Parkes is a small town in the beautiful Australian state of New South Wales. Named after one of its most prolific founding figures, Parkes has an interesting history - most notably concerning the region's gold rush of the 1870s. A clear highlight of the skyline in Parkes is the immense radio satellite dish which belongs to the local observatory – a powerful instrument used for receiving data from outer space. Your best bet is hiring a car from Parkes Airport so you can see as much of the landscape as you want in a much smaller amount of time.
One of the town's most popular tourist attractions is the CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope; located 20km from the town centre, we'd recommend you hire a car from Parkes Airport to access attractions like this one. Take a journey through history and go on a Gold Trails tour where you can learn all about the crucial role Parkes played in the gold rush days. Last but not least we recommend visiting Goobang National Park; a short distance up the A39 road from Parkes and filled with beautiful mountain valleys and gorges which are a lot of fun to hike across.
