Welcome To The Perth Observatory
Your Gateway To The Universe
Welcome to the Perth Observatory Website
Western Australia’s oldest observatory is located 25 km east of Perth in Bickley. The Observatory has served WA for over 120 years and remains actively involved in the service of public education. In recognition of its scientific, cultural and historical significance, the Observatory was entered on the state’s Heritage Register in 2005. The Observatory is now run under a community partnership agreement between the Department of Parks and Wildlife and the Perth Observatory Volunteer Group.
Unfortunately due to the continued spread of the Coronavirus and the fact that WA has recorded infections through community spread, our board has decided to cancel this weekend’s tours (3rd to the 5th of April). The board is deciding week to week if the tours are going ahead out or not due to how much the situation is changing throughout the week, so we’ll be contacting people on our tours early each week to let them know if the tours going ahead.
Night Sky Tours
Our experienced and passionate tour guides will operate our unique collection of modern and historic telescopes to give evening visitors a glimpse into the fascinating world of astronomy, space science and astrophotography.
Viewing targets will differ depending on the month, the weather and the lighting conditions (dark, moonlit and full moon). Types of objects usually seen through the eyepiece include globular clusters, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies. Sometimes satellites and meteors flash across the sky unexpectedly too.
School Day Tours
Our primary school day tours have been designed for primary school excursions and relate directly to the Australian National Curriculum. The students will participate in activities around the Observatory’s grounds to broaden their knowledge of astronomy and physics while seeing our range of modern and historical telescopes.
Our day tours can be adapted for other groups of children aged between 7 and 12. Please contact us with full details if you are interested in a student tour outside this age range. The maximum number of students that we can cater for in one tour is 60.
10% discount on School Day Tour bookings for term 1 until 9th April
Discount only offered for available tour booking days in Term 1
Adopt A Star
Looking for an awesome gift for that special someone?
Our star adoption program provides a unique gift and is a way to recognise a family member or friend through the adoption of a star. All available stars in the program are between stars that are visible to the naked eye or stars that are visible in binoculars, all in the Southern Hemisphere.
Sunday Guided Day Tours
Wondering where to go for your Sunday drive? Meander through the beautiful Bickley Valley and join us for a special Guided Day Tour of the Perth Observatory.
Discover what Perth Observatory looks like in the day whilst walking our grounds and learning about our amazing history.
Sunday Guided Day Tours from 2 to 4pm on the first Sunday of each month.
Prices are just $20 adult, $10 concession, $5 children. There’s no need to book, just pop in and we’ll meet you. The AstroShop will be open for drinks, ice cream, novelties or a memento of your visit.
Next Tour: 7th of June
Spring into Milky Way Workshop
Date: 21st & 22nd of April
When: 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm (Doors open: 6:30 pm)
Price: $180 per person
This workshop is strategically timed to prepare you for the Spring Milky Way season when the Milky Way will be rising in the east in winter.
The first night will cover the “how-to” of Milky Way photography – What hardware (tripod, camera, mounts, lenses, etc) you would use, how to use it, camera settings, and much more.
The second night will be a workshop on the grounds of the Perth Observatory. After a quick re-cap on the previous night’s information and a laser sky-tour to familiarise yourself with the spring night sky, you will be able to photograph the Milky Way from our observatory.
Abseiling & Telescopes Night
Date: 2nd of May
Sessions From: 4 pm and 7 pm
Price:
$60 per adult for 3 abseils
$50 per concession for 3 abseils
$40 per child for 3 abseils
Need a bit of thrill in your life? Perth Observatory and Spacechameleon Adventure Co have organised a family friendly event where you can abseil our Lowell Telescope Dome. Each participant will get 3 abseils through the dome’s trap door and descend the full 12m in a controlled free fall to the ground.
On the night, we’ll be able to show you the Moon, nebulas and star clusters. If it’s cloudy we’ll then provide you with an amazing guided tour of the Observatory and an astronomical presentation.
May The 4th Be With You
Date: 4th of May
When: 7:30 pm to 9:15 pm
Price: $50 per adult, $35 per concession & $25 per child
This 4th of May put your Jedi robes on, clip on your Lightsabre(s) and make a lightspeed jump to the Perth Observatory to celebrate Star Wars Day. Our telescope operators will show you stunning objects whether it's a planet the Death Star could destroy, or a massive nebula to launch an attack from.
We'll have prizes for the best adult and child costumes. So please come along to our May 4th event at the Perth Observatory in your fav intergalactic gear. There could even be a Star Wars character on site, you never can tell!!!
Towel Day Night Tour
Date: 25th of May
When: 7:30 pm to 9:15 pm
Price: $50 per adult, $35 per concession, $25 per child
Don't Panic!!! Towel Day is an annual celebration on the 25th of May, as a tribute to the late author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams (1952-2001). On that day, we fans around the universe carry a towel in his honour and this year Perth Observatory will be holding a Night Sky Tour in his honour.
We'll have prizes for the best adult and child costumes. So please come along with a towel to our Night Sky Tour on Towel Day
