A brazen act of vandalism and theft has soured the opening of Mallanganee’s one-of-a-kind observatory, leaving Kyogle Council “disheartened, disappointed and disillusioned”.
The observatory, featuring a unique, semi-enclosed structure that frames spectacular views of the constellations by night and the rolling green hills and mountain ranges of the Northern Rivers, opened to the public to much fanfare in late April.
However just days after the official opening, it was discovered that over $20,000 of equipment had been removed from the site in what appears to have been a professional job.
The offenders forced entry into the rear service corridor in the amenities block at the site and stole essential electrical infrastructure that powers the site, including lighting and water pumps for the toilets.
With the expense of replacing the equipment and ensuring its on-going security, doubts have been raised as to whether the facility can ever be fully operational again.
The council had been heavily promoting the observatory and Mallanganee, located half an hour west of Casino, as the ideal nature-based getaway, particularly for stargazers, and had anticipated that the observatory would provide a significant uplift for tourism in the region.
The $3.3 million observatory project also included the construction of a new amenities block, upgrades to sections of Bulmers and Lookout roads, and construction of internal paths.
A grant of more than $2 million to build the award-winning sphere design observatory was provided by the State Government’s Regional Tourism Innovation Fund Grant.
The incident has been reported to police and the public are being urged to notify NSW Police if they saw anything suspicious in the area or have information that may assist and quote Report Number R0001497433.
The council urges those responsible to do the right thing and return the stolen items.
