West Australian astronomer, TV star and tour guide Greg Quicke has died at the age of 62.
A legend in Broome, 2,000km north of Perth, Quicke — also known as “Space Gandalf” for his distinctive white beard — introduced generations of visitors and locals to the wonders of the universe through his “astro tours” in the Kimberley town.
He later rose to national and international prominence on the ABC and BBC Stargazing Live specials, appearing alongside Professor Brian Cox.
He had been diagnosed with cancer in 2023.
In a statement, his family said he was “survived by a legion of people whose lives he touched”.
“He brought the universe to us all and translated it into a language we all understood,” the statement read.
“He was watched by millions of people around the globe and carried out his life work with inspirational spirit and freedom.”
His enthusiasm for the stars, and philosophy, took hold as a young man working in the Kimberley.
“You think about astronomy and often it’s presented as stuff that’s out there,” the self-taught astronomer explained to ABC Radio in 2017.
“But my take on it is that we’re on a planet. We’re moving through space.
“These are things I can take out of your head and I can put them at your feet.”
Born in 1961, he grew up surrounded by tall trees in the mill towns of South West WA, where his father was a forester.
He recalled a free and nature-based childhood.
“Magnificently tall trees that I spent a lot of my childhood underneath or at the top of,” he told Richard Fidler’s Conversations in 2018.
“We loved the windy days because you’d get up top and it’d be swaying six feet from side to side and we loved a bit of adventure,” he said.
“We’d climb out onto some of the branches about 150 feet up and hang upside down by our legs and bounce up and down.”
The Kimberley was calling
But he soon fell in love with coastal Broome, arriving on a motorbike in 1982 after dropping out of a marine biology degree in Queensland.
Quicke then became a pearl diver and mechanic.
His interest in stars took hold after he observed the Kimberley’s big tides and spent plenty of time in a swag gazing at the night sky.
As he shared his new passion with friends, they suggested he run tours showing others the beauty and wonder of the universe.
“I started talking about the stars, about what I’d noticed about how we’re moving amongst them … and they told me to keep talking,” he said.
After handing out a few flyers advertising an astronomy tour in 1995, he was soon running events seven nights a week in Broome.
An estimated 100,000 plus people have listened in awe, over 28 years, to his softly spoken explanations about the night sky.
Captured by Broome’s spirit
Quicke regularly featured in Broome’s annual Shinju Matsuri, carrying the head of Sammy the Dragon, a 30-metre parade dragon through the streets.
“The spirit of the place is just amazing,” he said of Broome, declaring it one of the country’s most beautiful places.
“There’s something unique about the place,” he told UK Comedian Bill Bailey while the two star gazed together in 2023.
“Everything here seems bigger, the colours are bigger, the tides are bigger, the barramundi are bigger too.
“It’s almost like our hearts have an opportunity to be bigger here as well.”
Rise of Space Gandalf’s star
But it was his appearances on the ABC and BBC which saw him gain international acclaim.
His distinctive flowing white beard, big hat and philosophical approach quickly led fans around the world to dub him #SpaceGandalf.
The author and TV presenter stayed grounded however; surfing whenever Broome’s famous Cable Beach could push up a swell, or riding a motorbike on the open road.
He was exhilarated to experience the total solar eclipse in Exmouth on an island in April 2023.
“This day has been huge … My body spent, my heart full, I crash into a deep eclipse fuelled communion with the other worlds,” he wrote to his 12,000 Facebook followers.
Bill Bailey, visiting Broome for the first time as part of his Wild West Australia ABCTV series, asked him if he had “found his niche in the world” by sharing the galaxy with others.
“It brings me a lot of joy,” Quicke agreed.
“Everyone thinks it’s all about stars but it’s not — it’s about people.”
“Standing alongside someone who sees Saturn’s rings for the first time it’s like, wow! I could do that forever!”
Quicke is survived by his parents, a sister and an adult daughter.
His family has asked that their “sacred time be respected”.
A memorial service will be held in Broome at a date to be announced.
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