Reach for the Stars

IMAGE Jordan Edmeades

Thanks to the Kimberley’s spectacular, pollution-free, clear skies and Broome astronomer Greg Quicke, you can embark on your own journey through the heavens - without ever leaving the ground.

Greg Quicke’s destiny was written in the stars.

And not in any wishy-washy astrological sense either; it was the intergalactic stuff that has helped shaped Greg’s life.

After arriving in Broome from southwest WA, Greg became a pearl diver, a tough job made even trickier by the Kimberley’s massive tidal fluctuations.

And since the cycles of the moon govern the tides, Greg could only dive on the smaller tides. Gradually he not only came to learn the precise tidal movements based on the moon, but developed a “connection” between himself and the cosmos.

And it was a connection that only deepened when Greg took on work as a mechanic, working at inland cattle stations around the Top End and the Kimberley. He spent many a night in a swag under a staggering canopy of glittering stars; a cosmic light show that lit the spark for Greg to get his teeth into astronomy, a passion that burns bright to this day.

Since 1995 Greg has been spreading that passion with Broome locals and tourists, the wide open spaces and dazzling night vista (Broome has more than 300 clear nights a year) providing the perfect stage for his Astro Tours.

And what a stage it is.

“Broome is located perfectly on our planet to see the best of both the Southern Hemisphere and the Northern Hemisphere sky,” says Greg.

“We have the two best globular clusters in the sky, with millions of stars packed into each, we have two galaxies clearly visible to the naked eye and we have the best and brightest parts of the Milky Way galaxy displayed beautifully overhead all through our best stargazing season (April through November).”

It’s the wonder of the experience that has many on the tours coming back time and time again, with Greg’s line-up of specialist telescopes – some of these are seriously big telescopes requiring a ladder to get to the eyepiece; others look like they are suitable for launching small children to the moon – and 50mm fully mounted binoculars providing awe-inspiring “windows” to the heavens.

“We have a lot of regulars on the Astro Tours,” says Greg. “People keep coming back during the ever-changing year, as well as year after year. With an ever-changing sky tuning in is a lifetime task. It is a real joy to watch people develop their own understandings and to see the stars shining out through them.”

Greg’s fame has spread well beyond Broome and the Kimberley; since 2017 he has been the ‘practical astronomer’ in the BBC/ ABC show Stargazing Live with none other than “rock star” scientist Brian Cox. It was a smash, with social media going wild over Greg (and his flowing, silver beard) which earned him the nickname #spacegandalf.

“The opportunity to hang out with Professor Brian Cox on Stargazing Live and to share my passion with a much larger audience is certainly gold in my life,” says Greg.

“The response of people on my live shows is awesome and the feedback from the BBC audience in Britain and the ABC audience across Australia with twitter, Instagram and Facebook is equally palpable.”

Based on his first book, Greg’s own multiaward winning ABC TV series was released in 2018 and is available on IView. ‘A Stargazers Guide to the Cosmos’, takes us on the ultimate guided tour of the southern sky revealing unseen connections between the everyday world around us and the stars above.

For Greg, giving people the chance to observe the cosmos in pollution-free, awe-inspiring surrounds is but one step in encouraging them to forge the same “connection” with the universe he himself has found.

“Coming out with us once will give you a snapshot in time of our continuous journey through space. Coming regularly will build on this and reinforce what we started together while adding in other elements that really can be gained only by you experiencing them through the passage of time.

“To consciously experience this journey will literally take you ‘time’.

Every year is different. In 2022, all of the

planets are in the morning sky. Watching the moon dance through them every month is a real treat for the early risers. By 2023, we will have some planets in the morning and some in the evening.”

Taking pictures of their interactions over a period of months, Greg uses social media to keep us all in touch with where to find them for ourselves.

“The monthly cycle of the moon as it passes each of the planets in turn is one of the cycles that is particularly easy to tune into in Broome with our big tides easily illustrating its effect,” he says.

Greg is reluctant to pick a single cosmic “favourite”.

“Every star has its own character; they are unique as you and I. When you add to the feeling you get from them, their distance and their relative brightness, you can begin to appreciate our place amongst them. This feeling is one of peace, and wonder, and awe.

“Naturally, I have a few favourites; Arcturus is the fourth-brightest star in the sky and at 37 light years away (light travels at 300,000km per second, so light years are used to measure the vast distances in space) is a reasonably close neighbour of ours. It is also one of the fastest moving stars in the sky relative to the other stars - although you won’t see any of this movement in your whole lifetime.”

With his fame now international, and the Penguin Random House publication of his second book, ‘Is The moon Upside Down?” in 2020, Greg has certainly come a long way from when he started “tuning into” the tidal movements for his job as a pearl diver.

“My books are a response to the thousands of people who have been asking for a follow-up journey they have begun with us at Astro Tours. It is a practical manual that you can use to see the very real movement of the Earth through space for yourself and make this journey real in your life. ‘Why didn’t anyone show us this before?’ is one of the most common questions we hear at Astro Tours,’’ says Greg.

“Showing people from all over the world our world-class Kimberley skies is such a pleasure, with no need to tell them anything at all for them to be blown away by the sheer beauty. Watching peoples’ reactions is my favourite thing in the whole world and this is even before I tell them anything about what they are looking at.” Book at visitbroome.com.au/members/ astro-tours

STAR MAN Greg Quicke has become something of a legend in the Kimberley, thanks to his encyclopaedic knowledge of the night sky.

'Broome's Astronomy Experience' or 'Quickies Cosmic Tuneup', is a 2 hour educational and entertaining mind bender using big telescopes, lasers and fun under some of the best stargazing skies on the planet.

From April to October when the skies are clear!

Bookings essential!

Check the online schedule and book at

www.astrotours.net greg@astrotours.net 0417 949 958

@GregQuicke #spacegandalf