PEAK HILl – BOGAN GATe – TRUNDLe – TULLAMORE PARKES SHIRE HOME OF THE DISH AND thE FAMOUS ANNUAL PARKES ELVIS FESTIVAL CENTRAL NEW SOUTH WALES HENRY PARKES WELCOME TO PARKES SHIRE CENTRE Explore Parkes, Peak Hill, Bogan Gate, Trundle and Tullamore. From the heights of Goobang National Park, to the plains of wheat and country villages, Parkes Shire boasts many sights to see – some well known and others waiting to be discovered. Visit an Australian icon – the world famous CSIRO Radio Telescope “The Dish”, capture a picture in Trundle on New South Wales’ widest main street or meet up with Elvis at the annual Parkes Elvis Festival. Welcome! CONTENTS ABOUT PARKES SHIRE ...................................................................................... 4 EVENTS .............................................................................................................. 6 The Henry Parkes Centre is Parkes' newest attraction and a major cultural ATTRACTIONS & ACTIVITIES ......................................................................... 7 tourism precinct that offers a ‘one stop shop' for visitors to Parkes. PARKEs AccOMMODATION............................................................................10 PARKES DINING .............................................................................................. 12 The Henry Parkes Centre incorporates the Parkes Visitor Information TRANSPORT ..................................................................................................... 13 Centre and four unique collections including: PARKES SERVICES ............................................................................................14 MAYORAL GOOBANG NATIONAL PARK .......................................................................... 15 WElcOME The King's Castle Elvis Exhibit MAP OF PARKES (CENTRE FOLD) ...................................................................16 Parkes and the surrounding smaller towns have come a long way, Parkes Motor Museum ADVERTISEMENTS from our foundations as an early Henry Parkes Museum (traditional history collection) AccoMModation .........................................................................................18 gold discovery settlement, to our Things to do & see .....................................................................................20 roots in the agricultural engine Antique Machinery Collection room of NSW; our anchor as an Food & Dining ..............................................................................................21 inland transport hub and our rich Open 7 days, one admission fee gains access to the entire complex, shopping, services & faciLities .............................................................22 mining landscape. offering something for everyone. PEAK HIll ........................................................................................................ 23 Now with its astronomical link through the world famous CSIRO TRUNDLE ......................................................................................................... 25 Parkes Radio Telescope, Parkes has The Henry Parkes Centre is located on the Newell Highway on the TUllAMORE .....................................................................................................27 become a popular attraction for travellers touring rural Australia. BOGAN GATE ................................................................................................... 28 northern side of town with on-site parking for long vehicles. We invite you to explore the hidden TOURIST DRIVe – BOGAN LINK .................................................................... 29 secrets that Parkes, Peak Hill, The Parkes Visitor Information Centre has a great range of souvenirs, DAY TRIps – CENTRAL NSW .......................................................................... 29 Bogan Gate, Trundle and Tullamore have to offer. destination brochures and maps. You can grab a cold drink or an ice- SHIRE MAps – PeAK HIll, TRUNDLE ........................................................... 30 On behalf of the people of Parkes cream and even get your photo taken with a life-sized Elvis. SHIRE MAps – TUllAMORE, BOGAN GATE ..................................................31 Shire I welcome you to our region REGIONAL MAP ...............................................................................................BC and wish you a safe, adventurous HENRY PARKES MUSEUMS OPEN 7 DAYS and enjoyable visit. 