A few weeks ago I went on a tour of the Canberra Deep Space Communications Centre at Tidbinbilla. It was a special behind the scenes tour which a friend had bid on at a charity auction and had asked me to come along on with 4 other friends. We recieved a personalised tour through the operational areas of the complex, the console/control room and the computer room and we were driven around to each big dish and given a run down of what they di and which Deep space probes they were recieving signals from….they are still tracking ‘Voyager’!
We also were shown the latest pictures transmitted back from Mars. Our tour took 3 hrs in all and included lunch. I think the enthusiasm of our guide, who is the centres Education Officer made the time fly past us….we did however have to gently remind him that we needed to stop for some lunch
The weather on that day was terrible and wet and raining so I drove out there today to get some pictures. The drive is takes less than half an hour from my front door!

The next few pictures are of the surrounding countryside and are in fact almost the base of the mountains that can be seen in the distance from my back deck