CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope

Overview

Two hours' journey west from Bathurst lands you in the 12,000-strong town of Parkes, another gold rush settlement. Before you ask, yes, the place is named after Federation's daddy, Henry Parkes. Apart from hosting the annual Elvis Festival, it's home to the CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope, as seen in Rob Sitch's 2000 flick, The Dish.

Drive 20 kilometres north through farmlands to see the 64-metre telescope that helped broadcast man's first moonwalk and has since found more than half of the known 2000 pulsars (spinning neutron stars). Entry is free for the telescope viewing area and the astronomy and space science exhibition. But, you'll have to pay $7.50 to access the 3D Theatre, where you'll catch a variety of three-dimensional short animated flicks. The CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope is open seven days a week, from 8.30am–4.15pm and has an onsite cafe with glass walls, so you can keep looking for signs of alien life while you're eating.

Image: Destination NSW