Due to their remoteness, the Luxury Lodges of Australia make ideal stargazing destinations, which we can no longer appreciate in cities, due to the atmospheric glow of urban illumination. A guided stargazing experience at the Luxury Lodges offers valuable insights into the Milky Way (all the stars we see in the night sky are in our Milky Way Galaxy) interweaving creation stories, mystery and science to convey this natural wonder.
The low humidity and minimal unnatural light in the Red Centre provide perfect conditions at Longitude 131°, where breathtaking views of the vast expanse above are free from pollution and ablaze with countless stars. Listen to Aboriginal creation stories of the constellations at Table 131°, one of the world’s most remarkable dining experiences, hosted in a private desert setting under the blanket of glittering stars and accompanied by an interpretive “star-talk”.
Common threads and universality are woven through the story of the Pleiades – a cluster of stars that has captured the imagination of people globally and is thought to be the oldest story in the world; parables of lust and passion and what may happen if we succumb to these vices. For the Anangu, the Aboriginal people of Central Australia, The Seven Sisters story is part of a First Nations songline that traverses the breadth of the continent, from the east to west coast of Australia and has striking similarity to cultural stories from Greece, Indonesia, North America and Africa.
Visitors from the Northern Hemisphere often do an obligatory search for Polaris, colloquially known as the North star, but it cannot be seen in the Southern Hemisphere. In Australia, we need a little more creativity to orientate ourselves. Known to astronomers as Crux, The Southern Cross is our most well known constellation and one of the most accurate ways of finding South, together with the two pointers, Alpha and Beta Centauri. The second method of orientating to true South uses Canopus (the second brightest star in our sky), and Achernar, while the third method uses the Magellanic Clouds.
On a remote stretch of the Ningaloo Coast lies Sal Salis, free from light pollution so as not to disturb the surrounding wildlife, especially sea turtles that lay their eggs in the surrounding sand dunes and the hatchlings that rely on the moon light to navigate them into the ocean. Each night, dinner is served on the deck under a studded sky of shooting stars. On the amble back to the luxury tents after dark, the power of the Milky Way above is enough to stop you in your tracks and steal your full attention. Look for the Emu in the Sky – a dark space within the hazy band of light.
Spicers Peak Lodge offers guests telescope stargazing with experts to help chart the stars that cannot be distinguished by the naked eye. Although impressive throughout the year, winter is prime time for stargazing in Queensland High Country, and the unique high altitude location benefits from zero light pollution. June brings the dense central cluster of the Milky Way into view with the chance to spot nebulae, clouds of dust and gas.
The remoteness of the outback frontier is free from pollution and city lights which mask the stars elsewhere and as the sky darkens to a deep indigo and the last rays of sun slip beyond the horizon, the night sky at Mt Mulligan Lodge is lit by thousands of stars. After sundowner drinks, use the resident telescope or a set of binoculars to decode the southern night sky.
The magic of staying out after dark to witness the phenomena above reveals a true privilege of place, given that scientists estimate that the Milky Way is no longer visible to one-third of humanity. To marvel at Dark Sky Country in these remote Australian regions that boast exceptional atmospheric clarity is a great honour and one well worth seeking out.
‘Dark Sky Tourism’ or ‘Astrotourism’ is an emerging worldwide trend. The regional and remote locations of the luxury lodges are some of the most magnificent places from which to observe the Milky Way in Australia.
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