Commonwealth Solar Observatory at Mount Stromlo

Abstract

View of the administration wing of the observatory flanked by two domed octogonal towers. A man stands on the viewing platform of the foreground dome. This dome houses the Farnham Telescope, named in honour of Lord Farnham whose estate funded the telescope. The dome to the right of the entrance houses the Solar Telescope. Cypresses have been planted either side of the entrance wing and in the distance can be seen pine plantation trees.The buildings have a symmetrical layout with an arched doorway marking the central axis. Visible on the near tower is a frieze that alludes to the sun by means of roundels. The administration building was one of a number of garden pavilion complexes designed for the Federal Capital. Its architect was John Murdoch, assisted initially by Henry Rolland and later by Robert Casboulte. Established in 1924, observatory activities were underway by late 1926 and in 1957 Mount Stromlo became part of the Australian National University. Bushfires destroyed much of the Mount Stromlo complex on 18 January 2003.This photograph is from an album that was held at the London office of the ANU over the period 1949 to 1952. The album was used to inform prospective staff about Canberra. These images are part of the series produced by the Department of Information and kept at the National Archives of Australia in Canberra. National Archives holdings in this series have gaps and some images may be held only at the ANU Archives. Show more