VicSouth 2007 (Nov 9 to 12) information and booking form.
BREAKING NEWS -- see Comet LONEOS (C/2007 F1) in the dark skies at VicSouth. This could become the third naked-eye comet for 2007; and it's happening in the evening sky near Mu Scorpii.
If it doesn't live up to predictions then you'll need the dark sky at VicSouth just to find it.
If it does live up to predictions, then you'll want to be under the dark sky at VicSouth to see it at its best!
Dates for future VicSouths:
VicSouth 2008 (Oct 31 to Nov 3, and possibly including the Nov 4 Victorian public holiday)
VicSouth 2009 (Nov 13 to 16)
VicSouth 2010 (provisionally Nov 5 to 8)
VicSouth 2011 (provisionally Oct 28 to 31)
The VicSouth Desert Spring Star Party is an annual weekend of astronomy, held in western Victoria (Australia) during the milder weather of spring.
VicSouth is jointly hosted by the Astronomical Society of Victoria and the Astronomical Society of South Australia, and offers a great weekend of social and astronomical activity as well as some nice observing targets. You can begin your night in the massed starfields of Sagittarius, Ara, and Scutum. Then journey into the intergalactic realms of Grus, Pavo, Sculptor, Fornax, Eridanus, Aquarius, and the billions of Magellanic suns. Take a peek at the galaxies of Andromeda and Triangulum too. Then as the night deepens, sweep through Orion, Puppis, Canis Major, Vela, Carina and Crux. And, in the hours before dawn, Hydra and Leo.
By 9pm on a clear night at this time of year, more than 100 deepsky objects are above the horizon and visible to 7x50 binoculars. The target count is similar at midnight and at 3am. And the naked eye limiting magnitude for stars at zenith can go as faint as 7.0.
VicSouth is held at the Little Desert Nature Lodge about 16km south of the town of Nhill, on the northern edge of the Little Desert National Park. Geographical coordinates for the Lodge are about 36° 27.3' S 141° 40.1' E. It is about 150 metres above sea level.
To get there from Nhill, follow the Western Highway (A8) to the southwest edge of town, then turn onto Goroke Road (C206) and proceed southwards for about 14km. Then look for the Lodge's vermin-proof boundary fence and main gate on the eastern side of the road.
Nhill itself is on the main highway (A8) between Adelaide and Melbourne. Driving time to Nhill from either city is about 4½ hours.
If you don't have a car (or a ride in one) then bus-and-bike is an alternative. Most buses on the Adelaide-Melbourne routes also stop in Nhill and can carry bicycles as luggage. The bitumen road from Nhill to the Lodge is almost flat. There are no taxis in Nhill.
The Little Desert National Park contains a variety of habitats from swampland to semidesert. Over 600 species of plants and more than 220 species of birds -- many of them endangered species -- have been found within its borders. The Park contains many 4WD tracks and walking trails, and it is bordered or traversed by many public roads. Opportunities abound for hikers, botanists and birdwatchers. The Lodge itself is renowned for its Malleefowl breeding programme, and as a vermin-proof natural sanctuary for native birds and animals.
Mt Arapiles, about ½ hour drive south of the Lodge, offers world-famous rock climbing, as well as some nice bush walks suitable for all ages and fitness levels.
Also there are the World Heritage-listed Naracoorte Caves about 2 hours drive southwest of the Lodge, and the Grampians National Park about 1½ hours drive southeast.
Incidentally the H in "Nhill" is silent. So the town's name is spoken as NIL -- like zero goals in soccer.
VicSouth 2007 information and booking form. Happening from 9 to 12 November.
The VicSouth 2006 pages. Images and notes from last year.
The VicSouth 2005 pages. These may take a while to load because they contain many images.
The VicSouth 2004 pages. These may take a while to load because they contain even more images.
A few pictures of the inaugural VicSouth 2003.
Astronomical Society of South Australia www.assa.org.au
Astronomical Society of Victoria www.asv.org.au
Little Desert Nature Lodge www.littledesertlodge.com.au
Little Desert National Park brochure (343kB PDF)
Mt Arapiles park brochure (475kB PDF)
Naracoorte Caves National Park www.parks.sa.gov.au/naracoorte
Parks Victoria (national & state parks in Victoria) www.parkweb.vic.gov.au
Hindmarsh shire council (regional tourism & business information) www.hindmarsh.vic.gov.au
Travel Victoria tourist guide www.travelvictoria.com.au/nhill/
Walkabout Australia tourist guide www.walkabout.com.au/locations/VICNhill.shtml
Nhill Tourist Information Centre. Open 7 days, 10am-4pm local time, on the main highway in the centre of town. Phone: (03) 5391 3086.
Other astronomy pages on this site : astronomy.concreteairship.com
URL for this page : http://www.vicsouth.com