Situated in the picturesque Yeal Nature Reserve, just over an hour north of Perth, the Gravity Discovery Centre &
Observatory has something for everyone, from Astronomy to Astrophysics and Indigenous culture to biodiversity.

Throughout School Holidays your Admission includes access to our School Holiday Program (to add a School Holiday Activity to your booking - select your visit date then you will be offered a selection of available activity sessions, click to add to your booking).

Visit us during the day to undertake a self-guided tour through our Galleries, get hands on with our interactive exhibits, climb our infamous Tower or take a leisurely wander through our pristine bushland surrounds on one of our captivating walk trails.

Discovery Gallery  |  learn while you ‘play’ with our interactive exhibits

Biodiversity Gallery  |  explore native flora and fauna up close

Indigenous Art Gallery  |  view unique artworks in our indoor gallery                                 

Cosmology Gallery  |  marvel at meteorites and explore the Life of our Universe

Leaning Tower  | climb our infamous Leaning Tower and perform our ‘balloon drop’ experiment,
admiring breathtaking views while learning about gravity and physics

Biodiversity Walk  |  explore our natural bushlands, which transform
into an ‘other worldly’ display of rare species of Flora in Wildflower season

Solar System Walk  |  soak up the sun (and some stats) on our kilometre long Solar System Walk

Suitable for all ages, you are welcome to arrive anytime from 10.00am to commence your visit - gates close at 4pm.

We recommend allowing upto two hours to fully appreciate our Facility and Attractions and kindly request that you arrive with plenty of time to enjoy your visit.

Explore the Universe on our Starry Night Observatory Evening session.

Our Public Observatory sessions are planned and scheduled with consideration of the cycle and phase of the moon.  Check out our Moon Phase + Cycle calendar to help plan your visit.

Tour Highlights:

• 20-Minute Presentation: Learn about space from our passionate and knowledgeable astronomers.

• Laser-Guided Constellation Tour: Explore showcase constellations with an expert guide.

• Observatory Tour- Telescope Viewing: View distant galaxies, celestial bodies, and cosmic phenomena through our state-of-the-art observatory scopes.

Important Visitor Information:

• Duration: 2 hours

• Suitability: Suitable for all ages (children must be supervised at all times).

• What to Wear: Evenings can get very cold, so please bring warm clothing.

• Dark Sky Policy: To preserve dark sky visibility, light-emitting devices (including phones, smartwatches, torches, and light-up clothing) are NOT to be used at any point once the tour commences.

“What if it's too Cloudy to see any Stars?”

If weather related events impact your tour, you are entitled to join the tour again free of charge - the GDCO issues vouchers in these cases.  The complimentary return tour is reedemable once, within one year of the original booking.

If your tour is impacted and you are unable to attend a future date, you can request a partial refund (50% ticket price only).

Bookings cancelled by either party ahead of the tour due to weather conditions shall be eligble for a refund (75% - ticket price only).

For bookings made via an agent/third party - refunds should be directly sought and processed directly via booking agent.

Our Adults Only Stargazing Evening offers a more intimate experience under the stars, exclusively for the grown ups, in a much smaller group (upto 16 participants).

With admission to our Discovery Centre included, we invite you arrive from 4.00pm to explore our Discovery Centre's galleries and exhibits and to admire the picturesque sunset view from atop our Leaning Tower.

Tour Includes

- Discovery Centre Admission

- Two Course Dinner

- Twenty minute Cosmology presentation

- Brief laser "sky tour"

- 1.5 hour Stargazing experience in our Observatory

Please make menu selections when prompted at the 'Extras' option of your Booking.

BYO alcoholic beverages permitted.

“What if it's too Cloudy to see any Stars?”

If weather related events impact the tour, visitors are entitled to join the tour again free of charge.  The return tour must be scheduled within one year of the original booking.

Vouchers are issued by the GDCO to the customer in such circumstances.

Capture the Cosmos through Astrophotography!

Led by GDCO Chief Astronomer, Rick Tonello, participants will explore Astrophotography fundamentals from setup to shooting techniques and processing to presentation on our Astronomia Photographica course.

Covering Astroscape, Wide-Field and Deep Sky photography, this three-part course is delivered over three weeks (one night/week) as two online lessons and one onsite practical lesson in our Observatory.

When booking, select your chosen start date (Session 1), you are then automatically booked onto the subsequent two dates of the course program.

Participants must bring their own Canon or Nikon DSLR camera.

If you are bringing a different camera, please bring along your own T-Ring adaptor.

SESSION OVERVIEW

Session 1:
Introduction, Types of Astrophotography, Equipment (via Zoom, 7pm - 9pm)

Session 2:
Practical Night at GDC Observatory (7pm - late)

Session 3:
Processing Class (via Zoom, 7pm - 9pm)

COURSE DATES

February

Session 1: Tuesday, 10 February (via Zoom)

Session 2: Tuesday, 17 February (practical night @ GDC/Observatory)

Session 3: Tuesday, 24 February (via Zoom)

May

Session 1: Tuesday, 5 May (via Zoom)

Session 2: Tuesday, 12 May (practical night @ GDC/Observatory)

Session 3: Tuesday, 19 May (via Zoom)

July

Session 1: Tuesday, 7 July (via Zoom)

Session 2: Tuesday, 14 July (practical night @ GDC/Observatory)

Session 3: Tuesday, 21 July (via Zoom)

September

Session 1: Tuesday, 1 September (via Zoom)

Session 2: Tuesday, 8 September (practical night @ GDC/Observatory)

Session 3: Tuesday, 15 September  (via Zoom)

November

Session 1: Wednesday, 4 November (via Zoom)

Session 2: Wednesday, 11 November (practical night @ GDC/Observatory)

Session 3: Wednesday, 18 November (via Zoom)

DURATION

Guided Trail Walk (1 hour)

Walk + Devonshire Tea (1.5hrs)

Walk + Lunch* (2 hours)

*menu options below

OUR WILDFLOWER WALK

Nestled in the pristine Yeal Nature Reserve, our site is home to one of WA's richest native flora populations.

