Extract from ABC News
In short:
The Queensland town of Winton has been certified as an International Dark Sky Community.
The town has committed to managing its light pollution and installed warm bulbs in its streetlights.
What's next?
Winton Shire Council and tourism operators believe the certification will attract stargazers wanting to experience the natural night sky.
Deep in the Queensland outback, far from the light pollution of the big cities, clear skies offer spectacular views of the stars.
Winton, 1,350 kilometres from Brisbane, has leaned into preserving the night sky and has earned an International Dark Sky Community certification.
A swap to warm-coloured streetlights, local engagement and a comprehensive policy regulating outdoor lighting have helped it become the first town in Queensland to receive the nod.
The certification recognises broad citizen support for Winton's dark sky preservation. (Supplied: Winton Shire Council)
Resident Makita Caston said she was captivated by the outback sky after growing up on the coast.
"To be able to see that with your naked eye, see nebulas and see things that are well beyond our reach is insane," she said.
"So many stars. It is ridiculous."
Winton is Queensland's first dark sky community and the second in Australia, after Carrickalinga in South Australia. (Supplied: Tourism and Events Queensland/Phil Warren)
Winton is known for its dinosaur fossils and the Waltzing Matilda Centre, but tourism operators hope the promise of seeing the stars in a new way will give people another reason to visit.
Winton Shire Council Mayor Cathy White said it was a collaborative community effort to finish the nearly three-year certification process.
"We're just over the moon and up in the sky,"she said.
"We've now got this certificate and we're going to be able to market that overseas."
Winton began its certification process in 2023. (Supplied: Aaron Skinn)
What is a dark sky community?
The certification recognises communities committed to protecting the night sky, International Dark Sky Places program manager Amber Harrison said.
"These are our cities, towns, municipalities and such that have gone above and beyond," she said.
Ms Harrison said there was no minimum quality requirement for the certification.
Winton's certification has sparked hope of a "dark sky highway". (Supplied: Tourism and Events Queensland/Phil Warren)
"There's no expectation that certain phenomena in the night sky will be seen, but most of the time they're typically pretty dark," she said.
The Winton community was required to retrofit the town with night-friendly lighting and limit future developments, including illuminated signage and unshielded light fixtures.
Winton lkocals worked together to achieve the certification. (Supplied: Winton Shire Council)
Tourism operators envision 'dark sky highway'
Winton is the second place in Queensland to receive a certification from non-profit DarkSky International.
The first was the Jump-Up at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum, a 25 kilometre drive from Winton, which was recognised as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary in 2019.
The Jump-Up's "sanctuary" certification recognises a remote location committed to measuring and preserving low sky brightness.
A Dark Sky Community accolade is achieved through a town's implementation of policy and education initiatives with broad community support.
Winton and the nearby Jump-Up mesa plateau at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs are Queensland's only two Dark Sky International-certified places. (Supplied: Australian Age of Dinosaurs/Grant Salmond)
Australian Age of Dinosaurs Head of Museum Naomi Miles said having a dark sky community and sanctuary in close proximity was rare.
"Obviously there's some streetlights and things, but in terms of a town with people living in it, it has extraordinarily dark skies," she said.
"People just don't get to see the night sky. It's one of those commodities that we've kind of forgotten about that you just lose connection with.
"I think people will travel to come and see it, probably maybe even more so than dinosaurs."
Winton's dark sky is being preserved with a policy designed to cut down on light pollution. (Supplied: Steve Lippis)
Ms Miles said she hoped it would launch a dark sky movement among outback towns to grow the tourism niche.
"What we're hoping for is that this is the first of many … [so] that we can create a dark sky highway from here all the way through the middle of Australia," she said.
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