River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve

04/06/2026

WOW, South Australia. You have completely left us starstruck!

Our ticket registration for "Ground to the Stars: A Winter Solstice Celebration" has officially reached full venue capacity and is FULLY BOOKED in less than 48 hours!

For context, our inaugural community pilot event took eight days to fill. Halving that timeframe to under two days proves that the public appetite for "Skycare," regional connection, and protecting our natural nightscapes is booming.

To everyone who secured their tickets—the countdown is officially on to celebrate the longest night of the year with you at the Swan Reach Area School Gym and Oval on Saturday 20 June.

🖤 HELP US GET MORE HANDS ON DECK & SHOW REGIONAL DEMAND 🖤
If you missed out on a spot, please do not scroll away. We need you to click the link and join our master waitlist right now.

Join the Official Waitlist on Humanitix
https://events.humanitix.com/ground-to-the-stars-a-winter-solstice-celebration

🌑 Recruiting Reinforcements: We are actively working behind the scenes to recruit more volunteer hands to responsibly release more spaces for the night.

🌑 Future Expansion: A true waitlist helps us prove genuine local demand to stakeholders, unlocking future grant funding, securing larger regional venues, and launching even grander public expos down the track.

🌑 Your Click Counts: Joining the list is a direct, measurable vote for the growth and expansion of the Swan Reach Dark Sky Hub.

🖤 NO TICKET? YOU CAN STILL SUPPORT THE MISSION & WIN BIG 🖤

https://events.humanitix.com/ground-to-the-stars-a-winter-solstice-celebration/tickets

Thank you to everyone backing the Mid Murray Landcare SA, Mid Murray Our Town, and RMIDSR ecosystem. Together, we are keeping the dark skies bright with wonder.

03/06/2026

Six Prizes. One Mission. Save the Night.

Our massive Winter Solstice Skycare Raffle is officially LIVE! After raising over $2400 in our first-ever raffle, we are back with an even bigger multi-prize pool valued at over $1,934! Every single ticket sold directly funds our ongoing Skycare conservation projects, keeping our 3,200 square kilometre Dark Sky Reserve healthy, and pristine.

Can’t make it to the event in person? No problem! You do not need to attend on the night to win—we welcome support from dark sky lovers anywhere across Australia!

🌑 1st Prize: DWARF LAB mini Smart Telescope Kit, Tripod & Case from DWARFLAB. (Valued at $895)
🌑 2nd Prize: A 1-night stay at the Swan Reach Hotel—your Gateway to the Galaxy. (Valued at $300)
🌑 3rd Prize: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Binoculars + Astro Night Red Light Headlamp from Adelaide Optical. (Valued at $299)
🌑 4th Prize: River Murray Dark Sky Tours Double Pass (Self-Drive Astronomy Session) by Juggle House Experiences. (Valued at $260)
🌑 5th Prize: Discovery Double Pass for a Swan Reach Observatory tour. (Valued at $160)
🌑 6th Prize: A local Swan Reach Dark Sky Takeaway burger and coffee voucher. (Valued at $20)
________________________________________

Key Details & Logistics
🌑 Winners Announced: Live at our public event on Saturday, 20 June at 8:30 PM.
🌑 Logistics: If you win from outside the region, we will work with you to arrange local collection or delivery right to your door.

🖤 Support the Reserve 🖤
1 Ticket: $3
4 Tickets: $10
10 Tickets: $20 (Best Value!)

Enter here: https://events.humanitix.com/ground-to-the-stars-a-winter-solstice-celebration/tickets

02/06/2026

01/06/2026

Book Now! Rain or shine, the connection is 100% ON!

Ground to the Stars: A Winter Solstice celebration at Swan Reach!

Stargazing, telescopes, astrophotography workshops & the launch of Project NightWatch. A night for all.

🌑 When: Saturday 20 June 2026, 4:00 PM — 9:00 PM
🌑 Where: Swan Reach Area School Gym and Oval (completely weather-proof!)
🌑 Cost: Entry is entirely FREE, but registration is essential

Celebrate the longest night of the year with the River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve (RMIDSR) and Mid Murray Landcare SA at our free, family-friendly Solstice celebration!

