About NACAA XXIII (Penrith 2008) – NACAA – National Australian Convention of Amateur Astronomers

The 23rd NACAA was held in western Sydney over Easter 2008 (March 21–24), hosted by NACAA Inc together with the Western Sydney Amateur Astronomy Group (WSAAG). This was the first convention run under NACAA Inc’s newly incorporated three-committee structure (Secretariat, LOC, Programme Committee).

Venue

The venue for NACAA XXIII was the Penrith Panthers “World of Entertainment” in western Sydney — on the Nepean River at the foothills of the Blue Mountains, about an hour by car or train west of central Sydney, accessed via the M7/M4 motorways or a regular rail service from Central to Penrith. The full convention package included all lunches, dinners and refreshments; a wide selection of restaurants and bars was also available on-site at Panthers for those not on the full package.

Accommodation

On-site accommodation was available at the Chifley Penrith Panthers Hotel (special NACAA rates: $125/night single, $142/night double/twin, including hot buffet breakfast — must mention NACAA when booking), or in log cabins at the nearby Nepean Shores Riverside Resort ($105–$135/night, self-contained, no breakfast included). Alternative options in the Penrith area included the Jamison Hotel/Motel and Penrith Hotel/Motel.

Activities

Social functions followed NACAA’s usual weekend tradition:

Welcome party (Friday night) — finger food, wine and beer
Banquet dinner (Saturday night) — entertaining guest speaker and presentation of the Berenice Page Medal
BBQ (Sunday night) — held at the University of Western Sydney’s Nepean Observatory with the WSAAG, telescope viewing weather permitting

Full-day registration packages included buffet lunches and morning/afternoon refreshments. Penrith sits at the foothills of the Blue Mountains, with heritage sites and scenery around Katoomba, Leura and Blackheath under an hour away, several public/private observatories nearby (Linden, Kings Tableland, Tebbutt, ASNSW’s Crago), and Parkes/Coonabarabran, Orange/Mudgee/Cowra, and the Mount Tomah Botanical Gardens all within a comfortable drive. The 2008 South Pacific Star Party (ASNSW, “Wiruna”) ran two weeks after NACAA, within two hours’ drive.

Transport

The Panthers venue is at the corner of Mulgoa and Jamison Roads, Penrith — about 1km north of the M4 (Mulgoa Road exit) and 1km south of the Great Western Highway. A mini-bus shuttle ran between the airport and the venue at set times over the convention weekend ($25pp return, pre-registration required); alternatively, a hire car via the M5/M7/M4 (tolls apply, M7 is toll-tag only) or a train from the airport to Central then the Western Line to Penrith (~$17, venue ~2km from station).