Wappa Falls Astronomical Observatory

Very educational, enjoyed looking through the many telescopes. Didn't keep the young ones interested however, young kids got bored very quickly. Facilities such as toilets were... to put it nicely... gross. Great to visit to learn about the stars and astronomy, but I highly recommend that you go to the toilet in town beforehand.

A unique, entertaining and educational experience for the family. Probably better for the 10+ age groups as young kids will probably be a bit bored.Also, even though the night sessions supposedly start at 6.30, you'll miss out on stuff if you don't arrive at least half hour before, and if you arrive at 6.30 you'll be told that you're late by the eccentric owner, who is the same bloke who told you the session start time in the first place... Very odd, but worth the visit nonetheless.

Terrible experience for school group. Owen must not view himself as a business as he closed up shop and did not turn up for a school excursion with 50 kids. We rang and rang. Made bookings and charged students ( mind you, Owen refused to take a booking until 3 days out) ... We did that and still no show. Locked gates and noone to answer calls. Place looked in disrepair. Wouldn't recommend this place.

Had a terrible experience at Wappa Falls Observatory. My family booked a 7pm session & arrived at 6:55pm. Upon our arrival nothing was organised so I looked around the general entry area for 15 minutes before finding the operators. The owner was extremely rude and patronising, stating that we should have arrived half an hour early (This was not told to us when booking) & told us we wouldn’t be using the equipment due to the cloudy weather. The owner then said I should have called At 5pm and blamed me for the fact the session couldn’t be fully conducted. The owner’s tone was hostile & he made no attempt to explain the circumstances respectfully.

I found the Wappa dam and park far better. The observatory is very run down, with so many signs to not do this or not do that, there was nobody around and it looks like it hasn't been in business for many years.

Ok, if you read the reviews you may be a little confused. Is this a good place or a bad place? I will set the record straight for you. The operator is a 70+ year old man who is EXTREMELY passionate about astronomy. He has been studying the sky’s for 60+ years. His business is largely eco friendly, with most things recycled or refurbished and built by hand. He will proudly tell you about his sponsor children that he sends most of his profits to in Peru and Tanzia.His main focus is to try and spread the intrigue and wonder of star gazing. I would recommend if you read the other reviews, to go with a patient attitude as Owen is over retirement age and also to go earlier rather than later is best and to call ahead. This way there is plenty of wiggle room. Bring cash as he doesn’t have an eftpos machine. As for school trips, I couldn’t comment as my husband and I just went for an evening visit, but I think they are not the same as they were 20+ years ago due to his age (unless other family members are running them).We got to see inside his observatory which had an amazing hand made telescope that was 8K(?) times stronger than the human eye! He also let us look through about 5 other telescopes and showed us Venus, Mars, Sirius, as well as taking a closer look at the False Cross and the Southern Cross. We were shown closed cluster systems and open cluster systems, and finally we had a little look at Scorpio which we learnt is one of the constellations that has held its shape the best throughout the centuries. Wear warm clothes and go with an open mind!

Such an awesome experience for young and old. So much knowledge imparted to visitors. Will be back to experience the night show.

I would like to go there once a week. Owner is as much a part of the show as the telescopes are. Passionate, eclectic, personable and knowledge spilling from every pore. You will be spell bound and amazed by what he has done with almost nothing. Just think recycling

A wonderful experience. Thoroughly enjoyed our time there. Owen is a wealth of knowledge and his passion is infectious.

Thanks to Owen for taking our last minute booking for 3 people tonight. It was a very clear night and all had a great experience with Owen showing us a real assortment of things in the night sky through 3 different telescopes. His passion and knowledge is very impressive and made for an interesting night. Do recommend!