The list below is split between telescopes located in Australia, and telescopes sponsored by Australia such as a space telescope or foreign installation.

Australia can access the Southern skies, which was a popular trend in the 20th century (many telescope had been built for the northern hemisphere). The third largest optical telescope in the world in 1974 was Anglo-Australian Telescope, one of the really large telescopes of that time and built in Australia. There are several radio telescopes also, and Sydney Observatory has taken observations for over a century.

One of the largest telescopes of the 19th century was the Great Melbourne Telescope, one of the last big metal mirror reflecting telescopes before the silver-on-glass designs came to predominate; this was purchased with money from an Australian Gold boom.