9.00am - 4.00pm weekdays AcKNOWLEDGEMENTS Photos courtesy of: Parkes Shire Council, Mark James, 10.00am - 4.00pm weekends / public holidays John Sarkissian, Garry Wynands, Parkes Champion Post, Bill Jayet, Elvis Revival Inc, Betty Zdan and PARKES VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE National Parks & Wildlife Service. Newell Highway, Parkes Artwork & Printing: Vink Publishing. OPEN 7 DAYS 9.00am - 5.00pm weekdays DISCLAIMER Information contained in this brochure is supplied Cr Ken Keith 10.00am - 4.00pm weekends / public holidays by individual operators as at October 2011. Whilst Mayor of Parkes Shire every endeavour has been made to ensure absolute Phone: 02 6862 6000 accuracy of information, Parkes Visitor Information Fax: 02 6862 1023 Centre and its agents cannot be held responsible for Email: [email protected] any consequences resulting from mis-description or www.visitparkes.com.au inadvertent errors contained herein. Parkes Visitor Guide 2012/2013 3 Sir Henry Parkes Statue, Clarinda Street, Parkes Cenotaph, Cooke Park, Parkes Northparkes Mine Elvis at ‘The Dish’ ENVIRONMENT ECONOMY THE ANNUAL PARKES ElVIS FESTIVAL ABOUT PARKES SHIRE Parkes Shire is located on the western edge Parkes Shire has six key economic strengths: of the Great Dividing Range within the mineral resources, agriculture, retail In 2012, the CountryLink Parkes Elvis Festival celebrates its 20th Anniversary. It Located in Central NSW on the major inland motoring corridor, the Newell Central New South Wales region. The landscape activity, government services, tourism and may be 20 years since it all began, but the question that EVERYONE still asks is Highway, Parkes is a thriving commercial centre offering quality accommodation, is flat to undulating and forms a part of the transport. Parkes is developing as an why Elvis in Parkes? unique attractions and events. Parkes is home to the nationally recognised icon, catchment for two main river systems, the important inland hub of Australia’s In 1981 local Elvis fans, Bob and Anne Steel (OAM), opened a reception centre ‘The Dish’ and has become more recently known as the ‘Elvis capital of Australia’ Bogan and the Lachlan Rivers. Elevation: transport network. Parkes Shire’s mineral and restaurant in Parkes which they named ‘Gracelands’. The building can still be resources sustain ongoing mining activity, with the annual Parkes Elvis Festival now attracting over 15,000 visitors annually. 339 metres. Shire area: 5,919 sq km. seen today at the corner of Bushman and Albert Streets, Parkes. including Northparkes Mines. Parkes itself The Festival concept was first flagged at an Elvis themed party in 1992 held at Parkes caters for all your tourism needs with 13 motels, 7 hotels, 4 bed and POPULATION continues to attract new businesses, with breakfasts, 4 caravan parks plus affordable camping and caravan sites at the The Parkes town population is currently major retail developments occurring in Gracelands for the then editor of the Parkes Champion Post newspaper, Roel Ten Cate. This Elvis themed party proved the massive appeal of the King across Parkes Showground. Parkes also caters for recreational vehicles with dump points 11,793, with a further 4,200 residents in recent years. Contact Parkes Shire generations and it was over a glass of wine at the party that the idea of a Festival located throughout the Shire including Parkes, Trundle, Tullamore and Peak Hill. the surrounding villages and rural lands. Economic Development Unit for more Peak Hill: 1409. Trundle: 876. Tullamore: information. Phone: (02) 6861 2333 or was first discussed. 525. Bogan Gate: 253. Parkes itself has Email: [email protected] Passionate locals from across the community joined forces to stage the experienced significant growth during first Festival in 1993 which included an Elvis Movie Screening, an Elvis recent years, with further growth expected, COVENTRy – PARKES’ SISTER CITY Tribute Concert by Eddie Youngblood, an Elvis Look-a-like and Sound-a-like HISTORY Bushmans to Parkes in honour of the great underpinned by mining and transport. Parkes’ sister city relationship with competition, Street Parade and Markets, and a Tour of the Parkes Region. This The Parkes area remained relatively statesman. Sir Henry Parkes visited Parkes Coventry in the UK was initiated in 1939 First Festival was attended by 200 people. unsettled until 1862 when the discovery of in 1887 and gave the town the Fontana AGRICULTURE and is the oldest sister city link of any In the first 10 years of the Festival, more events were added and it continued gold led to a hastily erected ‘canvas’ town Bust, which is displayed at Parkes Shire Parkes Shire contains some of the richest Australian town or city. The link was to attract fans in their hundreds. With the vision and efforts of hard working known as “Currajong” which accommodated Council. In that same year Parkes changed and most productive agricultural and forged as Coventry was the birthplace of thousands of hopeful gold seekers. A the name of its main street to ‘Clarinda’