Mount Stromlo ruin rises from the ashes »

ANU Heritage Officer Amy Jarvis and Director of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics Professor Matthew Colless inspect the Director's Residence at Mount Stromlo. One of the most iconic ruins of the 2003 Canberra bushfires, the Mount Stromlo Observatory Director's Residence, has re-opened to the public following a major restoration project after being closed for 12 years. Professor Matthew Colless, Director of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, said the restoration of the building marked the end of the rebuilding period at the Observatory. The January 2003 bushfires destroyed the Residence along with five telescopes, workshops and several other major buildings at Mount Stromlo, which overlooks Canberra. "The Residence is the last building at Mount Stromlo to be restored after the 2003 fire, since we will be leaving the burnt-out telescope domes as memorials. Stromlo is no longer rebuilding, it has been rebuilt. We are now focussed entirely on the future," he said.