Saturn’s mate from the outback: The remarkable true story of Trevor Barry

When award-winning journalist Liz Hayes travelled to the outback to interview amateur astronomer Trevor Barry for 60 Minutes, the story captured hearts across the nation.

“Trevor’s journey from the mines of Broken Hill to working with NASA wasn’t just inspiring television,” Liz said.

“It was a fundamentally Australian story about following your dreams, no matter where you live, your age or background.”

Now Liz and Ali Smith, the story’s producer who now lives near Burren Junction and is an award-winning senior journalist with The Courier and Wee Waa News, have teamed up with Trevor – along with his wife, Cheryl to turn this great Australian story into a book.

The book captures not only Trevor’s scientific achievements but the very Australian story of a man who has never lost sight of his roots in Broken Hill, where he still tends the greens at his local bowls club when not collecting data for international space research projects.

And encouraging Trev every step of the way, his high school sweetheart and wife Cheryl, who he calls the ‘Gorgeous and Adorable’.

“My story would not be what it is without Cheryl,” Trevor said.

“She pushed me to step out of my comfort zone, and I’m glad she did. I’m certainly very different from how I was when I was younger. Cheryl will tell you that I don’t have an off switch now.”

Outback Astronomer tells the tale of Trevor’s incredible journey, passing through the furthest reaches of our solar system on the way.

It’s a celebration of life in the bush, of self-reliance and ingenuity, of determination and cosmic discovery. It’s about serendipity, and how far a chance encounter can take you, and unlikely friendships between people from vastly different worlds. Above all, it’s a reminder of the universe’s beauty, and what we can learn by looking up.

Born and raised in remote Broken Hill, Trevor Barry left school after year ten to work in the mines, just like his father and his brother. He’d never met anyone who went to university.

Years later, a single glimpse of Saturn through a colleague’s telescope knocked his world completely off its axis, turning his whole life upside down.

With his newfound passion, and armed with decades of outback know-how, Trevor set about building an observatory in his backyard using bits and pieces from his shed, a second-hand washing machine motor, rainwater tank parts and an old catamaran wire.

It required some canny negotiations with his wife, Cheryl, whose prized garden took a battering – especially when he decided to add a second storey – but before long Trevor was not just gazing at the stars but capturing extraordinary images of the planets.

Over the years, Trevor’s love affair with Saturn, ‘the ringed jewel of the solar system’, only grew more passionate, and in his early fifties, he did a degree in astronomy, topping his class. When he recorded a massive storm on Saturn from his backyard observatory, he alerted NASA.

The world’s greatest space agency took note and invited Trevor to contribute to its interplanetary research – leading to opportunities far beyond Broken Hill and Trevor’s wildest dreams. He went on to design his ultimate telescope, taking ever more detailed and sophisticated images of the planets, which are relied on today by professional scientists around the world.

“Some stories stay with you,” Liz Hayes said – and this one stayed with the veteran journalist long after the cameras stopped rolling.

Co-writer Ali Smith said she jumped at the opportunity to work with Liz again on Trevor’s story.

“The highlight for us was the chance to tell a cracking country yarn about a self-described ‘ordinary’ Aussie bloke doing an extraordinary thing, all from his bush backyard. It doesn’t get much better than that,” Ali said.

“We might appear to be a bit of an unlikely trio – Liz is a legendary reporter who has travelled around the world covering huge international events, Trev is a Broken Hill mine worker turned greenkeeper who’s made his mark as an astronomer, and I live on a farm at Burren Junction, chasing local stories around the Narrabri region – but I think we share similar values, a deep appreciation of what rural Australia has to offer, and, above all, a passion for positive storytelling.

“Trev is a shining example of this – he’ll tell you Broken Hill is the centre of the universe.”

Outback Astronomer showcases the power of Australian storytelling, and the enduring connections formed when passionate people recognise something extraordinary in each other’s work.

It’s a testament to the value of regional voices and the cosmic possibilities that exist in the most unexpected places.

It’s proof that the best Australian stories often emerge from the most unlikely partnerships, bridging the gap between city and country, professional and amateur, earthbound and cosmic.