As part of NAIDOC Week celebrations, we were honoured to host Starr's Planetarium, thanks to a sponsorship from Kendall Op Shop.

Kendall Op Shop has a Community Sponsorship Program that Camden Haven High School applied for earlier this year in relation to NAIDOC week.

"This grant has allowed our students to have a unique experience without any cost to them," said Aboriginal Education teacher Kim Hogan.

Students from the local area were invited to "Stories in the Stars" in the planetarium, an exploration of Indigenous Australian astronomy of the Boorong people from north-west Victoria.

Presenter Gary Starr showed students how Indigenous culture describes constellations unique to the Southern Hemisphere, and how they are integrated with essential survival.

The changing night skies mirror seasonal patterns in the activities of animals and plants.

Astronomical events could be messages about events on the ground. In many cases, the landscape itself is seen as a reflection of the patterns in the night sky.

The grant not only paid for the planetarium, but also buses for students from local schools.

We hosted Kendall, Laurieton, North Haven, Herons Creek, Moorland, Hannam Vale, and Johns River public schools, as well as St Joseph's Laurieton and Hastings Secondary College.

There were sessions available for staff, parents and the wider community.

We also hosted our kind donors from Kendall Op Shop.

Presenter Gary Starr also gave a live demonstration of what the sky looked like the night before, outlining common constellations like Orion and the Southern Cross.

He also demonstrated the magnitude of space by taking students through a virtual journey through the universe.

Students left the spectacular inflatable dome wide-eyed with a new perspective of what they see at night.