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.
Notice: Due to maintenance on the main office building at the Observatory we are not able to run tours between the 4th of March and the 1st of April at the Observatory. Thanks to Lesmurdie Senior High School, we’ll be taking our telescopes to the school and running our night sky tours from their oval. To book go to March Offsite Night Tours
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.
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 $15 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: 3rd of March
Live Long And Prosper
Date: 5th of Apr
When: 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Price: $45 per adult, $35 per concession & $25 per child
Put on your star fleet uniform, grab your phaser and tricorder and set course to the Perth Observatory to celebrate the first contact with the Vulcans on Star Trek Day. Our telescope operators will show you stunning objects that are in Federation space and a massive nebula which is in the Orion Syndicate's terrority.
We'll have prizes for the best adult and child costumes. So please come along to our Star Trek Day event at the Perth Observatory in your fav Star Trek gear. There will even be Star Trek character on site
Abseiling At Perth Observatory
Date: 7th of April
Sessions From: 12 pm and 2:30 pm
Price:
$35 per adult for 3 abseils
$30 per concession for 3 abseils
$25 per child for 3 abseils
Need a bit of thrill in your life? Perth Observatory is teaming up with Spacechameleon Adventure Co to organise 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.
Image Processing Workshop
Date: 2nd, 9th and 16th of April
When: 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm
Price: $75.00 per person
Get the most out of your astrophotography images with our image processing workshops. These three workshops are tailored to beginners through to advanced astrophotographers and will show you how to use astronomy software and image processing. The workshops will cover subjects from the basics of file management, file handling, image stacking and post-processing.
Bickley Valley Harvest Festival
Date: 4th & 5th of May
When: 10 am to 4 pm
Guided Tour Price: $15 per adult, $10 per concession & $5 per child
Gates will open for the Bickley Carmel Harvest Festival on Saturday the 4th and Sunday the 5th May from 10 am to 4 pm.
Free entry, so please come along to enjoy the bush setting, photograph the kangaroos and check out the Astro-shop. You can also take a guided tour of the telescopes and domes with one of our informative, passionate volunteer guides. (Tours will leave from the administration building every 30 minutes.)
This is another fun-tastic opportunity to support us in our quest to maintain this historic institution as a community resource.
May The 4th Be With You
Date: 4th of May
When: 7:30 pm to 9:15 pm
Price: $45 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
Date: 25th of May
When: 7:30 pm to 9:15 pm
Price: $45 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
