Greg Quicke's ASTRO TOURS:

THE ULTIMATE JOURNEY TO THE STARS

Delivering intensely practical astronomy to humanity since 1995!

Due to some cosmic, physical and other worldly challenges our 2025 stargazing season is currently on hold until further notice. We’ll let you know about new developments and opportunities right here. In the mean time, scroll down and order Greg Quicke’s life changing books.

“to be continued...”
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BBC and ABC TV

Greg Quicke is a self taught astronomer who started an astronomy business in 1995 with no idea that it would still be going two and a half decades later. With a significant grassroots following for his live performance star shows, he joined Professor Brian Cox as the Practical Astronomer for the last 4 seasons of the BBC’s and the ABC’s Stargazing Live. Dubbed ‘Space Gandalf’ by the audience, Greg and the ABC went on to make the multi award winning 10 part television series ‘A Stargazers Guide to the Cosmos’, based on Greg’s first book, ‘Earth Turning Consciousness - an Exercise in Planetary Awareness’. Greg continues to present in live performance for you in Broome.

Greg Quicke, Robin Ince and Brian Cox live on Stage at Brian Cox Live, Perth Convention Centre 2018.

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BROOME'S ASTRONOMY EXPERIENCE

"Giving people a living breathing conscious experience of being on a planet that is turning as it hurtles through space is our most profound task with Astro Tours.

With this experience comes an ability to see things for what they really are, to see yourself in relation to the whole and to know that everything is on track. So relax, have fun and enjoy the ride."

Greg Quicke

 

STARGAZING TOURS

Broome's Astronomy Experience a 2 1/2-hour educational and entertaining mind bender using big telescopes, lasers and fun under some of the best stargazing skies on the planet. 

You'll find Greg Quicke running star shows for the public from April/May to October/November at the Astro Tours dark site, an easy 20 minutes drive out of Broome, Western Australia.

BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL

With a growing national and international TV presence, availability of Greg to run the public star shows in Broome is at a premium. We recommend that you check the online Event Calendar and book now to make sure to get in on the night that you want. We recommend that you make a booking for early in your visit to Broome (depending on the moon phase of course). This will give you some fallback dates in case of a cancellation due to weather or any other cause.

GETTING THERE

Showtime is 5.30pm to 8pm May through July and 6pm to 8.30pm August through October. Our beautifully dark bush setting is 13km out on the Broome Highway, right next door to the Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park, a must do while you are in Broome. You can opt for: A HOTEL TRANSFER, or save yourself some $$s with a 20 minute SELF DRIVE. It is an easy drive for any type of car on a sealed road except for the last 500m of hard packed dirt. Clear directions are delivered with your booking confirmation email.

RENTING A CAR IN BROOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION

BROOME BROOME CAR RENTALS, SUNRISE CAR HIRE, HERTZ and THRIFTY are our recommended car rental companies for you to drive the 13km of sealed highway from Broome to Astro Tours. Some of the other car companies will not cover you if you use your car after dark. You drive out to us in the daylight and return after dark.

CANCELLATIONS

You can cancel or change your booking via email on the Contact page or phone with no charge at any time with half a days notice.

STARGAZING BY THE LUNAR CYCLE

The moon regulates our life in Broome with the tides as well as the best times for stargazing. The moon is so bright in the week before full moon that we can only see the brightest stars and planets. The Milky Way is nowhere to be seen and the stargazing is very poor. We don’t run any shows this week so please check our EVENT CALENDAR before you book your trip to Broome.

DARK STARRY NIGHTS

After the day of the full moon, the moon rises nearly an hour later each night. This means that from 2 or 3 days after the full moon we have dark skies with no moonlight to spoil the view. Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t need to wait until new moon! Dark skies means lots of stars, planets, deep space and Milky Way magnificence running all the way through to almost 1st quarter moon, 2 1/2 weeks later. These are all equally the best nights in the stargazing month. The moon phases are marked on our EVENT CALENDAR.

MOONLIT NIGHTS

The crescent moon in the week following new moon is absolutely stunning in our telescopes. You will see craters, mountains and valleys in the mountains. There is so much detail from this closest-other-world that you can imagine driving your 4WD around to explore the moon. The small crescent moon in this first week of the lunar cycle doesn’t interfere with our stargazing and still allows us to access the many fine sights of deep space.

