Mr Bembrick studies the night sky out of an observatory on his Napoleon Reef Road property at Walang.

He said the dust and extra lighting generated at the proposed quarry site at Boyd’s Hill and processing plant at the base of the mountain were his deepest concerns.

“I’ve got an observatory on my property, which is only one-and-a-half kilometres from this proposed quarry site,” he said.

“I’ve written a letter to the council expressing my concern that it’s so close to the observatory, and that things like dust and security lights will impact on my observing.

“It’s not just an observatory for fun looking at the stars, I actually practice science with international co-operation and national co-operation across Australia and New Zealand.

“If there’s extra dust and extra light in the sky at night then that could have a serious effect on what I do.”

Mr Bembrick has owned the property for around 25 years. He said he chose it especially for its rural location.

“I’m out here away from Bathurst precisely because it’s dark, it’s clear, and it’s away from lights and suburbs of the city and all that sort of thing. That’s exactly why I’m here,” he said.

“I’ve been here since 1988, and the observatory has been operating pretty much all that time – it was established in 1985 out at Meadow Flat and then we moved here.”

Among his areas of interest is the study of minor planets.

“Lumps of rock that circulate between Mars and Jupiter, for example,” he said. “I also look at stars that vary in brightness – by measuring the brightness, you can tell exactly what the star’s temperature is.

“That’s the sort of thing I do in co-operation with other astronomers. We’re all amateurs, but our work is serious.”

The Walang Quarry Action Group has been established in opposition to the proposed quarry. The movement came after developer William Theobald advised a handful of Walang residents of his intention to lodge a development application with Bathurst Regional Council to extract and process basalt at his family’s two properties at Walang.

Tony Hemsley, who also lives on Napoleon Reef Road, said the community was determined to fight the project.

“The residents are concerned that their rights to quiet enjoyment of their own properties and their community would be destroyed by such a development,” Mr Hemsley said.