The Sunshine Coast hinterland has been officially designated as an International Dark Sky Reserve by DarkSky International, securing global recognition for the region’s night skies and making it Queensland’s first such reserve and the first on Australia’s east coast.
The announcement, made on 8 June 2026, places the Sunshine Coast alongside a select group of internationally recognised locations including Aoraki Mackenzie in New Zealand, Mont-Mégantic in Canada, and the River Murray in Australia. Closer to the experience of many Range readers, it joins a growing number of reserves in the United Kingdom, where six National Parks have already been awarded International Dark Sky Reserve status: Exmoor, Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia, the North York Moors, the Yorkshire Dales, and Moore’s Reserve in the South Downs. Exmoor holds the distinction of being Europe’s first, having been designated in 2011, and its model of community education, controlled public lighting and active dark sky festivals has since become a template for reserves around the world. The Sunshine Coast’s achievement follows a comparable path, now recognised by the same international body.
The reserve now joins more than 210 places worldwide that have demonstrated robust community support for dark sky advocacy and a commitment to protecting the night from light pollution.
A Decade In The Making
The official designation follows years of investigation and community consultation, and a formal application submitted by Sunshine Coast Council. For local astronomer Dr Ken Wishaw, who spent a decade driving the project forward, the outcome represents something deeply personal as well as practical.
“I am hoping the Reserve will play a major role in educating visitors on the impact of light pollution, and how easy it is to prevent it or reverse it,” Dr Wishaw said. “The Reserve is the last place in coastal Southeast Queensland that has starry night skies free of light pollution. This window to the universe will now stay open.”
Dr Wishaw described the designation as the product of sustained effort and strong institutional backing. “This has been a ten-year project for me, and, through the tremendous support of the Sunshine Coast Council, it is now a reality for all to experience and enjoy.”
What The Reserve Covers
The reserve extends across more than 870 square kilometres of hinterland landscape, with approximately 40 per cent comprising government-owned land, largely managed as State Protected Areas. The townships of Maleny, Mapleton, Montville, Witta, Flaxton, Kenilworth and Conondale all fall within its boundaries, with a combined residential population of around 13,500 people.
At the heart of the reserve is a protected 7.41 square kilometre core zone designed to provide a strong foundation for the long-term protection of natural darkness and native biodiversity. Surrounding this is a peripheral zone that follows the Mary River Catchment within the Sunshine Coast local government area, incorporating Mapleton National Park and the Mapleton Forest Reserves in their entirety.
In ideal conditions in the darkest areas of the reserve, up to 3,000 stars are visible to the naked eye.
What It Took To Get Here
Achieving the designation required considerably more than a letter of application. Deliverables included a 100 per cent compliant core zone, over 170 public lighting upgrades, a two-year night-sky monitoring programme capturing data across each season, and an extensive community engagement programme demonstrating broad local support for night sky protection. Council worked in partnership with Energex, Queensland Government agencies and other public lighting stakeholders throughout the process, balancing lighting requirements against the goals of the reserve.
DarkSky International’s Policy and Destination Senior Manager, Dan Oakley, singled out the lighting management component for particular praise. “The work needed to develop and adopt the thorough lighting management plan was well noted by the Dark Sky Committee, and we hope it will serve as an inspiration for others to follow,” Mr. Oakley said.
What It Means For Hinterland Communities
For residents and businesses across the Maleny plateau and the broader hinterland, the designation carries both practical implications and longer-term opportunity. The experience of established reserves in the UK and elsewhere points to a meaningful economic dimension: the global dark sky tourism market was valued at $1.45 billion in 2024 and is projected to exceed $4 billion by 2033, with reserves that invest in community education and visitor infrastructure well placed to benefit.
Ongoing public lighting upgrades, night sky quality monitoring, community-led education initiatives and emerging astrotourism activities are expected to continue raising awareness and reducing light pollution across the region.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli said the designation carried weight beyond its environmental credentials. “People in our communities know the awe of looking up at a sky filled with stars, and we’re incredibly lucky to still have that here on the Sunshine Coast,” Mayor Natoli said. “As our region continues to grow, we need to make sure we keep that wonder for our future generations.”
Mayor Natoli also noted that Council would continue working with community partners to encourage responsible lighting habits. “Every decision to use outdoor lighting in smarter ways helps keep stars visible in the sky and preserve this precious element of our hinterland’s landscape and character.”
What Residents And Businesses Can Do
The reserve’s long-term success depends as much on individual habit as it does on formal lighting policy. Council is encouraging every resident, business and visitor within the reserve area to take practical steps toward reducing their contribution to light pollution. The guidance is straightforward: outdoor lighting should serve a clear purpose rather than operate by default and should be directed downward rather than allowed to spill outward or reflect upward.
Timers and motion detectors are recommended to ensure lights are active only when genuinely needed, while warmer-coloured globes are preferred over cool blue-white lighting, which scatters more readily into the atmosphere and contributes disproportionately to skyglow. Brightness should be kept to the minimum level required for the task.
Mayor Natoli put the community ask plainly. “We’ll always need lighting, but we invite every resident, business and visitor to this special place to do what they can to reduce their light pollution.”
The principle is a simple one: if a light is on and nobody needs it, the stars are paying the price.
The Global Context
The significance of the designation is sharpened by the broader picture of light pollution worldwide. More than 80 per cent of the world’s population now lives under skyglow, a form of light pollution that eliminates any visible stars. The Sunshine Coast hinterland is naturally shielded from surrounding urban areas by the Blackall Range, creating exceptional night sky conditions with minimal artificial light intrusion, a quality that, without active protections, would face growing pressure as the region expands.
Unlike many forms of environmental pollution, light pollution can be addressed immediately: adjusting or redirecting outdoor lighting produces results at the speed of light. Residents and businesses within the reserve are being encouraged to ensure outdoor lights are useful, targeted, low level, controlled and warm in colour, reducing the sky-brightening blue light spillage that gradually erodes what the hinterland has spent a decade working to protect.
Further Information
DarkSky International listing: darksky.org/places/sunshine-coast/
Sunshine Coast Council: sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/environment/dark-sky
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