BRIGHT BRIGHT MOONLIGHT

The 2nd week of the lunar cycle begins with the 1st quarter moon phase. We have a waxing half moon in the sky that grows night by night taking out the stars one by one until we can only see the brightest ones. No star shows this week! Seven days after 1st quarter the moon aligns opposite the Sun. This is Full Moon!

STAIRWAY TO THE MOON

The next 3 days has the moon appearing over the wet mud flats of Roebuck Bay nearly an hour later each day to create Broome’s famous STAIRWAY TO THE MOON. Moonrise stairway times can be found on our EVENT CALENDAR for your convenience followed by our first DARK STARRY NIGHT star show in the next lunar cycle.

TUNING IN TO THE SEASONS

Coming out with us once will give you a snapshot in time of our continuous journey through space. Coming regularly will build on this and reinforce what we started together while adding in other elements that really can only be gained by you experiencing them through the passage of time. We measure this time with the very journey of our planet through space! To consciously experience this journey will literally take you time! Season Tickets are available.

WHAT ELSE WILL WE LEARN

While we are setting you up to watch the earth turn and to achieve Earth Turning Consciousness in your life, we'll teach you star names, constellations and where to find the planets. We'll reinforce this as much as we can throughout the night with the idea of you finding at least a few things in the sky the next night with confidence!

CHILDREN

Our starshows are directed at the ADULT MIND. The show is NOT SUITABLE for SMALL CHILDREN. If you choose to bring small children you will still have to buy them a ticket. If your child disturbs the proceedings you will be asked to take them away from the arena so as not to disturb other guests who have come to learn. This means that you will also miss out. There will be no refund in this case. Some parents choose to take it in turns to come on different nights giving them uninterrupted opportunity to absorb the whole experience with an older child or by themselves. Having said this and making it as clear as we can, (you might be able to guess what happened on last night’s show), your WELL BEHAVED CHILDREN with a good attention span are very welcome! They are some of our favourite people!

INCLUDED

We’ll set you up with a custom designed comfortable SWIVEL stargazing seat. Our significant telescope fleet ranges from 4 inch to 20 inch in diameter for your viewing pleasure. Greg is mic’d up through a beautiful sound system to ensure your journey through the heavens tickles all your senses. WE RECOMMEND that you enjoy a late afternoon snack or meal before you come and perhaps have a late supper organised for when you return home at the end of the night.

MERCHANDISE

We like to sell things that will be useful in your stargazing life. Greg’s two books, EARTH TURNING CONSCIOUSNESS - AN EXERCISE IN PLANETARY AWARENESS, and IS THE MOON UPSIDE DOWN? published by Penguin Random House, are both receiving amazing feedback in their effectiveness in tuning people in to the cosmos. Astronomy Yearbooks, beautiful Astro Himalayan wool blankets, stubby holders, glo-in-the-dark hats and T-shirts are available with card payments on the night and ONLINE. We have an amazing array of TELESCOPES and BINOCULARS that we can deliver to your door anywhere in Australia.

 

IMPORTANT: Night time temperatures at our bush site can drop to less than 10 degrees during June, July and August. Bring warm clothing, covered footwear is best and most importantly, a ready, clear and sharp mind!

PRICES

 

SELF DRIVE

Adult: 110

Child (u/16): 90

WITH HOTEL TRANSFERS

Adult: 135

Child (u/16): 115

 

Our prices are set to reflect commissions, GST and credit card fees. We are totally dictated to by the weather including a wet season that shuts us down for 5 months of the year. Having said that, we are very approachable to adjust prices in genuine cases of need if the request is accompanied by a smile. The setup each night is intense with over a tonne of telescopes to be lifted and set up before you arrive and the same heavy lifting after you have gone home. This is the bit you pay for. You get the show for free!

 
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GREG’S TV SHOWS

The BBC rocked into my life in 2016 after 21 years of live performance to what amounted to an underground and organic crowd that created their own groundswell of Earth Turning Consciousness, either by their own insights or those they gained through interactions with me at Astro Tours. I’m guessing that around 100 000 people have joined me under the stars so far, with at least one of them a BBC producer who plucked me from the bush and onto the world stage. My real home is still a swag with the stars pouring into my forehead as I sleep and journey off to the other worlds.

Below are links to the BBC and ABC series of Stargazing Live where I play the Practical Astronomer to Professor Brian Cox’s Theoretical Partical Physicist and my own multi-award winning ABC 10 part series, A Stargazers Guide to the Cosmos, as well as various other links to interviews, articles and Conversations with Richard Fidler.

