Go dark and take a trip to the lights fantastic
As light pollution robs an ever-increasing number of humans of the primal joy of stargazing, a fledgling tourism industry is emerging, based on switching off and looking up.
As light pollution robs an ever-increasing number of people of the primal joy of stargazing, a fledgling tourism industry is emerging, based on switching off and looking up.
Already as many as 80 per cent of people live in urban areas where night skies appear largely void of stars. Each year, more stars “disappear”. The Globe at Night project has revealed an annual 9.6 per cent increase in star-killing light in night skies from 2011 to 2021.
Tapping into a growing desire to see what our ancestors took for granted – the Milky Way, auroras, shooting stars – dark sky tourism is taking off, from Queensland to South Australia and Tasmania.
Dark sky enthusiasts in the island state are now hoping to make Tasmania’s vast southwest wilderness the nation’s third – and world’s 18th – globally recognised dark sky sanctuary. “We now have generations who have never experienced starry skies,” said Landon Bannister, president of Dark Sky Tasmania. “People are seeking out that reconnection to the stars and that bond they might have had before they moved to a city or before light pollution got too bad.”
Some star-chasers have a specific interest, with tours and experiences focused on astronomy and astrophotography – or even sipping whisky while stargazing.
While in its infancy, low-impact stargazing tourism could help the state meet its intention to attract 750,000 more tourists a year by 2030, while minimising negative impacts.
“The potential for dark sky tourism is huge,” said Mr Bannister. “There’s no way we can accommodate the kind of tourist numbers they are talking about in Hobart or Launceston, and there’s no way we can accommodate them all in summer.
“So we need to look at off-peak season and getting people into regional areas. That aligns perfectly with dark sky tourism.
“The skies are better away from the cities and generally during off-peak season with the longer nights and darker skies.”
One pioneer is Tasmania’s Beaker Street science festival, which runs an annual Nocturna dark sky retreat at Spring Bay Mill on the state’s east coast, this year held last weekend.
Guests staying in pods and glamping tents, and urged to turn-off devices, are treated to spectacular night skies, assisted by astronomers, scientists and Indigenous leaders, with the added bonus of fine food and music.
“We are incredibly lucky to be one of the few inhabited places on Earth that still has really good access to dark skies,” said festival director Margo Adler. “I’m from New York City and had zero access to dark skies as a kid. If we saw a couple of stars at night it was really exciting. But here it’s just totally incredible.”
The dark skies movement is trying to persuade Australian utilities and governments to follow those in some European countries in reducing light pollution. A proposal to make Tasmania’s South West National Park an official dark sky sanctuary is gaining support.
Science Minister Madeleine Ogilvie wants to “maximise Tasmania’s opportunities in this emerging sector”. “We can offer deep dark night sky viewing of one of nature’s most spectacular displays,” she said.
The writer was a guest of the Beaker Street Festival’s Nocturna
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