Healesville Sanctuary offer ancient history lessons led by the stars for Sky Country Tours

Animals and astronomy collide in this winter experience

First Nations Australians are the world’s original astronomers and storytellers, chronicling celestial events that predate written history. Their knowledge of the sky is both scientific and poetic—a map of the cosmos entwined with the land, animals, and seasons. Now, the wider community is invited to step into this wonder-filled universe above, to stargaze through the lens of the oldest living culture on Earth.

Gomeroi astrophysicist and Healesville Sanctuary’s Aboriginal Cultures Education Officer, Krystal De Napoli leads an immersive evening of stargazing and discovery, guiding visitors through Healesville Sanctuary’s Coranderrk Bushland. The skies here are darker and the astronomical activity is mesmorisingly visible.

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This rare experience opens access to corners of the Sanctuary often unseen by the public, with a gentle walk along the shores of Lake Coranderrk to observe constellations, variable stars, the moon, and planets in their full nocturnal splendour. Each step along the forested path becomes a journey into the interconnected world of Indigenous astronomy, revealing how reading Sky Country can forecast seasonal change, track the rhythms of flora and fauna, and preserve stories that span millennia.

“There’s lots of insight we can get from Aboriginal understandings in a really holistic way of relating the sky to the land to the animals to all of us, and we can also unlock moments in history that otherwise aren’t held unless by Aboriginal communities,” says De Napoli.

Every evening unfolds differently, shaped by the movement of the heavens. Guests may explore how constellations reflect the lives of local wildlife, trace the Kulin Seasons and their intricate relationship to climate, plants, and animals, or understand the vital ecological role of dark skies for native species. The experience encourages an appreciation for the delicate balance of light and dark, where starlight and moonlight illuminate not only the universe above but the land and life below. June presents a unique opportunity to meet the Dark Emu, a famous dark constellation in Aboriginal Australian astronomy.

“What I love about the winter skies is that the celestial figure, the Dark Emu in the Sky, is super dominant upright. It’s part of a really crucial time where that astronomical calendar of such a cool dark sky constellation is telling us crucial things about country and on the land at the moment,” she explains. “At this time of year when we head out at sunset we see what is described as an emu running along the horizon, at the same time when the female emu is looking for a mate. It’s a really crucial calendar event letting us know that we can start harvesting emu eggs.”

The Sanctuary itself becomes part of the story. Its vast expanse of native forest shelters a wealth of wildlife while protecting a rare dark sky oasis, offering an environment where the cosmos can be observed in all its brilliance. This setting, combined with knowledge passed down through generations, transforms the night sky into a living classroom, connecting scientific observation with cultural wisdom, whilst feeding it back into the Healesville Sanctuary day-to-day mission.

“There are really tangible links between what we talk about at nighttime versus what people could come back and experience during the daytime. There’s a real intersection of activity when observing the skies and animal behavioural patterns based on the season.” 

Sky Country Tours doubles as a climate conversation, reinforcing the ecological impacts of skies becoming lighter. A telling case study of this criticality is the Bogong Moths migration collapse of 2018. As a primary food-source of the critically endangered Mountain Pygmy-Possum, Australia’s only hibernating marsupial, this interruption led to a catastrophic population decline.

 

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“Lighter skies impact our environment in a significant way. It does mean we need to light with purpose [at home] in an effort to preserve the darker skies. The Australasian Dark Sky Alliance is a great start for exploring how you can improve your surrounds. They have a lot of public resources available to help educate people on what steps they can take.” 

The tour further extends on De Napoli’s program under the Aboriginal Culture Education arm of Healesville Sanctuary. In 2024, Healesville Sanctuary was recognised once again for its dedication to Indigenous tourism, entering the Victorian Tourism Awards Hall of Fame and winning gold for ‘Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tourism Experiences’ for a third consecutive year. This accolade underscores the Sanctuary’s unique ability to blend conservation, culture, and celestial wonder into an experience that leaves every visitor both awed and inspired.

Sky Country Tours are available for a limited season only, though have been extended until 20 August, making them a perfect complement to a Yarra Valley getaway. Even on cloudy nights, the experience continues within the warmth of the Bush Hut, ensuring the stories of the stars are never lost. 

Find out more, or book your Sky Country Tour here.