A per-night facility fee payable by astronomy visitors to the Warwick & District Archers.
BAS Members: BAS members pay just $10/night.
Non-BAS Members: Non-BAS members pay $10/night plus a single additional $10 charge (Non-member stays 1 night and pays $20; Stays 2 nights and pays $30; etc.)
At the end of each month, BAS transfers collected fees to the Warwick & District Archers. Your fee payment helps the Archers cover some of their costs for site leasing, mowing, electricity, gas, building construction, maintenance and insurance, rubbish removal, vegetation management, tractor and mower costs, and much more. Payments of more than just the base applicable fee are welcomed.
At the invitation of the Warwick and District Archers (WDA), BAS has been added to the 50ha site lease the WDA has with the land owner, Southern Downs Regional Council. BAS can now utilise the archer’s Ford Road site and facilities for astronomy nights. This also allows BAS to proceed with developing facilities to support astronomy and our visiting members.
The site is a 15-minute drive south-west of Warwick. Driving the New England Highway heading south to Stanthorpe, turn right onto Glen Road at the Warwick Hospital, after about 7km, turn left onto Ford Road. Or access from the New England Highway via Kingsleigh Road, about a 5minute drive further south along the highway from the Glen Road/hospital intersection.
Google Maps suggests about a 2hour drive time from Indooroopilly to the WDA site if peak hour traffic is avoided. (As a bonus, the Warwick Mobil petrol station on Wood Street is known for substantially cheaper fuel than Brisbane.)
The Global Light Pollution Map https://rb.gy/64141 classifies the Warwick Archers site as Bortle Class 2 with artificial light incidence of 16.0 μcd/m2. Our other main observing site at Calvert Aeromodellers is assessed as Class 3 with artificial light of 39.8 μcd/m2. The Maleny Golf Club site is Class 4 with artificial light of 64.7 μcd/m2.
There is a very tolerable bubble of light to the east over Warwick, however the sky to the south, west, and even north towards Toowoomba, is very dark. The site is excellent for visual astronomy and astrophotography.
Due to the significant driving distance from Brisbane, BAS will aim to conduct multi-night weekends at the site, covering Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. BAS members are encouraged to utilise these opportunities for some multi-night astronomy. Leaving your own camping gear in the on-site 20-foot shipping container between visits can make Warwick visits an easy option.
The WDA entrance is on Ford Road at the southern end of the WDA block and adjacent to the Kingsleigh Road intersection with Ford Road. The gate has a coded padlock installed by WDA. BAS is provided with the code. Contact the BAS President president@bas.asn.au for the current code.
The WDA site is a large scrubby block with WDA main shed, tank water, kitchen, toilet, shower, and camping area facilities at the southern end. The camping area is a large mown grassed area just below the main archer’s facilities. There is plenty of room there for a dozen, or more, campers.
From April 8th 2025 the WDA facilities will be connected to 240V power. This means the main facility will have – lighting for the main shed and toilets/showers; multiple 240v outlets for battery charging; refrigerator to store food and drink; microwave oven; two 240V power boxes with multiple outlets in the camping ground adjacent to the main facilities. WDA has also made a 20’ shipping container available to BAS. Members may store camping gear. However, it is probably too hot to store delicate astronomy equipment.
The WDA facilities are located at the southern end of the site while BAS telescope pads are at the northern end.
The WDA main shed. The northern half is lock-up and has the refrigerator and microwave etc.
The Archers main shed is available to BAS. Members may setup overnight beds in this facility if they wish.
Warwick Archers have slashed a large area, suitable for telescope setup, towards the northern end of the block. BAS has created about 12 gravelled and levelled telescope setup pads. Seven of the pads have tennis court matting material to make telescope setup and use more comfortable.
Levelled telescope setup pads with matting
Warwick Archers have also made available to BAS a 20-foot shipping container and two single beds. Members may leave their own camping gear in the container rather than transport for each visit. Members may also choose to sleep in the container on cold nights, or even in the kitchen pavilion area, or the large camp ground area.
BAS has booked specific New Moon weekend dates with Warwick Archers. However, our members may utilise the site on any day of the year, provided it does not clash with a larger archery event. Email the BAS President for permission to visit the site on non-BAS event dates.
The gate to the facility is normally locked. The access code can be provided upon request.
One of two single beds made available to BAS by Warwick Archers
At the October 26th 2024 Annual General Meeting, the following BAS members were elected to the BAS Management Committee for 2024/25
Peter Allison – President Paul Baker Nathan Eikenbary Peter Metcher – Hire Equipment Co-ordinator Dean Stewart – Secretary Subbarao Sivakumar – Treasurer Ken Wishaw – Maleny Observatory Co-ordinator) Mike Zupanc – Education Co-ordinator
BAS conducts regular telescope evenings for its Sunshine Coast members on the lawns of the Maleny Golf Club clubhouse.
