Located off the Midland Highway near to Melton Mowbray on the farm 'Redside', is the new Optical Observatory and Administration Building. The facilities include equipment rooms, a control room, staff accommodation, cooking area, wet area rooms, and lounge area.

The design incorporates sustainable and environmentally friendly special features such as a low maintenance façade which incorporates Kingspan sandwich panel cladding and roofing, double glazed window and door units, rainwater collection tanks for domestic and WC use, passive solar water and space heating, backed up by a gas powered hot water boiler, passive solar power collection backed up by grid power, a well insulated light steel frame with minimal valleys, to reduce the heat load required for the buildings. The Observatory Dome was manufactured in Queensland to suit UTAS requirements and the landscaping is low impact and sympathetic with the existing surroundings.