the australia telescope

carolw461

enjoy the morning touring this site it is well worth it.......nice cafe on site........very very interesting

Buttersandco

Well worth a look. Very impressive telescope. Kids loved it. Displays were good and interactive for the kids. Very clean and tidy. The 2 mini dishes out the front that the kids can whisper in and the other hears it was fascinating.

Michelle141510

Able to take pets out the back, full of history and very interesting for the kids. Great shop and excellent movie

Peripatetic64

The Parkes Observatory is well worth a visit. Spectacular up close and info on the interior is well presented. Refreshing in that there is no charge.

Austravel25

A must do if you are in the Parkes area. The telescope is huge, set amongst the paddocks and rolling hills. Fabulous to connect the telescope to the Apollo 11 moon landing and later to the film The Dish. Its a shame that you are not able to walk around the telescope or on the original road into the facility, like in the film.

Pioneer18

This fantastic piece of engineering is properly called the Parkes Radio Telescope. It is a local icon and attracts visitors and scientists from all around the world. I am told however that demand from the scientific community is now so great that radio astronomers can now book time and remotely operate the dish by computer from virtually anywhere on the planet.Of course it became much more widely known after starring in the movie "The Dish" but for my money the most memorable event was when there was a one off evening of "Opera at the Dish" which was completely booked out. It is only about 5 km off the Newell Highway and only 15 minutes from town so don't miss it if you are in the Parkes area.

75DavidF75

The "Dish" simply rocked. The whole family loved it and the visitors centre was superb. Australia - we need to do more super science stuff like this.

Ingrid4711

Not having any expectations we found our brief visit to be highly enjoyable. The information displayed was quite eye opening and the whisper discs in front of the building lots of fun, especially when another visitor explained that one of us should stand in front of one disc whilst the other whispered into a similar disc about 100m away. We had breakfast in the cafe and found our egg and bacon rolls delicious. We did not stay for the three short films for which the is a small cost.

LJSydney

We popped in to have another look at the dish. Plenty of info there to see and read and a fair few items to purchase. There is a little coffee shop outside so you can go and sit and watch the dish moving (sometimes). Buildings are straight out of the 60's. It is a little out of the way but worth a trip over to check out. Plenty of parking.

juliesB7119WY

Great for astronomy buffs, adults and children alike. We didn't watch the video features as there was an extra fee for this. Loads to look at and heaps of information to read. Great photo opportunity!

caymancaro

Wow this was a real find. I had seen the movie, The Dish, but to see the actual dish was amazing. The interpretive centre is very well done and offered plenty of information and plenty of interest for kids too. We found it by chance just driving along and there it was, this huge telescope in the middle of the paddock. The café had excellent coffee too.

Margotjolly

Well and coherently presented science and history in a very pleasant environment. Well worth the stop plus there is an excellent cafe....a great break away from the highway.

LynnF65

I treated the CSIRO as the same as this, well laid out and worth an educational visit. Good to see, good for photographs and free to do so. Staff were excellent

Rancho-Food-Safari

The visitors centre was not open during my visit (very early morning) but you can see the dish, outside information panels etc. It is worth a visit - not far off the track from Parkes. Watch the movie 'The Dish' then go there and marvel in the real thing. If the centre was open I am sure I would have enjoyed it more.

Simkatt

If you are in Dubbo or Parkes take the time to visit, science made fun with an iconic presence. The staff are really friendly and helpful, with simple but great learning activities for kids of different ages, our boys 3, 5 and 7 are still talking about the visit. Plenty of parking and space to eat your own lunch.