5/5 Chris E. 1 year ago on Google
We
were
scheduled
to
go
on
the
Dark
Sky
Tour
yesterday,
Saturday
22
October
2022.
Mid-morning
that
day
we
got
confirmation
that
we
were
"go
for
the
tour".
We
look
outside
and
saw
nothing
but
clouds!!!
It
even
rained
a
little
during
the
day!!
Anyway,
Pam
and
I
decided
what
will
be,
will
be.
This
was
our
third
attempt
with
a
couple
of
previous
weather
"fails"
and
also
one
medical
emergency
which
prevented
us
from
attending
(about
which
Kelly
was
very
generous
and
allowed
us
to
reschedule
in
these
circumstances).
We
arrived
at
Mannum
and
were
met
by
Mardi.
Mardi
was
Kelly
Kuhn's
substitute
for
the
evening
as
Kelly
already
had
a
different
group
in
tow.
Now,
Mardi
was
wonderful
and
her
effervescent
nature
made
for
a
fantastic
night.
First
stop
was
the
Bow
Hill
General
Store!
Why?
For
dinner!
Meals
were
pre-ordered
and
were
ready
to
be
served
near-immediately.
While
the
15
of
us
in
the
group
that
night
were
eating,
Mardi
faithfully
explained
through
over
40
slides
in
a
PowerPoint
presentation
describing
various
aspects
related
to
our
tour.
After
that,
Mardi
managed
to
inhale
her
lasagna
in
5
minutes.
The
food
was
great
and
the
service
friendly
and
efficient.
We
walk
outside
as
a
group
when
the
rain
begins
falling
and
the
sky
completely
blotted
out!!!
Hmmm!
Anyway,
next
stop
was
to
the
Ngaut
Ngaut
Conservation
Park
for
an
enlightening
and
humourous
talk
by
Ivy,
a
resident
elder
of
the
Nganguraku
people.
She
provided
cultural
information
and
details
on
some
of
the
etchings
in
rock
near
a
couple
of
the
camps
used
around
the
1830's.
One
word
of
advice
here
-
please
bring
mosquito
repellent!
They
were
everywhere
and
even
Mardi
ended
up
with
a
giant
fat
lip
from
being
bitten!
At
the
end
of
this,
we
look
up
to
the
sky
...
and
...
CLEAR
SKIES!!
Next
stop,
an
area
out
of
Walkers
Flat,
Maynards
Lookout,
to
see
some
cosmic
bodies!
Joe
(and
Joe's
expensive
telescope)
took
over
for
this
part.
Joe
and
his
wife
are
extremely
affable,
have
great
knowledge
and
love
to
share
their
knowledge
with
interested
parties.
We
got
to
see
the
iconic
Saturn,
Jupiter
with
three
of
its
moons
in
view
at
that
time,
and
stars
from
around
16000
light
years
away.
We
nearly
got
a
look
at
NGC
104
(a
side-on
galaxy)
but
the
clouds
rolled
in
and
we
were
done
looking
upwards
for
the
night.
Mardi
provided
tea,
coffee,
Milo
nearby.
It
really
was
a
fantastic
night
and
we
feel
privileged
to
have
finally
been
part
of
it.
If
you
are
even
mildly
interested
in
looking
up
in
the
sky,
then
I
really
recommend
that
you
book
a
spot!!
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