 

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BOOKS BY GREG QUICKE

Greg’s latest release published by Penguin Random House 2020

Is The Moon Upside Down? Is The Moon Upside Down?
Quick View
Is The Moon Upside Down?
A$29.99

Is The Moon Upside Down? is an absorbing guided tour of the cosmos as seen through Greg’s eyes. Unlike many of his peers who studied at university he offers a unique and refreshing perspective on astronomy that was instead forged on cliff tops outside Alice Springs, in the endless expanse of the Great Sandy Desert, on the floor of the Indian Ocean and in his own front yard in Broome.

No matter what mysteries you’ve pondered about Earth’s astral dance with the Sun, planets, moon and the stars, it’s guaranteed Greg has thought about them too, and the answers can be found in the pages of this book.

GREG'S FIRST BOOK

Published 2016 and the basis for the ABC’s multi award winning ‘A Stargazer’s Guide to the Cosmos’ starring Greg Quicke

Earth Turning Consciousness: An Exercise in Planetary Awareness Earth Turning Consciousness: An Exercise in Planetary Awareness
Earth Turning Consciousness: An Exercise in Planetary Awareness
A$29.99

This book is a response to the thousands of people who have been asking for a follow up to the journey they have begun with us at Astro Tours.

Greg Quicke has been delivering intensely practical astronomy in live performance to tens of thousands of people since 1995. His live star shows in Broome, Western Australia, are packed out all through the 'dry' season when the skies are consistently clear. Other Australian and international locations are increasingly on the play-list for Greg's stimulating articulations of the sky.

 
 

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TELESCOPES AND BINOCULARS

WHAT SORT OF TELESCOPE WILL I BUY?

How well do you know the sky?

Not very well is often the answer.

Buy a pair of binoculars and a star chart and start to learn your way around the sky is my best advice.

Or, you can skip this step and go straight to a computer controlled telescope.

WHAT SORT OF BINOCULARS WILL I BUY?

Binoculars are awesome for every part of your life and when you point them at the sky they will show you hundreds more stars than you can see with the naked eye. They will bring the craters on the moon to life, they will show you the moons of Jupiter and they will reveal many beautiful star clusters and formations that are only a hazy blur with the naked eye. Who knew that the Milky Way is just lots and lots of stars? If you do buy a telescope, you will still need a pair of binoculars to find the things you want to point your telescope at. Binoculars are a joy in their own right! They are my favourite way to look at the night sky, apart from simply lying on my back with nothing at all.

10 X 50, 8 X 42, 20 X 60?

Binoculars have 2 numbers, like 10 x 50. 10 is the magnification and 50 is the aperture of the front lens in mm. For hand holding you want no more than 10 times magnification. Even better is 8 times. Everybody wants the highest maginification because more is more, right? More magnification means more shake and harder to use.

10 x 50s are ideal for astronomy and everything else in your life. I prefer 8 x 42s because they are that much lighter and smaller to travel with. Small birdwatching binos of 25mm aperture are unsuitable for stargazing as they simply don't have the light gathering power. 

HOW MUCH TO SPEND?

You can get a pair of binoculars for $100 and you will get $100 worth. Or you can spend a couple of thousand dollars and get awesome value in terms of the incredible quality you will see. Remember, you might only buy one pair of binoculars in your life, so it is worth making them a real pleasure to use. Somewhere in the middle at around 4 to $500 will get you something waterproof, dustproof and drop proof. Spend a little more and you will also increase your joy. Yes, it does make that much difference!

OK, SO YOU ARE READY FOR A TELESCOPE.

Binoculars will get you started and put a vital astronomical tool in your hands for getting the best out of your telescope. However, they won't show you much detail on the planets and they will only tease you to want more when you come across a spectacular Globular Cluster with them.

DOBSONIAN TELESCOPES

Dobsonian’s use a simple and easy to use mounting so that you can spend more on the telescope itself. That gets you into a semi serious telescope for not very much money. We have Skywatcher 5 inch Dobsonians for $399. These will fit in a cupboard in your caravan. A 6 inch for $499 needs a bit more room and an 8 inch for $729 will go on the back seat of your car. We've got them up to 20 inches diameter at Astro Tours where you can try them out. For a few more $s, the collapsible versions will easily pack in your car and if you’re serious we’ll set you up with the full SYNSCAN GOTO tracking package programmed with 42 900 objects with the 8 inch version at $1899. To order, send me an email.

