Depending on the time of year, if you look up at the night sky in Sydney you might spy Jupiter, Mars, Saturn or Venus. Maybe you'll see the Southern Cross and a smattering of other not-too-distant or extra-bright stars like Alpha Centauri, Antares or Sirius. But mostly, our city's light pollution keeps the best of the universe blanketed away.
Thankfully NSW is rich with dark places where you can be truly starstruck by the plethora of twinkling balls of gas in the sky. From the real splendour of the Milky Way, interstellar clouds, colourful star clusters and our neighbouring galaxies. No need to crack out your telescope (though if you've got one, definitely bring it)—at these NSW hideaways, you’ll have the best seat in the house for some good old-fashioned lay-on-the -ground-and-stare-at-the-sky shenanigans.
Here are all the best places to go stargazing in NSW.
Warrumbungle National Park Dark Sky Park
Coonabarabran
You’re going to want to bring your camping gear for this one. Warrumbungle National Park is a definite hike (a six-hour drive from Sydney) but it tops the list for one very important reason. It is the Southern Hemisphere's and Australia’s first Dark Sky Park, making it the ultimate spot for stargazing, amateur astronomy, and camping under the starriest of skies. The title of Dark Sky Park is a pretty serious one too, highlighting places with next-level starry nights—you can read more here. Warrumbungle is considered to be a top stargazing spot because of the area's low humidity and high altitude. You know it's legit too when the park is also home to the world-class astronomy research facility, Siding Spring Observatory.
Mount Kuring-Gai
Hornsby
Just 45 minutes from the city, Mount Kuring-Gai is the ideal spot for date night. On the edge of the national park, there is a football oval which is legit the ideal location to roll out your picnic blanket and stare at the night sky. Come summertime, Orion’s Belt (the hunter constellation) is easily spotted at Mount Kuring-Gai so you can surprise your significant other with a mini star show.
Blue Mountains Stargazing
Wentworth Falls
Helping you navigate the night sky in the Blue Mountains is this astronomer-led tour in Wentworth Falls. These tours run every Friday and Saturday after sunset, which no doubt will tee up perfectly with that epic weekend road trip away. These stargazing tours take place at the Wentworth Falls Picnic area at Jamison Lookout. If you’ve never visited, the lookout gives you a smashing 180-degree view of the lush Jamison Valley, Mount Solitary and yep, all the World Heritage-listed Greater Blue Mountains skies.
The tour itself is run by the legendary Caroline and Dimitri—Dimitri's got a badass Ph.D. in astrophysics and over 10 years of experience as an astronomy guide at Sydney Observatory, Mt John Observatory at Lake Tekapo (New Zealand) and at the luxe resort Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley. So yeah, expect all the celestial facts and info. You can book the tour here.
Mudgee Observatory
Mudgee
Astronomers are a passionate bunch—and John Vetter, the founder of Mudgee Observatory, is no exception to the rule. About 15 minutes drive out of Mudgee, the observatory is essentially a private observatory Vetter built himself on his own property (including a towering fence of trees that shields the site from the lights of town).
His telescopes are used by researchers from the University of NSW, the staff of Sydney Observatory and members of the Sutherland Astronomical Society, and when we visited, Vetter showed us the Jewel Box Cluster, the Orion Nebular and the Omega Centauri globular cluster (a collection of about a million stars that looks like a firework). If you're after a personalised, educational experience, we highly recommend booking a tour here.
Terrey Hills
Northern Beaches
Another patch of dark sky close to home is Terrey Hills in the Northern Beaches. The Northern Sydney Astronomical Society run observing nights on the weekend for both experienced and novice (definitely us) astronomers alike. They have telescopes to share, so if you are just starting out your star-loving days this may be the place for you.
Bouddi National Park
Central Coast
Hiding away on the Central Coast 90 minutes out of Sydney is Bouddi National Park. Its dense bushland provides the perfect darkness to view the stars from the beach and lookouts. Basically, that means you’ll be listening to the sound of waves crashing against the sand while watching the stars (sounds like a winner to us).
Mangrove Mountain
Central Coast
Head outside of Sydney’s light haze to Mangrove Mountain, where the altitude is your friend. Word has it that on a clear night you can easily see the Milky Way, so brush up on your night photography skills, and you’re in for a treat.
Outback Astronomy
Broken Hill
This one is definitely a trek (read: it's over 12 hours drive from Sydney) but it is 100% worth mentioning. Outback Astronomy in Broken Hill's darker than dark desert plains is a full-service stargazing affair, with on-site glamping and nightly sky tours.
Since you're here, check out the best camping spots in NSW.
Image credit: Destination NSW, Blue Mountains Stargazing