Message as per Terry Moseley's e-mail:
Hi all,
Ulster Travel (who arranged the China eclipse trip) have put together the attached package for a trip to Cairns, N. Queensland to see the Total Solar Eclipse in November 2012. This has been done through preparatory research on the eclipse options by Terence Murtagh (former Director of Armagh Planetarium), and myself, in my case mainly with local advice and research by Dr Kate Russo, one of our members who is originally from North Queensland. Kate is an eclipse fanatic, and gave a very interesting talk to the IAA last year about her eclipse experiences, and the prospects for this one.
This is the last readily accessible TSE until 2017, so lots of people are expressing interest in it. North Queensland is the only land surface on the globe which is crossed by the track of totality, so apart from a cruise ship, it's the only option.
The weather prospects are considerably better than those which pertained in China for the last eclipse, particularly as we will have a Plan B option for an alternative observing site. The first choice site will be on the coast, with the Sun rising over the Pacific and then entering the eclipse. But if the forecast for the coast is bad, there will be an option, at extra cost, to go inland, on the other side of the Great Dividing Range mountains, where the weather should be different. This will require the journey to be made in camper vans the night before, as we will be travelling into the outback, where there is no accommodation. The hire of these vans will incur an extra cost, and because of the likely demand, they will have to be booked and paid for in advance. Further details on this are available on request.
The attached details give the basic information, and if you are interested, please contact Ulster Travel directly.
I will attempt to answer any questions about the astronomy aspect, and the viewing options, but any questions about the travel and accommodation should be directed to Ann Relph at Ulster Travel.
Please reply to U/T asap, as demand for flights and accommodation to the area is increasing all the time.
Terry Moseley
www.astroshot.com/Solar/Queensland.doc
  