About NACAA XXIV (Canberra 2010)

The 24th NACAA was held in Canberra over the 2010 Easter weekend, April 2–5, hosted by the Canberra Astronomical Society. The theme for the convention was “Astronomy in the On-Line Age.”

Activities

The ASA presented the Berenice Page Medal to David Gault for his observations of stellar occultations by Pluto. The winner of the Astral Award for best presentation was David O’Driscoll. Highlights of the programme included:

  • The inaugural John Perdrix Address, by Dr Tom Richards
  • Two workshops: the new version of the VStar variable star analysis software package (David Benn), and expert advice on high-resolution planetary imaging (Anthony Wesley)
  • The Fourth Trans-Tasman Symposium on Occultations, convened by Hristo Pavlov
  • A tour of the new Mount Stromlo Observatory, held prior to the BBQ
  • An excursion to the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex at Tidbinbilla
  • Dr Simon O’Toole on the hunt for exoplanets and the role of amateurs
  • Dr Charley Lineweaver’s after-dinner talk on “Life in the universe?”
  • Dr Daniel Shaddock (ANU) on detecting gravity waves
  • The usual diverse range of talks and poster presentations

Social programme (organised by the LOC, bookable at registration):

  • Welcome Function — Friday 2 April, 6:30pm, Rydges Capital Hill
  • NACAA Dinner — Saturday 3 April, 7pm, Rydges Capital Hill (semi-formal buffet, guest speaker, drinks on consumption)
  • NACAA BBQ — Sunday 4 April, 6pm, Mt Stromlo Observatory
  • Excursion — Monday 5 April, 8:30am–2:30pm, Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, Tidbinbilla (CSIRO-guided tour, lunch included at the Moon Rock Café)

Venue

The venue for NACAA XXIV was the Rydges Capital Hill Hotel in central Canberra, within walking distance of the Manuka shopping district and close to Parliament House. Undercover parking was available for $12/car/night, with off-street and on-street parking nearby. By car it’s about a 10–15 minute drive from the airport or city centre; bus routes 935 (weekends/public holidays) and 6 (weekdays) stopped nearby, along with several other routes through Manuka.

Accommodation

Rydges Capital Hill was the conference venue itself (from $179 with the NACAA block code). Other options nearby included the Forrest Hotel and Apartments, Telopea Inn on the Park, Victor Lodge, Best Western Monaro Motel, Best Western Garden City Motel, Hotel Heritage, Canberra City YHA, Best Western Sundown Motel, Statesman Hotel, Canberra Motor Village, and several Northbourne Avenue B&Bs — ranging roughly $27–$200/night depending on standard and distance from venue (0–13km). Note the National Folk Festival was also on in Canberra over the same Easter weekend, so early booking was recommended.

Transport

By air: Qantas, Virgin Blue, Tiger Airways and Brindabella Airlines all flew direct to Canberra from most major east-coast cities; Canberra Airport is 8.5km from the city, 13.5km from the venue.

By train: CountryLink Xplorer services connected Sydney Central to Canberra (~4h20); V/Line and CountryLink connected Melbourne via Albury/Seymour, Bairnsdale/Cooma, or Cootamundra/Yass (9–10 hours, with a coach connection).

By road: Canberra is 287km from Sydney (~3.5–4h), 667km from Melbourne (~8h), 1190km from Adelaide (~13h), and 1211–1242km from Brisbane (~12–14h).

By coach: Murrays served Sydney, Wollongong and the South Coast; Greyhound served Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, arriving at the Jolimont Centre in Canberra City.

Out and about: Canberra’s major attractions — the National Gallery, Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial, the National Museum of Australia, Questacon, the Botanic Gardens and more — were all within reach via the ACTION bus network, taxis, the Explorer hop-on-hop-off bus, or self-drive tourist routes, for attendees with time before or after the convention.