For visual observing especially, light pollution greatly diminishes the experience of observing deep sky objects – star clusters, nebulae and galaxies. Even with the sophisticated imaging equipment available today that enables those who like to take images of these objects in less-than-ideal skies, a dark sky will make the images even better.

Finding a dark place, unless you live on a rural property, is a problem. A public location can be visited by others for all kinds of – non-astronomy-related – reasons. Then there is the need for toilets and possibly somewhere to sleep comfortably after a long, possibly cold, night. Finding somewhere secure and with facilities is not easy.

The Wollongong Amateur Astronomy Club and Blue Mountains Astro Clubs got together to find such a place. They have liaised with the residents of the small village of Frogmore, where they arrange twice a year, usually April and September, to occupy grazing land for Astronomy viewing and imaging. They also have use of a large hall with toilets and a shower. Sleeping can be either on camp beds in the hall, or you can set up camp on the observing field.

In addition, for a fee of $150, the locals provide Friday and Saturday dinner, and Saturday lunch; and the catering is great. A good fee for 2 nights at a secure dark site with facilities and food provided.

Frogmore is located 25 km from the larger town of Boorowa, which is reached along the Lachlan Valley Way after turning west from the Hume Highway south of Yass. From my Wollongong home, it takes 3 hours to reach Boorowa, where it is good to stop for a rest, meal and maybe supplies before the short drive to Frogmore to set up before dark, have dinner then get into observing.

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend on this weekend in October after the original weekend in September – when I could not attend – was postponed due to the weather. And those who attended were especially lucky that both Friday and Saturday nights had excellent conditions. This is something that does not occur often. When you pack up all your gear and drive to a location like this, you are thankful if you get one good night, let alone both.

Those 10 or so that attended were from the two organising clubs, plus a couple from northern Sydney, and me. I took my 16-inch Meade Lightbridge, a scope that I have owned for a long time though have had precious little use of it under skies like those experienced on this weekend.

I spent my time observing many of the familiar bright objects in order to see what they looked like in a telescope with much more light gathering ability than I had observed them previously. I then turned to some ‘faint-fuzzy’ hunting – looking for faint galaxies that are only a smudge of light yet are so far away you appreciate seeing what very few people have ever seen.

There was also a bright comet – Comet C/2025 R2 SWAN – among the nebulae of Sagittarius. [See Comet C/2025 R2 SWAN].

I took some photos of the field where we were set up, and some dSLR wide angle 20 second exposures of the sky.

The Wollongong and Blue Mountains clubs encourage members from other groups to attend these events. The next will be scheduled around New Moon in April 2026.

Andrew Wood.

Field of Dreams: The walk up to the observing area from the hall.

Scopes set up and ready to go at sunset.

My set up

Looking North – M31 at lower left

Looking South – The LMC, and SMC with 47-Tucanae

Packed up ready to leave on Sunday