The visitor centre was great, the 30 minute talk given by a science student was also quite good, the 30 minute 3D movie presentation was ok. The views of the telescope were fantastic, but as it is a working telescope and continually reserved for research, there are no tours. The Dish Cafe was nice also, with an indoor and outdoor... More

Great seeing the actual dish that played such an important part in the first moonwalk - which I remember staying up at night in Britain to watch. I was still at school then, so this visit brought back many memories...

My only other visit to The Dish (we didn't call it that back then in the pre-movies days) was in 1988. This time somehow I found it even more impressive - it is at once huge (when you are up close and personal) but also so small given its mission. I loved the hum that it emits which reminds you... More

We stopped in at the CSIRO Radio Telescope on our way south from Dubbo. The dish is a little way off the highway, but well worth the stop. The first view of it across the fields is impressive, and it only gets more impressive as you get closer. There is a little pull over area on the road in for... More

Having watched the dish it was great to see this piece of australian history. Its such a peaceful spot and the visitors centre is presented very well. Its small but definately worth seeing.

Driving from Dubbo to Parkes, the complex is approx 20km north. It's certainly worth the stop as there's little in Parkes to see of any note (sorry people of Parkes). The first thing to note is that mobile phones and camcorders are to be turned off. Presumably because this is a working site and some electronic devices can cause interference.... More

My friend and I stopped off to see the telescope on a whim as we were passing. We were so glad we did as we enjoyed the visit very much. We paid $6.50 each to see a very interesting movie. If we had more time we would have paid to see other movies that were being shown. There was also... More

The Parkes Observatory, commonly referred to as The Dish is the essential pilgrimage for sci-fi fans, geeks, kids & amateur astronomers who share a fascination for the deep dark unknown & beyond, its rural isolation in central-western NSW turns the 360 kms or 5 hours from Sydney into a potential camping or summer road trip with friends & family. The... More