Driving into the night in the Queensland bush we stopped in the middle of the road to take a few photos. The night sky unfolded above us like nothing I have ever seen before.
The long, empty road.
Toward Queensland
Continuing north toward the Queensland border we drove through kilometre after kilometre of lush farmland.
It was incredibly flat, lush farmland. In fact, we went several hours without seeing any sort of topography.
Along the way we stopped for some photos of a beautiful mustard field.
And we finally found some topography again.
We had a late lunch or early dinner at a roadside rest area where the wind was strong enough that our food was nearly blown away.
The expedition continued northward as the sun set over the flat nothingness in the west.
The Australia Telescope Compact Array
The road to the Australia Telescope Compact Array certainly didn’t seem of proper size for such an important facility. From the water sitting in low spots along the road, it appears that a few days prior to our arrival the road was flooded out.
We made sure to turn off our cell phones.
The un-staffed visitor centre had an “Honesty Box” to drop your coins in while paying for a postcard. We were honest and paid for our cards in full.
This video provides 360 degree panorama of the site.
The railroad track that the dishes use to move is quite long.
The day’s observations log.
Dishes have speed limits and have to watch for kangaroos, too.
A solar interferometer.
Zach posing with one of the dishes.
