Parkes
Located in the central western district of NSW, Parkes was once my home town. I was actually born in the town of Forbes, another smaller town about 30km away. I left Parkes when I was 10yo. This article has me revisiting my home town for the first time in nearly 40 years.
I returned to Parkes to visit my aunty Vivienne (Cunngingham). She just turned 90 and her daughters, Janine and Anne-Louise, whom I knew only as a young child, put on a lovely party for her at the local golf club. All my relatives were there including ones I'd never met. It was a lovely reunion of our family. Sadly, my dad wasn't well enough to make it, so I went in his stead.
Parkes itself hasn't changed a great deal. Country towns usually don't change all that much. The last consensus revealed a population growth of around 2000 residents, taking the total to around 12000. Much of that is contributed by the local gold, silver and copper mine which has played a significant part in not only population growth but also contributes to the upkeep of the town through various grants.
The main attractions in Parkes are the CSIRO Radio Telescope or Dish, which was built in the early 1950's. In 2000, a movie was released starring Sam Neill about the story of the dish and its place in the history books as the first telescope to receive images of the moon landing in 1969. The other main attraction, which attracts visitors from all over the world is their annual Elvis Presley festival, held on the anniversary of Elvis' birthday in January. So popular this festival is that accommodation from the surrounding towns of Orange and Bathurst are booked solid a year in advance.
If you decide to visit this country town, I highly recommend you make time to visit the new visitors centre and museum, both of which have quite a fascinating display of artefacts from the town including segments from "The Dish" including historical photographs, a brilliant collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia and of course a showcase of the local talents of the Emmanuel Brothers, Tommy and Phil, both brilliant guitarists in their day.
Cunningham/Cheney
The name of Cunningham is synonomous with Parkes. For years it was the main supermarket in town, established by my Aunty Vivienne (dads younger sister) and her late husband, my uncle Brian, on the advice from my dad, Keith. In fact, Cheney is also a very well known name in the town thanks to my dads father Wes, a great cricket enthusiast, whose contribution helped put Parkes on the sporting map. There is a plaque on one of the pavilions in town dedicated to Wesley Berry Cheney (dad's father) and there is even a sporting park named after him, Cheney Park.
Accommodation
Most travellers who pass through Parkes usually drive and as such most of the accommodation options are set up to accommodate drivers with about a dozen or so Motor Inns, ideal for a quick overnight stay. There are also a couple of caravan parks, one of which I stayed in as they had some modern, fully self-contained cabins built on site. The one I stayed in was called Lunar Cabins, formerly Bushmans Caravan Park.
Early History
Parkes, formerly known as Currajong due to the abundance of kurrajong trees found by local settlers, it was part of the colonial expansion founded in 1853 at the time of the gold rush in Australia. It was later renamed Bushmans, named after one of the most rewarding gold mines found in the area called Bushmans Lead.
In August 1873, the town was visited by a chap, Henry Parkes (later Sir Henry) and later that year, the town was renamed Parkes in his honour. Sir Henry Parkes was originally from Coventry in England and is now Parkes' sister city. Having visited both towns, I prefer Parkes. Coventry was badly bombed during WWII and has never quite recovered.
Sir Henry Parkes is recognised as playing an instrumental role in the Federation of Australia.
I stayed a week in Parkes which may sound like a long time for such a small town but I was kept busy with my cousins driving me around the town, showing me places I hadn't seen in 4 decades. I had a good walk around the town too, visiting the house we used to live in, and visited my neighbours as well as revisiting my old primary school. It was great to return to my roots and as much I loved seeing how the old town had progressed over the last several decades, that was enough. I doubt I'll return to Parkes in the future, but I never say never as my mate Charlie has indicated he'd love to go there when he retires so we'll see.
Transport
Getting to/from Parkes is quite a trek.
I caught the train out initially, on the Broken Hill Express, which runs on a Monday from Central Station, taking nearly 7 hours. Of course, you can drive out there which takes about 5 hours without a break.
I decided the best way back was to fly. Parkes does indeed have an airport, mainly used for FIFO miners who work in the local mine.