Wappa Falls Astronomical Observatory - Yandina, Queensland

littleczbear

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!

David G.

A truly unique and fascinating experience. My family saw the sun through different telescopes using different filters. We saw sunspots and solar prominances (huge solar flares). Owen was highly knowledgeable and clearly loves showing the public the wonders of space. Note it's cash only.

C H.

Owner forgot our booking for 50 school students. Perhaps not quite the professional setup schools would need. Perhaps individuals and smaller interest groups would benefit most? We rang and rang. Made bookings and charged students (owner would not take the official "booking" until 3 days out from the day - which doesn't offer security - but does at least guarantee that the weather is suitable?). perhaps this is a plus. Due to "unreliability" I'm not sure we could recommend.

S B.

My 14yo son attended with a small group a few months back and has not stopped talking about it since. He said it was the best! There were heaps of telescopes to look through. Lots of displays. The owner was so knowledgeable with a great vibe. My son learnt so much! So lucky that he is sharing his love and passion with visitors.

Matt R.

Owen was friendly and opened everything up just for me and two kids with less than 2 hours notice. For someone who has never looked through a telescope before it was amazing as was learning a bit more about the stars.

Local G.

My boyfriend and I had an amazing time at the Observatory with the incredibly knowledgeable and funny Owen. Would highly recommend this for anyone in the area, local or tourist, young or old. The passion and effort from this small business deserves to be seen and experienced. You'll learn a bunch and have fun doing it.

Lauren H.

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!

P M.

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.