Winter brings the crispest, darkest skies in the world, but true nocturnal conservation starts right here on the ground. We are bringing land management and ‘Skycare’ directly together to protect our pristine 3,200 square kilometre reserve.

What’s on the program:
🌑 4:30 PM: Skycare Discovery Hub & Presentation Series
🌑 6:00 PM: Swan Reach CFS Gourmet BBQ Fundraising Feast
🌑 6:30 PM: All-Weather Stargazing & Field Photography Clinics
🌑 8:30 PM: Giant Skycare Conservation Raffle Draw

Support our brilliant regional small businesses before the stars come out by grabbing a meal from the Swan Reach Hotel or the Swan Reach Dark Sky Takeaway!

We are officially celebrating a day early on Saturday 20 June to ensure families and road-trippers have the ultimate weekend window to stay, explore, and enjoy without the Sunday night rush!

https://events.humanitix.com/ground-to-the-stars-a-winter-solstice-celebration

30/05/2026

What happens when a 99% last autumn moon meets a layer of Saturday cloud cover? Total star viewing lockdown.

The 7 PM Silver Lining
While our Mid Murray Landcare SA teams are celebrating the consistent wet on the ground, our telescopes are officially benched for the early evening. However, local forecasts indicate a potential clearing window around 7:00 PM tonight. If those clouds do part, that massive 99% waxing gibbous moon is going to completely wash out your stargazing—but it will turn our landscape, cliffs, and river bends into a glowing, silver masterpiece. Have a walk around in the moonlight and see your moon shadow. That’s pretty special!

To keep you thoroughly inspired while we check the radar, we are unlocking the RMIDSR community archives to feature the incredible perspectives captured by our community of astrophotographers.
🖤🖤🖤

We want to get the conversation moving today and show our photographers some massive community appreciation for sharing their work! Our local snappers capture the absolute magic of our 3,200 square kilometre reserve, turning scientific reality into pure visual inspiration.

Check out the gallery and share your appreciation! Our Dark Sky Community Partners are loving what they do, and definitely appreciate their work being noticed. Let's get the conversation going in the comments—show our photographers some love and tell us which view inspires your own connection to the night sky!

Skycare is Landcare.

28/05/2026

Your weekend Astronomical Outlook for the River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve (RMIDSR).

Throughout the Reserve and our surrounding districts, every township plays a vital role in preserving our pristine night skies. This week, we feature Nildottie, recognising the collective commitment to Skycare that protects our natural nighttime heritage from the towering river cliffs to the stars.

NILDOTTIE | Saturday, 30 May 2026
Sunrise: 07:09 | Sunset: 17:11
Moonrise: 16:48 | Moonset: 06:17 (Sunday)
Astronomical Twilight Ends: 18:38
Moon Phase: Waxing Gibbous 🌖 (~99%)
Nildottie, SA | 34.68° S, 139.65° E

🌑 The Searchlight Moon: The moon rises at 4:48 PM sitting at a massive 99% illumination. Because we are right on the cusp of Sunday night’s official Full Moon event, it is acting as a massive sky reflector. It's a spectacular evening to watch the moon light up the iconic high cliffs at Nildottie, even if it does wash out the faint deep-sky stars.

🌧️ Weather Watch & A Window of Hope: Let’s be completely open—this has been a tough autumn stretch! We are staring down our fourth weekend of potential overcast skies, and while the Mallee scrub is absolutely loving this consistent moisture, our tripods are feeling a bit neglected. However, regional models show a possible brief clearing window on Saturday night. If those clouds split, the atmosphere will be scrubbed beautifully clean for some high-contrast photography of the lunar craters!

🌡️ Stargazing Weather: If we do get that lucky break in the clouds, it will be a "triple-jacket" night near the water. Expect very crisp river-valley temperatures dropping down to 5°C with damp air. Keep a hot thermos handy, dress in heavy winter layers, and keep your lenses clear of dew if you are out tracking.

🖤 Share your view: Are you keeping your fingers crossed for a clear window down by the Nildottie cliff lookouts this weekend? Let us know in the comments below if you're setting up a tripod, or if you're staying warm inside!

🖤

25/05/2026

The longest night of the year is officially our biggest night of winter conservation.

