of the entire area comprising of 11 other observatory's owned by different Governments and organisations. The lectures were also great as well and there was also solar viewing using private telescopes supplied by Astronomists from around the area. All the tours and solar viewing was for free including the beautiful museum attached to the cafeteriato purchase The only item you needed to purchase was your lunch and of course if you wanted to buy items from the stalls, so it was a very cheap day for all. We thoroughly recommend this day and will more than likely attend it again.

We called in here to visit and look at the telescope. My son loved watching it spin around. There is an area for a small fee that you an enter and look at space videos and lots of things you can touch, which is always great for a 7 year old ! Worth stopping at.

Loved visiting the observatory, friendly helpful staff. Amazing to see how close they came to losing it in the bushfires.

The observatory is interesting, with great scenery of the surrounding landscape, truly stunning. The cafe serves a good variety of food and the coffee is good quality.