Full moon the star of night-time feast

On the evening of Friday, 20 August, a full moon will be visible, with Jupiter and Saturn nearby.

To celebrate, the Ballarat Municipal Observatory and Museum is hosting a Fire & Stars Full Moon Feast, catered by Peter Ford.

The Observatory’s Judith Bailey said Jupiter will be the nearest on that night to the earth.

“Even though it’s a full moon, Jupiter will be beautiful with Saturn very close, and we’ll be able to look through the telescope,” she said.

The previously postponed feast is the first event of its kind, seeing attendees rug up in their woollies and pull their outdoor boots on to enjoy food cooked over an open flame, under the planets on the unique Observatory grounds.

“We’ll open with a mulled wine, share oysters, and eels from the western districts. We’ll wander through the little forest and arrive at a cauldron where we’ll serve bouillabaisse,” Ford said.

“There will be western Plains porchetta, Spring Creek Organics roast veggies, and we’ll have some street-style food in the form of golden syrup dumplings, all cooked over the fire.

“The baby telescope will open and Sallie Harvey will sing us a song from there, before Richard Cornish narrates some stories of the Observatory and its history. On a winter’s night in Ballarat, open fires will keep us warm.”

Although an invaluable volunteer-run educational facility, Ford said many people aren’t aware the “wonderful historic site” exists.

“The Observatory volunteers built the only disabled-access telescope in the country, so we can all celebrate the beauty of the celestial bodies,” he said.

The August Full Moon Feast will begin at 7pm on Friday, 20 August, running until 10pm at 439 Cobden Street, Mount Pleasant.

The event has been postponed twice, originally planned for earlier in the year. A list of overflow bookings will be honoured at another feast currently set for Friday, 17 September.