Skygaze and save the planet in Western Australia

Anyone keen on both astronomy and eco-tourism could book flights to Australia for 2009, it has been suggested.

Tourism Western Australia has come up with a number of things to do and places to stay on holidays in what it calls the real Australia, which could benefit people struggling to think of somewhere to go next year.

Firstly, there is the Gingin Observatory, which opens at night to show off the constellations to budding Patrick Moores.

Stargazing should be tried in Western Australia, since it is so far around the curve of the earth that tourists will be able to see the northern hemisphere’s sky too, the organisation attests.

Meanwhile, the Eco Beach Wilderness Retreat will open near Broome in May 2009 and will be made up of environmentally friendly villas and tents, which could be good for people looking to reduce their carbon footprint.

In September, David Potts, writing for the Sydney Morning Herald, suggested that a trip to Fraser Island’s Kingfisher Bay in Australia may also be ideal for nature lovers as it ranks with the Great Barrier Reef in terms of diversity