The main ring-beam and aperture guides for the dome were made from 4x2 inch steel channeling, bent to shape using a large hydraulic jack normally used to lift heavy goods vehicles.

The telescope main-frame was built by members from scaffold tubing and mounted on an equatorial fork driven by DC electrical motors for tracking the stars.

The telescope was initially constructed as a Nasmyth reflector, but due to collimation problems it was converted in the 1990s to the simpler Newtonian configuration.

From 2023, a new development was constructed adjacent to the telescope atop a buried Victorian water reservoir, creating a planetarium and science discovery centre.

[2] The water storage tank was excavated and converted into multi-function education and exhibition area, exposing and retaining the original multiple brick arches.