Opening hours

The Café and Visitor Centre are currently closed and we will reopen as soon as we are able. During the closure, the Mount Stromlo Observatory site (including the Heritage Trail) and Director's Residence will remain open as per the hours below. 

The Mount Stromlo Observatory site is open to the public daily from 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM.

The Director's Residence is open daily from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM.

Please note that all academic buildings are closed to the public unless otherwise noted. The use of drones at Mount Stromlo Observatory is not permitted without ANU RSAA Operational approval. Users must also supply copies of the commercial licences to operate the drones. Please contact RSAA on (02) 6125 0230 for enquiries or book a flight over Mt Stromlo.

Telescopes

Mt Stromlo was severely damaged by the firestorm of 18 January 2003. As a result, all of the large telescopes at Mount Stromlo Observatory have been decommissioned. Our sister observatory, Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran, NSW, now hosts all of the Research School's operational large telescopes.

If you are a private group or a school group interested in stargazing, you can book a private stargazing session using our outreach telescopes. 

In conjunction with the Canberra Astronomical Society we also run public astronomy nights from April to September. Attendees will be taken on a 'tour of the universe' with talks by astronomers from the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics and observations on several telescopes.  

Heritage Trail

The Heritage Trail includes 11 interpretive signs which together provide a comprehensive history of Mount Stromlo Observatory, including the Director's Residence.