REFRACTORS

These are your classic look through telecopes using lenses. Some of the cheaper ones need chucking over the back fence  so buyer beware. Spend a little extra money though and you will have years of joy. Here's ones of my favourite Skywatcher 102mm refractor on a very easy to use Alt Azimuth mount for $799. The same scope on a different mount is $549. Again, you can spend a lot more and maybe a little less. Again, you might only buy one, so make sure it is one you can actually use!

PHOTOGRAPHY

Astro photography requires an equatorial telescope mounting so that time exposures can be shot while the sky is 'tracked' by the camera and the telescope. This usually means learning a little more about how to set such a mounting up so that it is in alignment with the earth's axis. Having said this, in todays age, a computer will often handle this tricky stuff. The tricky stuff about computers though, is that they are computers.

HOW BIG? AND HOW MUCH?

While cheap telescope brands will brag about how much their rubbish telescope magnifies, this is the least important aspect of a telescope. The most important aspect is the size, in mm or inches, of the light gathering aperture. It is very easy to vary the magnification with different sized, or focal lengt eyepieces, which simply slide in and out of your focuser.

While bigger is better with telescopes, it also makes them more difficult to use and to set up. That's why I am leaning more and more to a simple grab and go telescope such as the 102mm refractor linked above. Having said that I love my big dobsonians too for their sheer light gathering power.

 

 
 
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VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

HOW DOES IT WORK?

How would you like to spend some time with Greg Quicke under the awesome night skies of the wild Kimberley region of Western Australia? Volunteering at Greg Quicke's Astro Tours will let you do just that for a week, a month, 3 months or more! What's the deal? You help me and I will help you. Instead of paying for an educational series of tours tracking and tuning into the progress of the earth going around the sun, you get to help with the setup to pay your way.

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

You'll learn check in procedures, help set out chairs and usher people to their chairs in the dark. You'll learn how to set up and use telescopes. They are big. There will be some heavy lifting. You'll be helping to guide people to the eyepieces and while you are at it, you'll pick up some familiarity with the ever changing night sky so that you can help let people know what they are seeing. 

WHAT WILL YOU EXPERIENCE?

In return, you get to sit down and enjoy the show each night. You get to set the telescopes and to play with them to your hearts content after everyone has gone home. There is a progression with every night being a slightly different presentation because the earth has moved that bit further around the sun week by week and month by month. Absorbing everything that Greg talks about on a regular show is nigh on impossible too, so you get to reinforce it and build it into your own life experience. 

WHO WILL YOU BE?

You will be physically, emotionally and mentally fit, clean living, presentable, smoke free and ready to learn. You will be able to respond to the needs of the people on the night and to take instruction easily. You might just love life and the stars, or you might be an astronomy or astrophysics student, keen to add some practicality to your theoretical and academic studies. You might be a budding or experienced astro photographer. You might even have a lifetime of experience under the sky yourself and simply want to gain some new perspectives and contribute some of your own. You might also simply see this as your next calling, your next step in life, tuning into a journey that you are already on

WHEN AND FOR HOW LONG?

If this sounds like you and you can commit a block of time to this, you would be required for 3 or more nights a week for up to 5 hours a night to run the 2 hour show. You’ll need to be available for a 4pm start on site and you'll be finished by the civilised hour of 9pm. The schedule each month is laid out in our Event Calendar. This would leave you free to work a day job or take on night work on the nights with nothing on the schedule. There is no remuneration as we will be exchanging services. However, in some cases and as you learn and become more useful to the whole setup, there are some paid positions. There is some flexibility in the hours and in the days. Communication is gold! 

HOW?

It is easier if you have your own car. If not we can sort you out with a ride. You will need your own accommodation in Broome, Western Australia. Our stargazing season runs from April through October although there will be breaks in that schedule when I will be filming for television, off running corporate stargazing gigs in exotic locations or up the coast camping out on a writing retreat.

APPLY

To apply, send an email from the Contact page with VOLUNTEER PROGRAM as the title. This is our little test to see how well you follow instructions. Tell me who you are and why you think this would be a good thing for you and for Astro Tours and for the rest of humanity too. Let me know your best availability and how long you can commit. We'll go through a trial period to see if we are good for each other. We'll do our best to allocate you the time slot that you have asked for.

