The list below is split between telescopes located in Australia, and telescopes sponsored by Australia such as a space telescope or foreign installation.
Australia can access the Southern skies, which was a popular trend in the 20th century (many telescope had been built for the northern hemisphere). The third largest optical telescope in the world in 1974 was Anglo-Australian Telescope, one of the really large telescopes of that time and built in Australia. There are several radio telescopes also, and Sydney Observatory has taken observations for over a century.
One of the largest telescopes of the 19th century was the Great Melbourne Telescope, one of the last big metal mirror reflecting telescopes before the silver-on-glass designs came to predominate; this was purchased with money from an Australian Gold boom.
In country optical telescopes
- Anglo-Australian Telescope (3.9m, 1974-)
- Automated Patrol Telescope (.5m, 1989-2008)
- Faulkes Telescope South (2m, 2004-)
- SkyMapper (1.35m)
- UTas H127 (1.27m)
- Great Melbourne Telescope (48 inches/ ~1.22m, 1868)
- Siding Spring 2.3 m Telescope (2.3 m)
- Sydney Observatory instruments
- Mt. Kent Observatory - Shared Skies (0.7 m)
- Penrith Observatory (0.6m)
- Perth-Lowell Telescope (0.6m)
- Mt. Kent Observatory - Shared Skies (0.5m)
- Uppsala Southern Schmidt Telescope (0.5m)