City Lights Star Lights Dark Sky Stargazing Trail

City Lights Star Lights is a great introduction to astronomy close to Perth, linking accessible night-sky experiences in the Perth Hills with darker skies towards the Avon Valley. Perth Observatory in Bickley is a key astronomy stop on this trail, with Night Sky Tours that use telescopes to show southern sky objects such as nebulae, star clusters, the Moon and planets when conditions allow. Perth Observatory is WA’s oldest observatory and has a long-running role in public astronomy education. 

The Moon is one of the best beginner targets because it is bright, familiar and rewarding through binoculars or a telescope. Around the crescent or first quarter Moon, shadows along the line between the illuminated and non-illuminated surface of the Moon help reveal craters, mountains and valleys in greater detail. When Jupiter is high in the evening sky, binoculars or a small telescope may reveal its four Galilean moons as tiny points of light that look like stars close to the planet.

As the route continues towards Northam, the experience shifts from city glow to darker country skies. Lions Lookout is a useful stop for understanding light pollution, while the Avon Valley gives visitors a more relaxed setting to look up, slow down and enjoy the night sky. Astrotourism WA showcases this route as a city lights to starlight experience, beginning with Perth Observatory and continuing east towards Northam.