The club’s street address is: 15 Porters Lane, North Maleny QLD, 4552
Most people initially head for Landsborough and then head up the Landsborough Maleny Road to Maleny itself. Once in Maleny, drive straight through the first roundabout and then take the first right, Teak Street, to head towards North Maleny and the golf club.
For a What3Words location map, click here. Or insert the following three words into the app: responsible.bananas.croaking
The main telescope setup area is just above the clubhouse. The clubhouse is open for use by members during our telescope events.
There is some limited storage capacity adjacent to the clubhouse for astronomy equipment storage. There is a toilet to the north of the main carpark.
BAS conducts telescope evenings for members, mainly on the Saturday closest to the New Moon phase. Public nights are also conducted on selected Saturdays prior to member events. Dates for all events are available on the BAS website calendars:
Public telescope nights commence, around sunset, with a short PowerPoint presentation on aspects of astronomy and the main objects visible on the night. BAS members welcome the public looking through their telescopes as planets, stars, star clusters, nebulae or asteroids. Some members will also demonstrate aspects of astrophotography.
BAS Member nights are reserved purely for the benefit of members. Beginner members are encouraged to attend both public and members events. There is no need to own or bring a telescope. Attending these evenings and talking with other BAS members will help beginners climb the astronomy learning curve.
Ken Wishaw co-ordinates the Maleny events and makes the Go/No Go weather condition decision. He maintains an email list of BAS members interested in attending Maleny events. Members are encouraged to contact Ken and add their email address. Status update emails are issued in the days prior to calendar-listed events.
Please note, BAS does not have permission for members to camp overnight on the Maleny Golf Club site or in any of its facilities. The nearest camping option is the Maleny Show Ground, about 2km from the golf club.
The Maleny facilities are excellent. BAS members are encouraged to utilise these facilities and the events we conduct there.
Calvert Dark-Sky Telescope Site – Bourkes Road West, Calvert
BAS has been very kindly invited to utilize the privately owned facilities of the Calvert Radio Aeromodelling Field, also known as Gratton Field, located on Bourkes Road, West, just south of the hamlet of Calvert. The site is about a 1 hour, 70km, drive from the Brisbane CBD via Walloon and Rosewood.
The location is recognised by two names searchable within Google Maps:
Calvert Aero Modelling Society
Gratton Field
If driving from Brisbane, head for Rosewood. Then take the Rosewood Laidley Rd west for 7.6km. Just after the first right-hand curve in the road look for two small bus stop shelters. Immediately after turn left into Calvert Station Road, cross the rail line and creek and immediately turn left into Bourke Rd, West. Proceed 260m to a gate entrance on the right with two white flag poles. Drive down the lane at no more than 30kph and you have arrived. And, don’t forget to bring your $10 to compensate the facilities owner. This will be collected by one of the attendees and left in the clubhouse for the site owner. This helps offset the costs for site mowing, maintenance, facilities, and power etc.
Google Maps link to Calvert location: HERE Search Google maps with either of these terms: “Calvert Aero Modelling Society” or “Gratton Field”
What3Words link to Calvert location: HEREor here: https://w3w.co/logos.recycle.helpful
Calvert entrance gate with two white flag poles.
The gate at the far end of the entrance lane, opening into the car parking area, is usually shut to keep cows out. Please leave the gate as you found it- usually shut.
Please do not drive vehicles beyond the car parking area and into the model aircraft flight area (where the windmill is). Tyre ruts can damage delicate landing gear and expensive aircarft.
The facilities comprise plenty of grassed open space. Telescopes may be set up on the grassed carpark or on the flying field. No vehicles to be driven onto the flying field. The sunshade structures have 240V power outlets, available to BAS astronomers.
The main clubhouse building has a kitchen, microwave oven, and refrigerators we may use. Nearby is a toilet block.
Camping is permitted. Either camp or park your vehicle in the main car parking area, or you can take your sleeping bag (and a camp bed/stretcher would be a good idea) into the main dining room area. Please leave the site as clean and tidy as you found it, or better.
BAS members may utilize the site 365 days provided the owner is alerted prior to visiting. Contact the BAS President to arrange permission to visit. A $10 fee is payable per visitor.
The Calvert site has excellent facilities:
Kitchen with microwave ovens, BBQ facilities, refrigerators.
240v power and running water
Dining hall with tables and chairs
Toilets and shower facilities
240v power is also available along the flying field awnings
Extensive flat mown grassed areas.
Plenty of room for camping.
Some of the main facilities at the Calvert Aeromodelling Field.Kitchen and dining hall area.
