Ancient stories in the outback stars to be revealed at Indigenous-owned observatory

Detailed summary

A new observatory has opened in a remote Indigenous community in South Australia's far west. Proponents say it will boost tourism and cultural storytelling.

A remote Indigenous community in South Australia is now the owner and operator of a stargazing facility in partnership with rocket launch company Southern Launch.

The Koonibba Observatory will allow tourists to learn more about Indigenous astronomy.

More than a dozen Koonibba community members have signed up to receive training from Southern Launch on how to operate the deep-sky telescope.

When Geraldine Ware was growing up in the remote Indigenous community of Koonibba, she would look up at the stars as Elders passed on the ancient stories of her people etched across the skies.

Now, her remote community in far west South Australia has opened a stargazing facility to help tell those stories.

The Koonibba Observatory was built in partnership with space services company Southern Launch and offers a vantage point from which to view the existing Koonibba Test Range facility, about 40 kilometres north-west of Ceduna on SA's far west coast.

Ms Ware, now chairperson of the Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation board, said it was exciting to think of the possibilities the facility would unlock for her community.

"We have got about 20 [people] to be trained up, so hopefully they'll get perfect at it, and then we can start our tourism in the future," she said.

"There are stories from when we were growing up, sitting around fires and looking at the stars, and we can see it, further on, looking out now."

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