Mt Stromlo visitor centre completes site renewal

The re-opening of the visitor's centre at Mount Stromlo, along with the other projects already launched and underway, is the missing piece of the puzzle for the site following the 2003 bushfires. The Australian National University (ANU) has opened a new visitor's centre at Mount Stromlo with interactive astronomy exhibits, including one that replicates flying into a wormhole in space, and a new café with stunning views across Canberra. The opening completes the renewal of the Mount Stromlo site following the 2003 Canberra bushfires that destroyed many of the Observatory's telescopes and historic buildings. The refurbished centre will also give visitors a chance to observe sunspots and help astronomers to find exploding stars. ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt AC officially opened the new visitor's centre with Senator Zed Seselja and President of the Canberra Southern Cross Club (CSCC), John Lewis, on Monday 12 September. "The re-opening of the visitor's centre at Mount Stromlo, along with the other projects already launched and underway, is the missing piece of the puzzle for the site following the 2003 bushfires," said Professor Schmidt, who won a Nobel Prize for his research conducted from Mount Stromlo. "The visitor's centre also invites citizen scientists to take part in ANU research being done at Mount Stromlo and Siding Spring," Professor Schmidt said.