Orroral Valley Tracking Station, Space tracking station in Rendezvous Creek, Australia.
Orroral Valley Tracking Station is a former ground station for space tracking in Namadgi National Park, Australian Capital Territory. Concrete foundations, antenna bases, and other structural remains are still visible across the site today.
The station was set up in 1965 as part of NASA's global network of ground stations for tracking Earth-orbiting satellites. It closed in 1985 after two decades of operation, as changes in technology reduced the need for such remote sites.
The name comes from Orroral Valley, a remote highland area chosen partly because its distance from city lights and radio interference made it well suited for tracking signals from orbit. Visitors walking among the concrete remains can still read the information panels that explain what each structure was used for.
The site is reached by marked trails within Namadgi National Park, and information panels on the ground help orient visitors among the remains. Good footwear is recommended, and it is worth setting aside enough time to walk through the area without rushing.
The large 26-meter (85-foot) antenna that was the centrepiece of the station was moved to Tasmania after closure and still works today at Mount Pleasant Radio Observatory. A piece of this site is therefore still active in research, just very far from where it originally stood.
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