The CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope is celebrating it's 50th Anniversary in this year in 2011 It will hold Open Days event on the 8 and 9 October from 9am to 4pm. This will be a rare opportunity to take free tours inside and learn about it's role in astronomy over the past 50 years. The Open Days showcase the achievements of the Observatory as a world-leading astronomical telescope as well as its roles in supporting some of the most significant space missions in history.
The CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope was made famous in the 2000 hot Australian comedy movie “The Dish”. This movie starred Sam Neill, Billy Mitchell and Roz Hammond. The movie, based on fact, tells the story of the days leading up to the July 19, 1969 space mission that marked mankind's first steps on the moon, one of the greatest events in history. NASA in the USA was working with a group of Australian technicians who had agreed to rig up a satellite interface. NASA was just a little concerned that the Australians had placed the satellite dish smack bang in the middle of an Australian sheep farm near the country town of Parkes. If you missed out on seeing this great Australian movie buy it from a DVD store of borrow it from your local video/DVD library. At the time of filming the dish I was actually working in Forbes, and it was fun seeing the scenes being filmed and seeing them in the movie.
Even though the closest town to The CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope is Parkes, it is interesting to note that the Parkes town scenes were not actually filmed in Parkes. They were filmed in the nearby town of Forbes, who had its major public buildings such as the Post Office, Ambulance Station, and Town Hall renamed with the word ‘Parkes’ replacing ‘Forbes’ for the duration of the filming. The reason the filming was done in Forbes (that upset quite a few Parkes people…) was that the street scenes of Parkes had become too modernized over the years, whereas the street scenes in Forbes hadn’t changed much and still could pass as being in the 1960’s. It is well worthwhile taking a trip out to Forbes after seeing the movie “The Dish” and seeing how many buildings you can recognise from the movie.
Visitors to the 50th Anniversary Open Days will be able to enjoy activities such as regular talks by astronomers on a range of astronomy related topics, Q&A sessions with astronomy and engineering experts, and helicopter joy flights. There will also be a look behind the scenes of the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP).
The full list of Activities:
- Telescope tours Talks and presentations (5 per day)
- 50th anniversary Photographic exhibition
- Astronomers room Ask an Expert display
- Questacon street performers
- Hot air ballooning
- Hands on Marquee
- CSIRO Double Helix Club
- RFI pulse experiment
- Bell Vacuum experiment
- SKA Paper Array
- Daytime telescope observing (Central West Astronomical Society)
- ASKAP walk and display (ASKAP - Australian Square Kilometre Array)
- Opera at the Dish
- 3D theatre
- Community markets
- SES
- Parkes craft corner
- Middleton Primary School
- Parkes Antique motor club
- Jumping castle
- Parkes Shire Band
- and much more
The Opera at the Dish
Parkes Under the Stars will present The Opera at the Dish on the evening of Saturday 8 October. With 'The Dish' as the spectacular backdrop, a magical evening of famous operatic arias and songs from some of Broadway's greatest musicals will be performed on stage by the region's top artists. Sopranos Helen Barnett and Julie O'Connor, baritone Dallas Watts and tenor Raymond Khong will be accompanied by the 50 piece Macquarie Philharmonia. MC for the evening will be well known actor, Roy Billing, the Honorary Mayor of Parkes - as played in the hit movie "The Dish". Audience members will be musically transported to the great opera houses of Europe with arias by Puccini, Bellini, Mozart and Gounod. In between, there will be stops on Broadway for wonderful renditions of songs from musicals such as West Side Story, South Pacific, The Phantom of the Opera and My Fair Lady. Conducted by the passionate and talented Mark Shiell, Opera at The Dish will enchant and inspire everyone during a night to remember. Opera at The Dish will be an integral part of the CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope Open Days, which are a major tourism event in the Central West every two years, attracting between 5000 and 7000 visitors over the weekend.
Due to the popularity of The Opera at the Dish some ticket categories are sold out already (including general admission BYO Picnic Rug adult $40 and child $20, and 2 course dinner for 1 person $55). The tickets remaining at the time of writing this article include:- Premium Seating $70; General admission BYO Chair Adult $55 Child $35 and a Picnic Hamper for 2 $70. Ticket sales are limited to 2,000 people, with tickets expected to be sold out before the night. All admission tickets include free shuttle bus transport between Parkes and The Dish.
The Dish Café is an exceptional restaurant located at the base of the world famous CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope. It features a 2-storey glass outlook allowing for uninterrupted views of the Radio Telescope as it tunes into the universe. You can experience freshly prepared meals and sample locally made produce in the modern cafe ambiance combined with the mesmorising view of the radiotelescope and the tranquil surrounds provides a completely unique experience. The café is open 7 days from 8.30 to 4.15 every day.
The CSIRO Parkes Observatory is a 64-metre Telescope used for Radio Astronomy. It is located about 20 kilometres North of Parkes along the Newell Highway, which is approximately 380 kilometres West of Sydney. Parkes is conveniently located near the geographical centre of New South Wales, allowing easy access for visitors via the road network or the convenience of the REX airline service between Parkes and Sydney.
For further information contact The DishDiscovery Centre, Phone: (02) 6861 1777, email tourism@parkes.nsw.gov.au or see the website http://www.parkes.atnf.csiro.au/news_events/opendays/2011/
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