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Estimating your Costs
Estimating Your Costs
| The OzSky Classic Star Safari (Mar/Apr) | AUD | USD |
| OzSky Star Safari Registration | $595 | $393 |
| Accommodation at OzSky (7 nights) | $455 | $300 |
| Accommodation in Sydney (2 nights) from: | $360 | $238 |
| Economy Train Fare (return) from: | $135 | $89 |
| Economy Car Rental (8 days) from: | $275 | $182 |
| Total Estimated Costs per person from: | USD ~$1,202 | |
| OzSky Alumni Star Safari (Sep/Oct) | AUD | USD |
| OzSky Star Safari Registration | $1,200 | $792 |
| Accommodation at OzSky (7 nights) | (included) | (included) |
| Economy Car Rental (8 days) from: | $275 | $182 |
| Total Estimated Costs per person from: | USD ~$974 | |
Equivalent USD rates are approximate conversions only and are based on assumed exchange rate of $0.66. The final amount may vary depending on the exchange rate at time of your payment transaction.
Prices listed above are estimates only, and are per-person, based on on-site twin-share occupancy for seven nights at the observing site. The estimated costs do not include airfares, taxes, transfers, fuel, meals, souvenirs, tours, entry fees, extra accommodation, off-site accommodation or any other unlisted items, due to the variability of those costs according to individual circumstances and price changes by the respective service providers.
Register Now to secure your place at one of these unique OzSky Star Safaris.
You’re In Charge
Remember, these OzSky Star Safaris are do-it-yourself tours, structured to put you in charge of your travel arrangements and desired itinerary. It is our intention to provide the maximum flexibility for each traveller in setting up his or her own schedule and determining the related travel costs. We coordinate the observing site and equipment, as well as bookings for the on-site accommodations at each of the observing sites.
The "Classic" OzSky Star Safaris
- Optional side trips are available for those wishing to visit nearby professional astronomy facilities and to meet some of the local populace. We will be offering educational lectures throughout the week to build knowledge of not only astronomy topics but also the local arts and culture, flora and fauna. A range of great tours and activities are available for the several days in Sydney preceding our journey to the observing site, permitting you, prior to our observing session, an opportunity to adjust to the new time zone and experience Australia’s most popular city.
- The OzSky Registration Fee covers the costs of a fair and reasonable contribution towards the provision, delivery, maintenance and operation of the OzSky Star Safari’s telescopes and equipment provided by 3RF for your use at OzSky, general operational costs such as insurances, legal & regulatory fees, advertising, as well as on-site operational costs including rental fees for the lecture hall for the presentations, nightly Tea/Coffee and Snack Bar on the observing field, "Welcome BBQ" dinner on the first or second night, plus a unique (and highly sought after!) OzSky Star Safari T-shirt so you can be the envy of all your friends back home.
- All of the daytime activities undertaken by the group are optional and some may incur an entry fee payable by each individual directly to the operator of those activities. Meals, accommodation, souvenirs, tours, National Park entry fees and any additional activities or expenses are not included in the registration fee.
- Individuals may wish to organize some of their own independent daytime activities, and informational handouts with specifics on what to do, how to do it, and maps to get there are available at the Coonabarabran Tourist Information Office. Grocery prices and eating out are broadly comparable to costs in the US given the current favorable exchange rate, so estimate what you might spend for meals during the week, either in terms of groceries consumed in your room or an occasional lunch or dinner out.
- The suggested transportation arrangement is that travelers will ride by plane or train from Sydney to Dubbo and then hire a rental car for the week (perhaps shared with other travelers) to get to the observing site, for commuting back and forth to town, and for day trips. You may also opt to rent a car in Sydney and drive all the way to Coonabarabran (approx 6-7 hours drive each way - on the left-hand side of the road!).
- For those wishing to economize, we will make every effort to put individual travelers in touch with each other for transportation-sharing purposes.
- The intention is to offer a "no frills" observing experience, with a primary focus on observing the southern night skies, rather than daytime touring or activities. If you've already been to several "Classic" OzSky Star Safaris and you're now looking for a different time of year to explore the opposite half of the Southern Night Skies, the OzSky "Alumni" Star Safari could be just for you.
