Dark sky tourism shines bright in WA

Dark sky tourism continues to grow in popularity right around Australia, with Western Australia’s north renowned for its dark night skies, making it a hotspot for astrotourism and astrophotography.

Among both intrastate and interstate visitors, 89 per cent say they are moderately to highly interested in stargazing activities while travelling in WA, according to Tourism Western Australia.

WA’s small towns, dry climate, and very low light pollution away from built-up areas, make it uniquely suited to a variety of dark sky tourism activities, and many regions are now offering touring experiences and activities focused on stargazing activities.

The far North West is renowned for its dazzling, clear night skies, but there are plenty of dark sky touring experiences on offer closer to Perth.

In the region from the Upper Gascoyne all the way to the coast at Shark Bay and Ningaloo, you can take in the shimmering night skies on a range of dedicated stargazing tours.

Learn more about the night sky from an astronomical perspective or through the lens of local Aboriginal culture.

For a self-guided exploration of the region’s starlit skies, especially for keen astrophotographers, Kennedy Gorge in the Kennedy Range National Park, the OTC Dish at the Carnarvon Space and Technology Museum, and Mount Augustus are some of the many spots where you can capture the shimmering lightshow overhead from a different perspective.

At Carnarvon’s Space and Technology Museum you can also find out more about WA’s role in the 1969 moon landing.

Outside of WA, Lord Howe Island off the New South Wales coast recently achieved recognition as a Dark Sky Place. It now joins a list of locations around Australia that have been officially certified by the International Dark Sky Places program as locations making efforts to limit light pollution and encourage dark sky tourism. It’s hoped Lord Howe Island may also be recognised as Australia’s first Dark Sky Island.

Images courtesy of Australia's Coral Coast and Australia's Golden Outback.