ASTRO - The Night Sky from Grampians Paradise

One our our guests with her telescope on Parkland 12 (P12) site on a clear October evening in 2025

Clear, dark skies well away from the the flooding lights of Melbourne and the local towns make for an exceptional viewing experience of the thousands of stars including the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds (our nearest satellite Galaxies). It's worth noting The Magellanic Clouds are only visible in very dark, southern hemisphere skies.

The Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way reflected in Duck Dinner Pond of Redman Bluff Wetlands in mid August 2021 at Grampians Paradise

When they are happening, special events can be seen from Grampians Paradise, including comets and meteor showers and if you are very lucky, a big Aurora. Our exceptionally dark skies make for amazing viewing and photographing should one of these beautiful night-time displays happen while you are here. If not, the stars are always beautiful on the clear nights, and when the moon is below the horizon, it feels like you can see a billion stars.

A powerful Aurora seen from The Sandy Rise paddock at Grampians Paradise on the 12th August 2024

With clear views, a low horizon to the south and east and the spectacular skyline of the towering Grampians mountains to the West, Grampians Paradise offers spectacular opportunities to photograph the night sky.
The refections on still nights, playing in the ponds of our Redman Bluff Wetlands are a sight to behold and make the most amazing night time photos.

This Aurora, from the 16th May 2024 was reflected in Snipe Swamp of our Redman Bluff Wetlands

There is so much beauty to take in at Grampians Paradise during the day. The views of the mountains, the wildlife, native birds, beautiful trees, the natural feel of the camping ground and the many ponds of our Redman Bluff Wetlands. Night time brings a whole other wonder, and feels like stepping into another universe. Give your eyes 20 minutes without lights and it is amazing what you can see. Your phone or camera (with the right settings) will capture even more detail of the night sky.

"Moonlight Gumtree" photographed by Michael Uthe mid December 2021, while Aidan Banfield (pictured) works on a night time-lapse.

Coming back to Grampians Paradise, there are also special Astronomy adventure "tours" that can be undertaken at Grampians Paradise by small groups. Whether it is guided night photo sessions, visiting the 500 year old River Red Gums at night (this can only be done with us as your guide), or showing you the features of the night sky from special places on our property where there is a near uninterrupted view of the night sky. Please enquire for options and prices.
During the right conditions visitors that either book an exclusive wildlife stay or are lucky to be here when nobody else is staying can book a viewing session with the Grampians Paradise Telescope. This is a very large optical telescope the can (during good conditions) allow us to see things like the rings of Saturn, nebula and globular star clusters. It's truly breathtaking to look through the telescope and be able to see these wonders with your own eyes.

This photo of our Grampians Paradise Telescope was taken on a moonlit night in April 2017 - Photo by Aidan Banfield

Venturing out a little further from Grampians Paradise there are more wonderful opportunities for amazing astro landscape photography. We look after Grampians Paradise Camping and Caravan Parkland in such a way to that is possible to quietly slip out and in of the camping ground at anytime of the day or night (just watch out for our Kangaroos and Swamp Wallabies as you are driving). This is perfect if you are wanting the bigger adventures of seeing the stars or catching sunrise from the summit of Mount William, or watch the Milky Way above Mackenzie Falls. as well as many other possibilities.

July is the time of year to see the Milky Way over MacKenzie Falls - 40 minutes drive from Grampians Paradise

When planing the timing for your stay at Grampians Paradise, you are welcome to give us a call. Aidan (that's me) will be more than happy to talk with you about what time of month is best for the stars, and where in the sky the milky way will be during the different seasons. It's amazing how much the look of the sky changes as the months of the year pass by. For example, to get the Milky Way above MacKenzie falls as in the picture above, you need to visit on a moonless night in July, whereas the picture below, taken from Redman road, can work in August and September as well.

