Crohamhurst Observatory

Built in 1935 on a hilltop near Peachester in Queensland, Crohamhurst Observatory once combined stargazing with an unusual mission: predicting long-range weather from sunspot cycles.

About Crohamhurst Observatory

Crohamhurst Observatory was built in 1935 by Inigo Owen Jones on the Crohamhurst property near Peachester, in Queensland's Sunshine Coast region. It's now a heritage-listed site, added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 13 November 2008.

History

Financed by the Seasonal Weather Forecasting Trust and the Colonial Sugar Refining Co., with ongoing support from the Queensland government, the observatory opened on 13 August 1935, officially by the state's Governor, Sir Leslie Wilson. Jones used it for solar and planetary observations and, notably, for long-range weather forecasting based on sunspot cycles, an unconventional but locally influential practice at the time.

Telescopes & design

The dome-shaped building was designed with its open north-eastern side to let in light and air, and thicker, double walls on the closed south-western side to help control the temperature inside, an unusual approach for an amateur observatory of the era.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits on a hilltop on the Crohamhurst property near Peachester, in Queensland's Sunshine Coast region, Australia.

Visiting Crohamhurst Observatory

As a heritage-listed site on private rural land, access isn't the same as at a typical public observatory. Check current visiting arrangements with Queensland's heritage authorities or local tourism resources before planning a trip.

See your named star from here

Once you've named a star, you can look up its exact coordinates any time in the star catalogue, wherever you are in Queensland's dark countryside.