Parkes

Also Wiradjuri country.

The town of Parkes was part of the colonial expansion of the early 19th century, originally founded in 1853 as the settlement Currajong, named for the abundance of kurrajong trees in the local area by the settlers, but was then known as Bushman's (from the local mine named Bushman's Lead). In August 1873, Henry Parkes (later Sir Henry) visited the area and in December 1873 the town was officially renamed Parkes in his honour.

In 2000 the Parkes Radio Telescope became an Australian movie icon when it played a central role in the gentle comedy, The Dish. Located 20 km north of Parkes it was built by the CSIRO between 1959-1961 and was the first big-dish antenna radio telescope in the Southern Hemisphere. It is a massive 64 metres in diameter. The CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope, nicknamed 'The Dish', helped broadcast the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing to the world and is a must-see.

Also popular is the annual Elvis Festival, founded in 1993. It now attracts over 25,000 people to the 5 day event.

Parks is the crossroads of Australian logistics.ocated on the transcontinental rail line and the inland road route from Melbourne to Brisbane. Over 80% of Australia's population can be reached within 12 hours drive from Parkes.Read more