Canberra Space Centre: Why visit?
The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex – formerly the Tidbinbilla Deep Space Tracking Station – is 35km from central Canberra. The Canberra Space Centre is home to some giant radio telescopes. These include Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station antenna DSS-46 which gave the world the NASA moon landings footage.
On the outskirts of Australia’s national capital, next to the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, are some very big dishes. These giant radio telescopes are attempting to listen to what’s going on in space. And they belong to the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex.
A sign just off the main road asks visitors to turn off all transmitting devices such as phones and laptops. “Help us listen to whispers from space,” it says.
The DSS-43 radio telescope at the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex
Further down the track, a sight emerges that’s, well, space age. Huge white antennas rise out of the ground, pointing their giant dishes to the heavens. DSS-43 is the biggest of these radio telescopes, with the dish measuring in at 70m in diameter. It is mesmerising to stare at.
Inside the main building, there’s the Canberra Space Centre. This a small museum about space exploration and the history of the site. CSIRO – the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation – now manages it on the behalf of NASA. It is one of only three such stations in the world, the others being in Madrid and Goldstone, California.
Tidbinbilla Deep Space Tracking Station at Canberra Space Centre
Officially opened in 1965 as Tidbinbilla Deep Space Tracking Station, it was designed to help out with the Apollo missions. The location was chosen for its proximity to a major city – it’s 35km away from central Canberra. The protection from radio interference by the Australian Capital Territory’s surrounding ridges helped too.
Other tracking stations around Australia have since closed down, and this is the only one left. The Deep Space Communication Complex now plays a far greater role. Its tasks include collecting data and communicating with whatever space missions are within view. The station works round the clock, juggling more than 40 satellites, probes and space craft within our solar system.
But amongst the Mars Rovers, bags of freeze-dried space food and pictures of chimps in space suits, there is the tale of Honeysuckle Creek.
Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station
The site of the former Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station is in the nearby Namadgi National Park. It has long since closed, but it played a vital part in the moon landings.
Inside the Deep Space Communication Complex’s museum section is one humble item that exemplifies Honeysuckle Creek’s marvellous story. It’s a simple switch, and it has been donated by Ed von Renouard. He was the video technician on duty at Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station when man first landed on the moon.
Pictures were originally meant to be transmitted from the Goldstone, California base. But Goldstone forgot one key thing. The camera on the lunar landing module was deliberately placed upside down so astronauts could pick it up more easily. The images transmitted, therefore, needed flipping manually so audiences could view them the right way up. Goldstone forgot to flick the switch that did this; Ed von Renouard didn’t, so footage from Honeysuckle Creek was used.
Getting to the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex
But the switch would have been useless without the antenna that received the images. That antenna is DSS-46, which stands proudly outside the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex. It moved when Honeysuckle Creek closed down, with the 26m-diameter dish finally retired in 2009. It now stands as a monument to one of the greatest moments in human history. And it’s in a beautiful part of the world that so few humans explore. This alone makes the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex worth the short drive out from Canberra. Or the four hour train journey from Sydney. Taking on the seven hour drive from Melbourne, though, would be of debatable value.
The top Canberra accommodation picks
There is a large selection of Canberra accommodation options. But these are particularly good choices…
- The one with the highest guest rating: A By Adina Canberra.
- For something cool and stylish: East Hotel and Apartments.
- The one where the VIPs stay: Hyatt Hotel Canberra.
- For high quality apartments: Quest Canberra City Walk.
- For something much cheaper and family-focused: Alivio Tourist Park.
More geeky Australia
Which museums in Newcastle are worth visiting?
Where is New Norcia, Australia’s only monastic town?
What is the best museum in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia?
Why are there so many windmills in Penong, South Australia?
Why should I visit the Bonegilla Migrant Experience near Albury?