Melbourne Observatory

Last updated October 2026

Guided night-sky and solar telescope tours at the historic Melbourne Observatory in the Royal Botanic Gardens; $25 per child, bookings essential.

Melbourne Observatory, in the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, runs guided astronomy tours presented by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and the Astronomical Society of Victoria. Stellar Nights is a 2 hour 15 minute night tour where guides show two of the observatory's historic telescopes and, when visibility allows, nebulae, the Moon and planets; it runs in rain or cloud with modified content. Spring 2026 sessions are on Monday nights from 19 October to 30 November and are sold out, with summer tickets to come. Solar Tours are 1.5-hour Sunday 1pm sessions viewing sunspots through restored telescopes; spring 2026 is also sold out. Both cost $45 per adult and $25 per child, as of October 2026, and bookings are essential. Tours meet on Observatory Plaza outside the Visitor Centre. The night tour includes stairs and areas that are not wheelchair accessible.

Facts checked against the venue's own website on 17 October 2026.