OUR VISION

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We accept that the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) has reached the natural end of its role as Australia’s primary national optical research facility.

What we refuse is an unmanaged wind-down that abandons the heritage, the instrument, and the regional economy.

We are asking for a practical, managed transition built on four clear pillars.

The Solar System Drive already exists along five scenic routes that converge at the AAT. Scaled planet billboards turn the journey to Siding Spring into a signature visitor experience. It is ready to be refreshed, promoted and used at low cost — a working demonstration of the Dark Sky Hub approach.

A small community entity to sit between the scientific facility and the public. It holds the Dark Sky Hub identity, runs the website and marketing, coordinates the Solar System Drive, and provides a full-time liaison so local operators, visitors and the site have a clear point of contact.

A Dark Sky Hub office and visitor centre in Coonabarabran, with a planetarium as the short-term aim. An indoor, all-weather experience for families, schools and travellers that works alongside existing local businesses and helps when cloud cover limits night-sky viewing.