As any city-dwelling stargazer will tell you, living in the big smoke does not lend itself well to astronomy. Light pollution from street lamps and highrises means only the very brightest celestial objects are typically visible from town. If you want to get a half-decent peek at the cosmos, you need to head to where the trappings of modern civilisation can’t obscure your view. That can be easier said than done, given that these remote spots necessarily need to be quite some distance from handy infrastructure like roads and parking. However, a bid by the Northern Beaches council could soon make looking to the stars a whole lot more convenient for Sydneysiders.
After seeking community feedback in 2020, the Northern Beaches Council is now pushing forward with its plans to have Governor Phillip Park in Palm Beach officially declared a dark sky reserve by the International Dark Sky Association. In order for the application to be considered, the local council will need to arrange at least four annual stargazing events. If successful, the Northern Beaches would become Australia’s first urban night sky park, but it’s not the only area where you can get superb views of the night sky near the city. Not far from Palm Beach to the west of the Northern Beaches peninsula, Mount Ku-ring-gai is a favourite spot for Sydney astronomers, as well as the Blue Mountains at Wollemi National Park and near Bankstown Airport.