It was established in 1922 by the Dunedin Astronomical Society (DAS) and is the home of the group.

The observatory is named after local astronomers Arthur Beverly (1822-1907) and John Campbell Begg (1876-1965).

On 6 September 2008 the society unveiled a new 35 cm Celestron instrument on a Software Bisque Paramount ME robotic telescope mount with camera totalling $38,000, replacing a 30.5 cm reflector telescope that had been in use since 1973.

In addition $9,000 was spent upgrading the observatory facilities, including raising the floor by 1 m and installing computer screens displaying images captured by the telescope.

[1] The observatory is open to the public on Sunday nights from 7:30 pm during the winter months (when New Zealand daylight saving time is not in force).