This first came to my attention when I was scouring the NSW Department of Lands website called "Spatial Imaging Exchange" [aka SIX Maps NSW], for Trig Points that, a) weren't on Waymarking, or b) on the GCA database.
It turned out that the tip of the old observatory building had been a passive trig point, with the Official Code of TS4796. NSW's 'premier' trig hunter [rogerw3] was 'put on to the search' to confirm that there was still such a building; so on the 8th October, 2014, TP7036 was Published. (
visit link)
The Elevation of the Observatory is taken from the 'Aiming Point' of the observatory building.
From the board out the front of the locked gate:
"John Tebbutt F.R.A.S.
Windsor
1834 - 1916
OBSERVATORIES
1863 - Original timber observatory demolished 1930
1874 - Circular building also timber replaced by brick in 1879
1879 - Brick structure including library and transit rooms
1894 - Brick circular building housing 8 inch Grubb telescope
"Astronomical and meteorological observations were recorded here by John Tebbutt from 1853-1915. Tebbutt published 37 scientific papers, he also discovered 2 comets."
[The rest of the wording is largely unreadable.]
This observatory is named after the notable astronomer, John Tebbutt [whose father, and grandfather were also named John Tebbutt!], who appears on the Australian $100 note.
From a local historical society website: (
visit link) "Tebbutt Observatory, Windsor"
"He was always interested in mechanical objects and built a collection of instruments that enabled him to make many important observations of the southern sky. Windsor had the advantage of clear skies free from smoke of the large number of wood and coal fires used to heat homes in Sydney."
"Tebbutt calculated the total eclipse of the sun on 26 March 1857, measured the position of comet Donati (1858VI) and plotted its orbit. On 13 May 1861, Tebbutt observed a faint object in his telescope, noted its motion over a number of days and discovered the Great Comet of 1861 (1861 II) which brought his name to the attention of the scientific world. The comet Encke appeared the following year and was observed on seven of its return orbits around the sun during Tebbutt's lifetime. The debris of this comet creates a meteor shower as Earth passes through the tail around the middle of November every year. Tebbutt won a silver medal at the 1867 Paris Universal Exhibition. In 1872 be bought a 4 inch equatorial refractor telescope with which he observed the transit of Venus in 1874. This rare event was previously observed by Captain James Cook and Joseph Banks in 1769 which led to the discovery of the eastern coast of New South Wales. Tebbutt discovered another comet in 1881 and in 1886 he bought an 8 inch telescope made by the internationally renowned makers, Grubb of England.
"In 1895 he was the first president of the New South Wales branch of the British Astronomical Association. He was also president of the Windsor branch of the British and Foreign Bible Society and in 1877 asked Sir Henry Parkes for leniency towards settlers in paying their government land dues. He was awarded the Hannah Jackson gift and bronze medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, London, in 1905." [By Trevor Patrick, local historian]
Not sure how recently the Heritage Council of NSW website has been updated, (
visit link) , but it states that Tebbutt "had a crater on the moon named after him. His great grandson still lives in the Peninsula House which dates from 1844."