Tours

Normally a visit consists of:

• a guided tour of the observatory including a close-up look at the "big dish" and a visit to the control room.
• time with guide to explore the Museum which celebrates the work of the first radio astronomer: Grote Reber.
• viewing 2 or 3 3D mini movies about space in our virtual reality theatre. Each movie is 10 -15 min long. More information is available at Swinburne 3D Productions
  

We can also include (depending on ages and interests):

• trying out our whispering dishes.
• safe viewing of the Sun. Soon we will be adding another specialized solar telescope.

Such a tour takes about 1.5 hours.
We can vary the mix of activities or shorten the tour depending on the groups interest.
It is even possible to spend a fun educational hour watching movies

Night time observing is possible but it is really only practical from about April through to September as daylight savings time makes a late sunset even later. Also these sessions would require more organization and so will cost more.

Accessibility

The Museum is fully accessible. A bus can park right in front of the main door. There is plenty of seating within the museum.
There is a smooth path about 15m long to close to the radio telescope.
However, access to the control room is a bit limited. There is a set of 4 steps with a hand-rail and an 80m walk over slightly uneven ground.
To see the movies in 3D you need stereo vision. But it is possible to view the movies on a computer screen in normal 2 dimensions.

Parking

There is parking next to the Museum with enough room to turn a bus.
As you enter the Observatory gates, follow the road up the hill and turn right (don't enter the control room carpark). There is dedicated parking for the Museum.

Tours are by appointment only.

We prefer to do tours during business hours, but tours on weekends or in the evenings can be arranged with extra lead time (4 days min).
For large groups (>25) we need about working 4 days notice to organize a second guide. We split large groups.

Cost: Business hours: $4 per person, Out of hours: $150 flat rate
Contact
Karen Bradford
Phone: +61 (03) 6226 2439
Fax: +61 (03) 6226 2410
Email: karen.bradford@utas.edu.au
OR print this form fill in the information and fax it to (03) 6226 2410