- The OzSky "Alumni" Registration Fee covers the costs of a fair and reasonable contribution towards the provision, delivery, maintenance and operation of the OzSky Star Safari’s telescopes and equipment provided by 3RF for your use at OzSky, general operational costs such as insurances, legal & regulatory fees, advertising, as well as on-site operational costs including rental fees for the on-site facilities, seven (7) nights accommodation on-site, plus a unique (and highly sought after!) OzSky "Alumni" Star Safari T-shirt so you can be the true envy of all your friends back home.
- All of the daytime activities undertaken by individuals or the group are optional and some may incur an entry fee payable by each individual directly to the operator of those additional activities. Meals and all additional activities or expenses are not included in the registration fee.
- Individuals may wish to organize some of their own independent daytime activities, and informational handouts with specifics on what to do, how to do it, and maps to get there are available at the Tourist Information Offices at Crookwell or Goulburn. Grocery prices and dining out are comparable to costs in the US given the currently favorable exchange rate, so estimate what you might spend for meals during the week, either in terms of groceries consumed in your room or an occasional lunch or dinner out.
- The suggested transportation arrangement is similar to that of the "Classic" OzSky Star Safaris, in that travelers will usually jointly hire shared rental cars between two or three people for the week to get to and from the observing site, for commuting back and forth to town, and for any day trips which the group, or individuals, might wish to undertake. The drive from Sydney is approximately 3 hours each way.
- For those wishing to economize, we will make every effort to put individual travelers in touch with each other for transportation-sharing purposes.
The only payment you will need to make to secure your reservation is the OzSky registration fee.
The "Classic" OzSky Star Safaris
- You may cancel your registration at any time prior to October 31 in the year preceeding the event and receive a full refund (minus any processing fees which may be imposed by third parties such as paypal or other financial institutions). Alternatively, you may request that your registration fee be transferred towards any other OzSky Star Safari within the following 12 months.
- If you decide to cancel or postpone after that date but on or before December 31 in the year preceeding the event, your payment cannot be refunded but may be applied towards any OzSky Star Safari within the following 12 months, upon request.
- Cancellations received after December 31 in the year preceeding the event are non-transferable and non-refundable.
- You may cancel your OzSky "Alumni" Star Safari registration at any time prior to June 30 in the year of the event and receive a full refund (minus any processing fees which may be imposed by third parties such as paypal or other financial institutions). Alternatively, you may request that your registration fee be transferred towards any other OzSky Star Safari within the following 12 months.
- Due to the nature of this event, cancellations received after June 30 in the year of the event are non-transferable and non-refundable, except where another person registers in your place, to ensure that the minimum number of people can be maintained.
If you’ve never viewed the Southern Celestial Sphere, it is difficult to put into words exactly what you are missing.
Taking such an expedition may seem for many amateurs like a medieval knight’s pursuit of the Holy Grail. Many procrastinate, never achieving this goal.
As we have all discovered, a thing so subjective as a view of the sky, a spectacular sunset, or even a view through the eyepiece, can never really be known through a textbook or another’s description or even through a photograph — it must be experienced.
Consider, also, how the addition of kindred spirits on this quest adds to heighten the experience even more. Venture once to the southern skies, and you’ll be back again - and again.
Our goal is to provide this opportunity within a flexible structure that provides the economy for making this trip possible. We undertake this expedition at no profit to ourselves other than to expand the horizons of our fellow travelers. Our aim is to share the amazing southern night skies with as many people from the northern hemisphere as possible.
If you have any further questions, we would be delighted to hear from you — just email us at for further information.
Register Now to secure your place at one of these unique OzSky Star Safaris.
OzSky "Alumni" Star Safari (read more...)
Can't make it to the "Classic" OzSky Star Safari in March/April? Or have you already been to several "Classic" OzSky Star Safaris and you are now looking for a different time of year to explore the other half of the Southern night skies?
Why not consider an OzSky "Alumni" Star Safari instead, for your next observing trip!
