NSW cements itself as the star gazing capital of Australia

As the America writer Theodore Roosevelt once wrote: "Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground."

And well, there's no better place to do that than within New South Wales. Or should we say Warrumbungle National Park to be exact.

The stunning park, found 550km north of Sydney in the Orana region of NSW, has recently been awarded the title of Australia's first Dark Sky Park, awarded by the International Dark-Sky Association.

This means that the area is free of artificial light pollution and offers exceptional views of quality starry nights.

 https://www.instagram.com/p/7P_2SyDFte/

And Destination NSW claims there's a new trend of astro-tourism within the area. Yep, that's a thing and you can add it to the storm chasers and urban explorers' collective of travellers.

After the recent announcement, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres said: "The Warrumbungle National Park in Country and Outback NSW has long been renowned for its star-gazing opportunities, due to its crystal-clear skies, low humidity, high altitude and world-class optical astronomy research facility at neighbouring Siding Spring Observatory.

"I encourage astronomy enthusiasts to start planning a trip to Australia’s first Dark Sky Park for a memorable Regional NSW first-hand experience."

But it isn't just the park's recent accolade which has gained traction. Astro-tourism experiences are on the rise in areas like the Blue Mountain, Dubbo, Broken Hilly and Mudgee.

Each weekend, the Bathurst Observatory Research Facility offers special telescope tours to view planets and the solar system.

You can also sleep under the star in astro-accommodation at Skywatch Observatory Domestays in Coonabarabran or enjoy a night tour in the Blue Mountains with Tread Lightly Eco Tours.

Skywatch Observatory Domestays 

Outback Astronomy in Broken Hill offers novice star-gazers the chance to learn all about constellations, the Milky Way and famous stars during its 60-minute tour each evening.

It's no surprise though that the most popular is the Siding Spring, Australia's premier optical and infrared observatory which is a 20-minute drive away in the Warrumbungle Mountains.

The observatory has several telescopes on the site, including the world famous 3.9 metre Anglo-Australian Telescope, the largest in Australia. 

Over the October long weekend,they will host StarFest, a one-day event celebrating all things astronomy, including tour the telescopes and hear talks by world famous astronomers.

If you've visited any of the above, we'd love to see your pictures. Hit us up one the Elsewhere Instagram or @9elsewhere your pictures.