The telescope and its camera were built by the ANU as a successor to the Great Melbourne Telescope at Mount Stromlo after that telescope was burnt in the 2003 Canberra bushfires . It was inaugurated by Minister Kim Carr and Governor of New South Wales Marie Bashir in 2009 . The survey project is funded by the Australian Research Council through various grants . The project was also a finalist in '' The Australian 's '' 2011 Innovation Challenge
2003 Canberra bushfires
2003 Canberra bushfires
SkyMapper