Star Gazing with the Astronomical Society of Victoria
Date and time: 2-4pm, Saturday 18 November to 9:00am Sunday 19 November 2023
Special Instructions for Registering for this event:
- Register the driver as you normally would for a RRCV trip. Do not enter any passenger details yet. Pay for the driver's ticket ($40)
- At the end of the driver registration, click the Return To Event button to show the event.
- To add passengers, scroll down to the bottom of the event and click the Register button to begin the passenger registration process.
- Click the New Registration button. Follow the prompts and select Adult – As Passenger/Child Passenger/Child Passenger Under 5. Follow the prompts to complete the registration process for each passenger in the same vehicle. NB, all passengers must be registered and paid for separately.
- At the end of each passenger registration click the Return to Event button. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each passenger.
Description: Please contact your trip leader if you are unsure of any of the following requirements for this trip.
This ‘trip’ is a special star gazing event run especially for the RRCV by the Astronomical Society of Victoria (ASV). The location is the ASV Leon Mow Dark Sky Site at Lady’s Pass (near Heathcote).
ASV volunteers will provide participants with a ‘guided’ tour of the night sky using a variety of telescopes, including one with a colossal 40 inch mirror. A radio telescope can be used if the sky is cloudy. There are also several other telescopes for us to use so you don’t need to bring your own. Some telescopes have steps to access them.
RRCV members are also welcome to bring their cameras and engage in astrophotography.
There is a cost involved of $40 per adult and $20 per child (details below). You will be asked to pay as part of your registration process.
A separate trip will be advertised for those wanting to do some offroad driving and touring around the area before we arrive at the property at approx. 4pm. You are quite welcome to drive directly to the property, however, as it will be open to us from mid-afternoon. The exact address and directions will be supplied to those who register.
Arriving by 4pm will provide sufficient time for camp setup and meal preparation during daylight.
Please carry all food and water for an overnight camp plus cooking and camping equipment.
Clothing and footwear for a possibly cool night. As you would expect the action really starts after dark so dress appropriately. The forecast will tell us closer to the date whether it will be warm or cool each day.
The ASV site has ample open camping areas for tents and caravans / camper trailers. You are welcome to bring these to camp in for the night if you wish.
There are toilet and shower facilities as well as a kitchen available for use.
Note that there are no fires permitted on the property. So no cooking nor camp fires.
Also, you may only use red filtered light outside at night near the viewing areas. No ‘white light’ is allowed. You can put red cellophane or nailpolish over a lense of a torch if you don’t have specific red light filters. Torches with red light can be purchased from Bunnings. White light may be used in the camping areas, but it must be as covered and subdued as possible. i.e used blinds on caravans and turn off the interior lights of cars if particularly bright.
This is a wildlife reserved area so no pets are permitted.
This overnight event is also designed to dovetail with Piotr’s ‘Validation of Trek 11 – Mt Disappointment’ Sunday day trip for those who wish to make a weekend of RRCV fun! This site is only 82km / 1hour North of the starting point at Wallan. Be sure to bring equipment suitable for Piotr’s trip if you choose that option.
Otherwise, you will be free to pack up at your leisure on the Sunday and depart by midday.
Reference: Costerfield 7824-S 1:50,000 Scale Vicmap.
Accommodation: We will bush camp on the ASV dark sky property with toilets available. The main camping area is quite open with lots of room.
Weather: Bush environment, potentially cold nights.
Review the Lady’s Pass weather forecast leading up to the trip and bring appropriate clothing, footwear and camping gear.
Equipment: Below are the recommended vehicle requirements. If you are not sure if your vehicle is suitable for a trip, please have a chat with the trip leader.
A well-maintained vehicle with normal road tyres is OK for this trip (All Terrain tyres would be preferred). There are other requirements for those participating in the separate trip travelling to this event.
Additional Equipment required: Camera, red light torch.
Trip Standard: Easy – Mainly gravel forestry roads.
Fuel: There is fuel available at Heathcote.
Distance: Melbourne to Lady’s Pass 150km. Lady’s Pass to Melbourne 150km.
Duration: 2 days
Convoy limit: 30 vehicles and 60 people
Cost: $40 per adult (16 and over), $20 per child (5 to 15), no cost for under 5.
Meeting arrangements: We plan to meet at the ASV Leon Mow Dark Sky Site at Lady’s Pass between 2 and 4pm on Saturday 18th November. Aim to depart in your own time by midday on the Sunday.
Trip Leader: James Lawson, Phone - 0429265550, Email – lawsonj71au@gmail.com
Club Guest Registration policy: It is club policy in regard to insurance cover that if a member brings any non-members on the trip they must be registered and have paid the required fee as Temporary Members BEFORE the event.
i.e. non- members can no longer register on the day with the trip leader.
Temporary Membership information and ways to register can be found at:
Temporary (Guest) Membership
Also if a non-member wishes to bring their own vehicle, the member inviting the non-member must contact the trip leader for approval.
