Visit to Parkes & "The Dish"

Yesterday we drove to Parkes - very pretty parks & a nice feel to the place. The dish can be seen from miles around as it is situated on the plains. Very amazing. We visited the Tourist Information Centre where they had a full sized statue of Elvis Presley. Parkes has the Elvis festival annually. The town of Parkes and the surrounding region of 5,919 square kilometres (2,285 sq mi), with a population of approximately 14,592. Parkes Observatory, just outside approx 15kms on Newell Hwy & 5kms in, hosts the 64-metre Parkes radio telescope, one of the telescopes comprising CSIRO’s Australia Telescope National Facility. Star of the film, 'The Dish', the Parkes radio telescope has been in operation since 1961 yet continues to be at the forefront of astronomical discovery thanks to regular upgrades.
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