Information for Visitors

SSO is open to the public seven days a week, from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.

The Café and Exploratory will be open 6 days a week and closed on Tuesdays.

The AAT Visitor Gallery will be open 7 days a week.

Guided tours of the AAT and SSO are available.

Please contact Coonabarabran Stargazing at 0488 687 562 for further information.

Or follow this link to learn more about the Tours Coonabarabran Star Gazing run during the day and at night!

Siding Spring Observatory is located atop Mt Woorut (~1160m) at the end of Observatory Road, 27km west of Coonabarabran on the eastern edge of the Warrumbungle National Park. Coming from Coonabarabran, follow the brown tourist information signs along the John Renshaw Parkway (or Timor Road) to Siding Spring Observatory.

From the west, follow the signs to the Warrumbungle National Park. Travel through the park towards Coonabarabran. The turnoff to Siding Spring Observatory is about 200m past the eastern boundary of the National Park.

The weather here can be quite variable. It can be quite warm or at the other extreme quite cool. Sunscreen, a hat, water and a warm coat/jacket are advisable.

During times of Extreme Fire Danger and catastrphic weather events, the observatory will be closed to visitors. For updates, please visit our Facebook page.

Caravans are not allowed on the road to Siding Spring Observatory due to its narrowness. For this reason caravanners are best to base themselves in Coonabarabran and make day trips or there is designated parking at the bottom of the mountain before turning onto SSO Mountain Road

Siding Spring Observatory (SSO) is a working research facility and as such we are not open at night for public viewing.