Dove Lake, Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park
Luke Tscharke
Astrophotography
with Luke Tscharke
For award-winning photographer Luke Tscharke, capturing Tasmania's night skies has become his life’s work. If you’ve seen one of his photos, you’ll understand why.
With solar storms aplenty, the cleanest air in the world and low light pollution, Tasmania is a top destination for stargazing, night photography and photographing the Milky Way.
Look up almost anywhere and you’ll see a twinkling blanket of stars stretching across the horizon. In fact, a bunch of experts known as Dark Sky Tasmania are hoping to create a dark sky sanctuary on the island to protect Tasmania’s skies for generations to come.
This protection is important to Luke. He’s spent countless hours photographing the night sky in Tasmania, providing him with an ongoing sense of connection.
"There's something pretty special about looking up at the night sky and realising that there's so many other people that have done that over the millennia."
From microbiology to the Milky Way
Luke’s passion for travel photography began in childhood poring over his father’s National Geographic magazines.
“That's how I started when I was a kid looking through magazines every day from Dad's Nat Geo collection,” Luke says. “I was like, ‘one day, maybe I can take a photo like that’.”
While forging a career as a microbiologist, Luke’s photography passion remained. He continued to pursue his hobby outside of business hours – a blessing in disguise for this talented photographer who has since found his calling in night sky photography.
“When I started taking photos I had a nine-to-five job and, for me, night sky photography was all I could really do,” Luke says.
The Aurora Australis fills the night sky in southern Tasmania
Luke Tscharke
Seeing the Southern Lights (Aurora Australis) for the first time was a pivotal moment for Luke. With a thirst for more, he decided to leave his corporate career and move to Tasmania to capture the night sky full time.
“I've made photography my life and I made Tasmania my life too,” Luke says. “A big part of that was being able to see the night sky down here and experience the aurora. It is very ephemeral. It's not something that happens all the time but, when you do get a chance to see it, it changes you and you can't stop thinking about it.”
Best places for stargazing in Tasmania
Luke gushes that there are “so many incredible places in Tasmania to see the night skies”. His favourite? Southwest National Park.
“It's very remote and there's very little light pollution…you get the full experience of what a true night sky can actually be,” Luke says. “It's something we're really lucky to have here in Tasmania.”
Night sky on Maria Island
Luke Tscharke
Travelling to the remote and protected Southwest National Park is not for the fainthearted. Operators such as Par Avion, On Board and Tasmanian Expeditions can help you get there safely.
If you’re not the outdoorsy type, you can still get your night-sky fix in Tasmania.
“You don't have to go too far out of the city to have the most incredibly dark skies. You can sometimes even take some amazing photographs from where you live, in your accommodation [or] from your backyard,” Luke says.
When to go stargazing in Tasmania
When’s the best time to see the stars in Tasmania? Luke says, “pretty much all year round” – with some seasonal highlights.
- Equinox periods (March–April and September–October) often bring heightened aurora activity.
- Winter offers the clearest skies and longest nights, perfect for extended sessions of stargazing in Tasmania.
While still possible in the summertime, long days mean you’ll need to stay up later. Visit during autumn, winter and spring and you’ll be rewarded with impressive night skies, and a good night’s sleep.
Although, with the night sky dancing above you, you may not want to sleep at all.
Lake Oberon, Southwest National Park
Luke Tscharke
How to experience Tasmania’s night skies
Ready to venture out into the night? Pack your tripod, charge your camera and book a workshop with Luke Tscharke for expert guidance on capturing the cosmos. If you love getting out at night, explore more Tasmanian noctourism experiences below.
Nighttime experiences in Tasmania
Astrophotography in Tasmania FAQs
For taking photos at night, especially of the night sky, make sure you’ve got a sturdy tripod and a camera with settings you can manually adjust. You can use your phone, but you’ll get the best possible shot using a DSLR or mirrorless camera. Use a wide-angle lens, set up long exposure (5–30sec) and increase your ISO. If you’re using a phone, set up Night Mode (or equivalent) and go handsfree with a timer.
Tasmania’s clear skies and low light pollution make it an ideal place for stargazing. For dark skies framed by wilderness, try Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park or Cockle Creek beside Southwest National Park. For city convenience, head to the top of Kunanyi / Mount Wellington. For a guided stargazing experience, try McHenry Distillery on Turrakana / Tasman Peninsula.
Noctourism is a term used to describe travelling and exploring after dark: think stargazing, nocturnal wildlife encounters, late-night festivities and fireside storytelling. Tasmania is full of opportunity for noctourism experiences thanks to its dark night skies, low light pollution and large winter arts festivals.
Popular experiences for noctourism in Tasmania include Glow Tour, Devils in the Dark, Dark Mofo (June), spotting bioluminescence, Port Arthur Ghost Tour and Bicheno Penguin Tours.