Our thriving Banksia Woodland offers a seasonal display of Wildflowers, Wattles and vibrant native blooms - from clever Prickly Moses shrubs to acclaimed Purple Enamel and Spider Orchids.

Enjoy a one hour wander of our gently winding trail as our Guide leads you through our habitat's seasonal species, pointing out hard to spot orchids and sharing astounding facts along the way.

Walk trail is approximately 500m - brick paved path.  While we recommend beginning your Tour at 10am, arrival times and tour duration can be adapted to suit your Group.

The Wildflower is best delivered to groups of upto 25 participants, where your group has higher numbers, the tour will be delivered in two briefer sessions - highlighting current, favoured species.

MENU OPTIONS

Fish + Chips, with Salad

Vegetarian Lasagne, with Chips + Salad

Tour + Lunch Option only - please advise quantity for each menu choice as prompted when booking online.  

Please note any known allergies/intolerance at 'Add Special Requirements'

Min. 15pax - or equivalent cost.  

All bookings require review prior to acceptance or to make necessary alterations.  

Once accepted, we will email your finalised Tour Booking details - at which time a deposit (20% of total booking) is required to proceed with Confirmation.

DURATION

Guided Trail Walk (1 hour)

OUR WILDFLOWER WALK

Nestled in the pristine Yeal Nature Reserve, our site is home to one of WA's richest native flora populations.

Our thriving Banksia Woodland offers a seasonal display of Wildflowers, Wattles and vibrant native blooms - from clever Prickly Moses shrubs to acclaimed Purple Enamel and Spider Orchids.

Enjoy a one hour wander of our gently winding trail as our Guide leads you through our habitat's seasonal species, pointing out hard to spot orchids and sharing astounding facts along the way.

MEALS + DINING

Please note should our cafe be closed during your visit, we invite you to bring snacks and sweets to enjoy in one our many delightful dining/picnic areas - or we can recommend a nearby business.

Tour requires a minimum of 8 bookings to proceed - where numbers are not met, an alternate date or refund shall be offered.

Tour Guidelines

Group bookings should be
requested by submitting a booking form, available from our website, or by
emailing [email protected]

Group/private bookings requesting Observatory access (Astronomy Tours) and overnight sleepovers may only be placed for Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evenings.

Bookings are not confirmed until advised by email.

Per Department of Education guidelines, we request the following ratios:

Years 1 – 3       1 adult: 6 students

Years 4 – 12     1 adult: 15 students

Tour fees, including optional extras such as meals, are outlined in each of our Booking Request Forms.  We typically do not charge Staff/Crew admission, unless your Group has booked to attend on an evening where we are hosting our regular Friday - Sunday Public Tour.

Invoices are generally issued on completion of your tour.

Overnight Stays

Sleeping arrangements are tailored to the Groups requirements and logistics.

For smaller Groups (i.e. less than ten participants) or groups comprising either only girls or only boys, all participants would be assigned the Indigenous Gallery to sleep.

For Groups with over ten participants (as an approximation) comprising co-ed male/females and dependent on the Year Level we typically assign the Indigenous Gallery (inside main Discovery Building where toilets are located) to girls, with the Cosmology Gallery (adjacent to the Discovery Building, accessible via internal stairs and raised walkway) assigned to the boys.

Groups are to bring their own bedding, as below, and set up on arrival on instruction from GDC Staff/Guide

- Swag, inflatable mattress or foldup camp stretcher

- Sleeping bag/doona

- Pillow/s

- Tents are not permitted

All Tour participants must only sleep/place their overnight equipment inside in their allocate area.

Tour Outline

Your timetable will be finalised and issued on the day of your tour by your Guide.  We do this as the exact order of events may be impacted by weather and environmental conditions. 

As a rough guide, education groups tours run per the following timetable:

On arrival you will be met by your Guide and given an overview of your tour schedule.

For groups staying overnight, you will be invited at this point to unpack and set up accordingly.

This timetable represents an EXAMPLE ONLY for Guided Group Tours and is intended to outline the timeframe allocated to each activity/component.  Groups generally comprise of up to 25 participants per Guide.

Participants must also always be accompanied by a supervising adult from your Group, as per the above stated ratios outlined by Dept. of Education.

What if your love of the night sky could become your career? Reach for the Stars is an inspiring evening for girls and young women aged 8yrs upwards, who are passionate about astronomy, astrophysics, space. Meet inspiring women scientists at different stages of their STEM journey — from Masters in Astrophysics students and graduates to pursuing a PhD in their selected fields. Hear their stories, discover how they found their way into STEM, and learn if a career among the stars could be within your reach too. Then, step outside under the night sky at the GDC Observatory. Our four scientists will be stationed at the observatory telescopes, ready to guide you through the Universe, share their knowledge and answer your questions. Come with your curiosity. Meet your future role models. Look through the telescopes. And start imagining where your own journey could take you The stars are waiting — perhaps your future is among them.