WIN WIN

Sharing the night sky is my passion. Having you come help to spread our mission statement message even further is my aim.

"Giving people a living breathing conscious experience of being on a planet that is turning as it hurtles through space is our most profound task with Astro Tours.

With this experience comes an ability to see things for what they really are, to see yourself in relation to the whole and to know that everything is on track. So relax, have fun and enjoy the ride."

Greg Quicke

 

 
 
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SATISFIED CUSTOMERS

The people who come on Astro Tours are awesome in their own right. They are old, they are young, they are rich, they are budget conscious and they are everything in between. They come from all walks of life from the labourers to the highly educated. Some of them already have a deep knowledge and a degree and more often they are people who may be looking at a dark sky for the first time in their life. The only common thing that I see with all of them is the spark in their eye. And yes, it is so bright that I can see it clearly in the dark! This is my review of the sort of people who have joined me at Astro Tours over the past 2 and a half decades. Very rarely do we get anyone who isn't really meant to be there, although it can happen that the occasional person turns up for the wrong reasons. Although I guess there are no wrong reasons. We generally don't book group tours in because some of the people are only coming because they are a part of the group. The people who find us, are generally independent thinkers and they find us at the right time in their life. They are switched on and ready for whatever is next. If this is you, then come and join us and I will love you just as much as I love every one of you who has been before. I see Astro Tours as an organism with all of us, you the customers, you the regulars, you the volunteers and staff and you the stars and planets and galaxies above participating in a universe that is smiling and breathing and encouraging us all the way.

 
 
 
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GREG QUICKE: WHO IS THIS GUY?

Hi, I’m Greg Quicke and I’m delighted you are here on my site checking it out. 

I’ve had a few “ahaaa” moments about lots of things in my life, just as I’m sure you have. I’ve been sharing a few of mine about our place in the universe with groups of people for a few years now. I love watching peoples eyes light up when they have a few “ahaas” of their own and this is what tends to happen when we come together under the stars at Astro Tours. 

On my way to making a living as an astronomer, I’ve had lots of fun just doing whatever the next thing seemed to be. I went from high school to James Cook University to do Marine Biology. I got bored fairly quickly with looking in microscopes so I quit and went pearl diving in Broome instead. That was fun and I figured out how the tides work from watching the moon while I was at it. This was my first real astronomical step.

I like figuring things out and because I’ve always ridden motorcycles, I figured out how to keep them going. This ability extended fairly quickly into my next career as a mechanic fixing bikes, cars and trucks. I eventually ran my own business servicing Mack and Kenworth trucks, Harley Davidsons and heavy earthmoving gear. This work often took me out of Broome and into the wilder parts of the Kimberley region where standard sleeping arrangements are a swag under the stars. The only roof available and the only one needed for most of the year, was the Milky Way. I didn’t know anything about stars when I started although like anybody else, I was easily blown away with wonder and awe at the incredibly beautiful starscapes of the Kimberley.

I got to figuring things out again and started tuning in to the movements of the earth travelling through space. This really blew me away and the internal workings of a Harley v-twin started to look a bit too easy. I bought a telescope. It was big. Everyone wanted to look in it. I started talking, thinking that I was saying things that everyone already knew. “keep talking” was the response, so after a few years of encouragement from friends, fellow business colleagues and interested corporate and individual customers, I started Astro Tours in July of 1995.

The rest is history and Astro Tours continues to delight me in its ability to reach people in powerful yet simple ways while providing me with the means to continue sharing the simple insights that still pour quite regularly into the top of my head. I’m writing a book on a life spent amongst the stars, I’m running star shows, I’m presenting to school groups, corporate groups and to amazingly switched on groups of people who come together seemingly at random to join my regular shows.

I’m still riding bikes, surfing, I love my garden, chi gung on cable beach in the mornings and meditating in rhythm with the moon cycle. Amidst the chaos, the stars and planets are regular and display an amazing synchronicity, harmony and resonance with each other. It seems to me that everything is exactly in its right place, having exactly the right relationships with exactly the right timings so it may be worth considering that we are too.

 

Cheers

 

 
 
 
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CONTACT

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**Please Note: Due to some cosmic, physical and other worldly challenges our 2025 stargazing season is currently on hold until further notice. We’ll let you know about new developments and opportunities when they arise.