Astrophotography in Ipswich

Where to go, you ask? There are plenty of spots around Ipswich with little light pollution to start getting into astrophotography. South Ripley, Rosewood, Peak Crossing and Mt Walker are all a stone’s throw from Ipswich CBD and have some amazing natural foreground elements to complement your Milky Way Galaxy-filled sky.

This photo was taken with a view of Flinders-Goolman Conservation Estate. It has 2,200 hectares of bushland and mountain peaks including Flinders Peak, Mt Goolman, Mt Blaine and Ivory’s Rock and is solid choice to set up for the night for some shots.

You may be thinking, “I don’t have all the high-end camera gear to take such pictures” but, in reality, any camera with manual control is capable of capturing the Milky Way Galaxy. I’ve helped many people take these kind of shots with a basic DSLR and kit lens, most are shocked that their equipment was capable of such things.

Although a more expensive camera with fast, wide-angle lenses will give you a much more detailed and cleaner image, it’s absolutely not necessary. The below photo was snapped around Rosewood/Tallegalla. With a historical railway museum between the two suburbs and rolling hills towards Tallegalla, this is always a hot spot for astrophotography, regardless of camera type.

If you’re thinking of giving this type of photography a go, just get your gear and go! The first time may be daunting but once you see that Milky Way on the back of your camera you’ll be kicking yourself for not doing it sooner. For the beginner, I suggest using these settings, using a wide-angle lens like f2.8, 30 second shutter and ISO 3200. That should get you something to work with and play around with settings for the desired exposure.

Here’s a shot taken just past Willowbank at Mudtapilly, with farms and natural bush everywhere to complement any Astro photo quite nicely.

I got into astrophotography purely by accident many years ago. I decided one night I’d go into the backyard at night and take a picture of the stars, little did I know I captured the Milky Way Galaxy. I imported the photos from the camera onto the laptop and there it was – the Milky Way!

I was blown away and honestly shocked that my little point-and-shoot camera was even capable of this, this is where it all began for me. For the below pic at Peak Crossing, you’ll find views of the Flinders-Goolman peaks to the east and limited light pollution. This is a great place to start just out of Ipswich CBD.

Since that day, I’ve been addicted and am constantly trying out new techniques, equipment and locations for that amazing Milky Way glittered sky we all know and love!