Just 6km away from Grampians Paradise, is this amazing night landscape that looks its best during a July evening

Grampians Paradise Camping Caravan Parkland is our family run camping ground, a magical part of the 280 acre farm that my Great Grand Father, Harry Hill Banfield, purchased the larger parts of in March 1911. Adjoining the camping ground on three sides is our created / rewilded Redman Bluff Wetlands which is only a short walk from the camping sites. The wetland ponds, along with some of our wildlife corridors are accessible to those who choose to stay at Grampians Paradise, and offer some of the most amazing view of the Grampians National Park you can find. Views that come to life with a whole other side in the night.

Sunrise 3rd October 2024 after a time-lapse filming the rising Comet C2023-A3 - Photo by Aidan Banfield

There are many vantage points within and immediately around Grampians Paradise Camping and Caravan Parkland, all on our family farm, that offer spectacular views of the surrounding countryside (including the Grampians mountains) and large open skies, perfect for photographing special Astronomy events, such as Comet C2023-A3 in the photo below.

Dawn - as sunrise approaches on the 3rd October 2024 Comet C2023-A3 rises before being lost in the increasing light

This was an amazing experience, to see a large comet rise in the very first light of the day. With clear views of the eastern night sky from the edge of our Sandy Rise Paddock (a 5 minute walk from Grampians Paradise). The full length of Comet C2032-A3 could be seen in the moments, before it was lost to the light of sunrise.
The 3rd of October 2024 was a perfect morning for viewing Comet C2032-A3, with no clouds and a new moon (the moonrise was only 4 minutes after sunrise) giving an unobstructed dark sky, perfect for viewing faint celestial objects.

Timing your trip to see the night sky at Grampians Paradise:

Grampians Paradise Camping and Caravan Parkland is an amazing place to stay for a night sky adventure. With our very dark skies is amazing just how much you can see.
There are a few things to take into account to get the best experience.
1) The moon is very bright when full. You can see the landscape by its light and make out the shadows of the trees. Moonlight can completely wash out the Milly Way and Magellanic Clouds. This means you can only see a few hundred stars, instead of a star filled sky when there is no moon in the sky. For the darkest sky in the evening, time your visit between the week before New Moon and 3 nights after New Moon.
2) Try to come on nights without cloud. Some clouds are ok (and can add great effect to landscape astro photos), but for the best night sky views you really want a cloudless night. As it is impossible to know what the clouds are going to do a long way in advance, it is best to either book for a few days during clear weather predictions or watch the weather and make a last minute opportunistic trip to Grampians Paradise. However during long weekends and holiday periods (or our peak times) it is often impossible to make a last minute booking. You are welcome to give us a call to get an update on what the clouds and weather are doing at the time of your call.
3) If you are wanting to see or photograph the Milky Way Core, you will need to come on a moonless night between May and October, the Milky Way Core season. The Milky Way Core is the brightest and most spectacular part of the Milky Way.

To find when new moon is each month, as well as moon-rise and set times I love to use the www.timeanddate.com website (moon-rise page)
This link should give you our location of Pomonal, Victoria, Australia. Then you will just need to enter the month and year you are thinking of coming to Grampians Paradise.
And here is the link for sunrise / sunset and astronomical twilight (when it really gets dark). Once again on the www.timeanddate.com website (sunrise page).

AURORA (The Southern Lights) are very hard to predict in advance, even for those of us that "chase" Aurora. There are mobile phone apps that can help, and Facebook groups that give a heads up when they are happening, both of which I use. Still it is like trying predict exactly when a heavy shower of rain will cross Grampians Paradise. It is possible to know that weather is coming, but when (and even if) the rain will cross the mountains is really only certain once it is happening. The best way is to treat an Aurora sighting is as a bonus. Come for the stars, the Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds, and treat Aurora an amazing bonus should it happen. Having said this, I have filmed the Aurora from Grampians Paradise 10 times in less than two years (11th May 2024 to 21st January 2026).

Watch the 11th May 2024 Aurora from Grampians Paradise in this Video