This was the third year the Ben Lomond Landcare Group had held their STARGRAZING event, inspired by amateur astronomers looking for great locations from which to observe.

"We may be sheep and cattle graziers by day," organiser Beth White said, "but can graze the stars, for entertainment, by night! It is a luxury denied to many people who live in built-up or developed areas around the world."

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The event was held straight after Easter to avoid a bright moon, Mrs White said. It was a spectacular cloud-free, crystal clear night - and decidedly crisp at dusk and into the evening.

"We continue to be inspired by the amazing astronomic visibility in our landscape, where it is so easy to point out and learn about the key features of the night sky from the naked eye or binoculars to more complex telescopes," Mrs White said.

The Star-grazing committee was keen to show that Ben Lomond's dark sky, with minimal light pollution, made it a very suitable location for amateur astronomy. According to the Bortle Scale, which measures the night sky's brightness at a site, Ben Lomond has plenty of potential. The group will promote Ben Lomond to astronomers, and work with authorities to preserve dark skies.

The Star-grazing committee also want to cultivate young scientists, and instil an interest in astronomy in the next generation - like Lachlan Ward of Glen Innes.

Lachlan and his mother Tracy set up their telescope - a 6" Newtonian Reflector, Dobson mount - ready to use throughout the evening. Lachlan shared his astronomy knowledge with the group, and also taught the adults about his favourite app 'StarWalk2.'

Participants learnt the difference between planes and satellites. Just after sunset, the group counted eight satellites. At the same time, the perfect viewing sky highlighted the streams of air traffic between Brisbane/Sydney and Brisbane /Adelaide.

The group was excited to see the International Space Station in a low arc on the southern horizon as it passed over Tasmania around 6:12 pm. The Hubble Space Telescope followed soon after, passing high up into the northern sky about 6:23 pm.

Margaret Sharpe, vice-president of UNENTAS (UNE and Northern Tablelands Astronomical Society), pointed out "The Emu in the Sky". While constellations consist of alignments of stars, the Aboriginal cultural story lies in the pictures made by the dark spaces between stars, in this case the Milky Way. The Emu in the Sky appears in April/May, and has eggs under it. Traditional knowledge is that while the emu can be seen in the sky, emu eggs may be gathered. When the emu is gone, it is the wrong time to harvest the eggs.

The Star-grazing committee thanked Tom Mulligan and Russell (Rusty) Roberts for modifying the "Moon Shed" - a canteen originally built to cater for sports supporters - so that cooking lights did not spoil conditions for astronomical viewing. The Star-grazers found that the canteen and War Memorial Hall emitted too much light. A recent Public Reserves grant to shut out birds and make it suitable for all purposes helped the Star-grazing committee to use the building and reduce light.

The committee also thanked the Recreation Ground Committee, and those preparing the site for this event.

The group will discuss holding further activities this year, but, as a small committee, must work within its physical and financial limits.