Outback Astronomy

Travis and Linda started this one in a shipping container at the Broken Hill racecourse, running sky shows on the side of a plan built around helping the town's tourism economy grow. Two years on, they moved to a dedicated property on the Barrier Highway and built a custom sky dome — underground power, a commercial kitchen, reclined seating — purpose-made for looking up rather than adapted from something else. Sessions cover telescope viewing, satellite tracking and, by arrangement, daytime solar observation, with two ticket tiers depending on how much of the night guests want. The far-outback setting does the heavy lifting: skies here are about as dark as the accessible parts of New South Wales get, and the town's mining history gives the surrounding landscape its own drawcard by day. A well-built, purpose-specific stop for anyone already out at Broken Hill for the silver city's other attractions.