Mark your calendars: On Saturday 20 June, From the Ground to the Stars – A Winter Solstice Celebration is coming to Swan Reach! 4.30 PM to 9.00 PM.

Winter in the River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve brings some of the crispest, darkest skies in the world—but true nocturnal conservation starts right here on the ground. This Solstice, Mid Murray Landcare SA and the River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve are joining forces to bring you a fully weather-proofed "Skycare Expo" at the Swan Reach Area School.

Whether the winter skies are crystal clear or completely clouded over, our program is 100% locked in to deliver massive educational value.

This is a completely FREE, family-friendly community pilot event designed to foster local connection, support regional wellbeing, and link land management directly with the preservation of our pristine 3,200 square kilometre Dark Sky Reserve. We are incredibly proud to bring this event to life with the support of Mid Murray Our Town.

Official Humanitix registrations and our full partner lineup go live next Monday, 1 June.

👇 Are you planning a winter road trip to the reserve, or are you a proud Murraylands local? Let us know in the comments below if we’ll see you there!

23/05/2026

100% Cloud Cover. 100% Dark Sky Community Inspiration. 🖤

For the third week in a row, the autumn clouds have settled thick and heavy across the River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve. While our Mid Murray ecosystem is thriving and we are absolutely celebrating this consistent rainfall on the ground, our telescopes, tripods, and cameras are tucked away safely.

We are unlocking the RMIDSR Vault once again with ten brand-new, entirely fresh perspectives from our community. From raw, split-second smartphone captures to deeply technical masterpieces tracking targets millions of light-years away, these photos prove that our Gold-Tier darkness remains spectacular—even when it's hidden from view.

We protect this 3,200 sq km reserve 24 hours a day because "Skycare" isn't just about looking at pretty stars. It is about preserving the unbroken natural nocturnal rhythms for the ecosystems living right beneath the clouds.

🌑 The Gallery: Swipe through to discover ten unique moments captured across the Reserve by our incredible Dark Sky Partner community.
🌑 The Ongoing Mission: These archives are a testament to our collective grit. The clouds will clear, the crisp winter viewing windows are just around the corner, but the work to protect our dark sky never pauses.

Check out our comments on each photo for the story behind the shutter, tag your favourite backyard astronomer, and let us know which slide speaks to you!

Want to feature in Volume 3? If you have a shot from the Reserve sitting in your camera roll, send it in to us for our next rainy weekend reveal. Let's share the view and make someone smile while we wait for the clouds to clear. 🖤

Skycare is Landcare.

21/05/2026

Your weekend Astronomical Outlook for the River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve (RMIDSR) - Wongulla.

Throughout the Reserve and our surrounding districts, every township plays a vital role in preserving our pristine night skies. This week, we feature Wongulla, recognising the collective commitment to "Skycare" that protects our natural nighttime heritage from the towering river cliffs to the stars.

WONGULLA | RMIDSR
Sunrise: 07:04 | Sunset: 17:13
Moonrise: 12:15 | Moonset: 22:56
Astronomical Twilight Ends: 18:40
Moon Phase: First Quarter 🌗 (~45%)
Location: Wongulla, SA | 34.72° S, 139.54° E

UPCOMING ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS

🌑 The Split-Shift Night: Because the Moon is exactly at its First Quarter phase, it will dominate the first half of the evening, setting at 10:56 PM. For landscape astrophotographers, the early evening provides perfect ambient light to illuminate the iconic Wongulla cliffs. For deep-sky hunters, your pristine dark-sky window opens wide from 11:00 PM until Sunday dawn.

💛 The Lion's Heart Encounter: Look up just after twilight ends at 6:40 PM. The half-moon will be positioned exceptionally close to Regulus, the brightest blue-white star in the constellation Leo. It's a striking sight for binoculars or a telephoto lens.

🌡️ Stargazing Weather: Expect a very crisp autumn chill rolling off the river. Overnight temperatures are forecast to dip to around 8°C–9°C with damp air, making warm thermal layers and windproof jackets essential for late-night tracking sessions.

🖤 Share your view: Setting up your tracking mounts at the Wongulla cliff lookout or down by the water this weekend? Tag us in your "Skycare" moments!

Cliffs

📷Mark Fisher | Blue Horsehead Nebula IC4592 | RMIDSR