All visiting staff, observers and contractors must complete the booking form

Please complete a booking for site visits & computing needs at the observatory. After completing the form, a notification to complete an online induction will be emailed to you.

Booking form

Site information

Our Paul Wild Observatory is located 25 km west of Narrabri in NSW. It is at latitude -30.31, longitude +149.55 (east) and is 240 m above sea level. Narrabri has a population of about 5,500 and is the centre of a large irrigation and dry-land farming district producing cotton, wheat and pulse crops, as well as raising cattle & sheep.

Temperatures are typically above 30C on summer afternoons and close to 0C on winter mornings.

The observatory was once home to CSIRO’s solar radioheliograph but in 1988 the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) became the main instrument.

ATCA consists of five movable antennas on a 3 km east-west rail track with a 200 m north-south spur, and a sixth antenna 3 km further to the west. The observatory contains a control building with offices, laboratories, workshops, and the Paul Wild Observatory Visitors Centre.

Please note that mobile phones are not to be used on site unless in flight mode with WiFi and Bluetooth turned off. Please speak to admin staff for the appropriate phone numbers if you wish to be contacted while visiting.

Accommodation is no longer available at the Narrabri Lodge. There is a range of accommodation in Narrabri. Use this link to see what is available accommodation in Narrabri.

Please complete a booking form before your visit. Use the Booking form button above to make a Day Visit to the site.

Prior to arriving on site, you are required to complete an online induction. The link to the online induction will be emailed to you.

Kangaroos in long grass, with a telescope dish in the distance.

Paul Wild Observatory Visitors Centre

For information on our visitors centre, which is open to the public, visit the CSIRO.au website.

Travelling to the observatory

Always let the observatory staff know of your travel plans and route when visiting for work or observing.

Narrabri can be reached by road, rail & air from Sydney and road & air from Brisbane.

Road

  • Narrabri is at the intersection of the Newell and Kamilaroi Highways, about 525 km from Sydney and 580 km from Brisbane.
  • The drive from Sydney takes approximately 7 hours, driving north via the Pacific Highway/Hunter Expressway (Hunter Valley region). An alternative but longer route is to drive over the Blue Mountains via Orange, Parkes & Dubbo.

Air

  • Link Airways offer flights four times a week from Sydney and Brisbane to Narrabri.
  • From Narrabri Airport take a taxi to the observatory. Observatory staff can help you with the taxi booking.
  • Alternative options are to fly Qantas from Sydney to Moree or to Tamworth. Moree is 120 km from the Paul Wild Observatory and Tamworth is 180 km from the observatory. These options require hiring a car to drive to the observatory.
  • Car hire is available from all airports.

Rail from Sydney

  • NSW Regional Transport offer a daily train service from Sydney to Narrabri, departing Sydney in the morning and arriving in Narrabri late afternoon.
  • The return journey departs Narrabri in the morning.
  • Travel time is approximately 7.5 hours.
  • From the railway station take a taxi to the observatory. Observatory staff can help you with the taxi booking.

Contact

Paul Wild Observatory
1828 Yarrie Lake Road
Narrabri NSW 2390
Australia

Telephone: +61 2 6790 4000

Email: narrabri@csiro.au