The Ballaarat Astronomical Society was founded in 1958 on the initiative of members of the Astronomical Society of Victoria. Since then it has been custodian of the Ballarat Municipal Observatory, which was established in 1886 through the generosity of James Oddie, sometimes referred to as 'the father of Ballarat'.

With the Observatory buildings as its base, the Society holds a General meeting on the second Friday of each second month, which usually features an astronomical talk. Various activities are available on  the other Friday evenings-including telescope making, observing and computing.  The Observatory is open to the public every Friday and Saturday night from half an hour before sunset. Charges are listed on the  activities  page.

Membership is open to anyone over the age of 10.
Annual Fees: Membership fees for the Society are:

Adult
Adult Concession

$20.00
$15.00

Junior (10 - 16 years)
full time student

$10.00
$15.00

Family Membership

$30.00

Subscriber

$15.00

Click here for an application form in Microsoft Word format.

Apart from joining in all Society activities, members are entitled to the use of the extensive facilities of the Society, including telescope training, use of the Library, and to borrow the Society's lending telescopes.