Sunshine Coast bids for international recognition of natural night skies
The Sunshine Coast Council has applied for international designation to establish a Dark Sky Reserve in the region’s hinterland to protect its natural night skies.
The Sunshine Coast Council has put in a bid to see its natural night skies recognised and protected under an internationally-renowned program.
At the Sunshine Coast Council’s March Ordinary Meeting, councillors endorsed an application for the Sunshine Coast Dark Sky Reserve Lighting Management Plan for a proposed reserve area.
The application will go through the International Dark Sky Places Program, which recognises and protects natural night skies around the world through responsible lighting and community partnership.
A Dark Sky Reserve is a specific category of Dark Sky place that protects a core area of excellent night sky quality and involves the local community.
The proposed area is an almost 900 square kilometre reserve in the Mary River Catchment and adjoining national parks where the Blackall Range naturally shields the area from skyglow.
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Mayor Rosanna Natoli said the application included evidence of sky quality.
“Our dark skies are precious, and they’re part of what make our Sunshine Coast Biosphere so special,” Mayor Natoli said.
She added that this application was built on years of technical work, monitoring and community consultation.
“This designation is about recognising the value of our hinterland landscapes, supporting wildlife and ecosystems that rely on darkness, and protecting a sense of wonder that is increasingly rare in Australia and around the world.”
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Astronomer Ken Wishaw, who was named Senior Citizen of the Year in the 2025 Sunshine Coast Biosphere Community awards, was one of the project’s biggest champions.
“The biggest threat to the pristine dark skies of the Obi Obi Valley is to take them for granted, as I learnt ten years ago from a Florida tour group who had never seen stars before,” Dr Wishaw said.
He added that the Sunshine Coast Council was enthusiastic about the concept since Wishaw first proposed it in 2018.
“This is a unique place of preservation, inspiration and education.”
If successful, the designation would sit alongside the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designation, putting the Sunshine Coast on a list of just eight other Australian locations recognised by the program.
Other Dark Sky Places in Australia include Queensland’s Winton, Palm Beach Headland and Warrumbungle National Park in New South Wales, and the River Murray and Carrickalinga in South Australia.
The Dark Sky Places Program says night skies should be protected by ensuring outdoor lighting is warm coloured, controlled and low-level.
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