Parkes, New South Wales facts for kids
Quick facts for kids ParkesNew South Wales |
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A statue of Sir Henry Parkes, the town's namesake
|
|||||||||
 Parkes
Location in New South Wales
|
|||||||||
| Population | 9,832 (2021) | ||||||||
| Established | 1873 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2870 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 324 m (1,063 ft) | ||||||||
| Location |
|
||||||||
| LGA(s) | Parkes Shire | ||||||||
| County | Ashburnham | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Orange | ||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Riverina | ||||||||
|
|||||||||
Parkes is a lively town in the Central West area of New South Wales, Australia. It's the main town in the Parkes Shire local government area. In 2021, about 9,832 people lived in Parkes. The town is famous for its huge radio telescope, which has even helped NASA!
Parkes is located on the traditional lands of the Wiradjuri people. They are the largest Aboriginal language group in New South Wales. Their country covers a huge area of over 120,000 square kilometres.
Contents
History of Parkes
The Wiradjuri people have lived on these lands for more than 40,000 years. Their home includes the Lachlan River area.
The town of Parkes started in 1853. It was first called Currajong because of all the kurrajong trees growing there. Later, it was known as Bushman's after a local mine.
In August 1873, a very important person named Henry Parkes visited the area. He later became Sir Henry Parkes. He played a big part in bringing the Australian states together to form one country, called Federation. In December 1873, the town was officially renamed Parkes in his honour.
The Bushman's Lead Post Office opened in 1872 and was renamed Parkes in 1873. The first local government for Parkes was created in 1883. Later, in 1981, it joined with Goobang Shire to become the Parkes Shire.
The railway arrived in Parkes on December 18, 1893. This connected Parkes to other towns like Molong and Forbes.
Parkes became very popular during the gold rush in the 1870s. Even today, mining companies still dig for gold and other minerals in the area. In 1939, Parkes became a sister city with Coventry in the United Kingdom. This is where Sir Henry Parkes was born.
Parkes' Newspapers
Parkes has a long history of local newspapers. The first one was the Forbes and Parkes Gazette. Over the years, many different newspapers were published. Today, the main local paper is the Parkes Champion-Post.
Military History in Parkes
During World War II, Parkes had an important role. It was home to RAAF Station Parkes, which was an air force base. There was also a large fuel storage depot for aircraft. These facilities helped support the Australian and US air forces during the war.
Heritage Sites
Parkes has some special places that are protected because of their history. These include:
- 39 Currajong Street: The Parkes Post Office
- May Street: The Parkes railway station
Parkes Today
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1921 | 3,941 | — |
| 1933 | 5,846 | +48.3% |
| 1947 | 6,897 | +18.0% |
| 1954 | 7,973 | +15.6% |
| 1961 | 8,223 | +3.1% |
| 1966 | 8,442 | +2.7% |
| 1971 | 8,849 | +4.8% |
| 1976 | 8,905 | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 9,047 | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 8,739 | −3.4% |
| 1991 | 8,784 | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 10,094 | +14.9% |
| 2001 | 9,785 | −3.1% |
| 2006 | 9,826 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 10,026 | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 9,964 | −0.6% |
| 2021 | 9,832 | −1.3% |
| Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics data. | ||
Parkes is well-known for the Parkes Observatory, which has a huge radio telescope. This telescope is very important for science. Scientists in Parkes use it for their own research. They have also helped NASA with several space missions. The telescope acts as a relay station for communications in the Southern Hemisphere.
The movie The Dish tells a story inspired by the telescope's role. It shows how the telescope helped during the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing. Even though the movie is set in Parkes, most of it was filmed in nearby Forbes.
Parkes also has a popular rugby league team called the Parkes Spacemen.
Industries in Parkes
Farming is a big industry in the Parkes area. People grow crops, raise sheep, and farm cattle. There's also a large copper and gold mine called Northparkes Mine nearby.
Parkes has become an important transport hub. After the railway to Broken Hill was finished in 1927, Parkes was a key spot for moving people and goods. Today, there are plans to make Parkes Regional Airport much bigger. This would allow it to handle more domestic and international freight. It would become a major "inland port" for goods travelling across New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland.
The Parkes Shire Council is working to develop a large area for transport and logistics. This area is designed to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Big companies like FCL and Specialised Container Transport already have large transport hubs here.
The Roads & Maritime Services' regional office is in Parkes. Essential Energy also has a training and maintenance centre here.
Fun Things to Do in Parkes
Some popular places to visit in Parkes include:
- The CSIRO Telescope, about 20 km north of town.
- Bushmans Hill and the War Memorial Lookout.
- Nearby, you can visit the Goobang National Park.
- In Peak Hill, you can tour an Open Cut Mine during holidays.
- There are also many great parks to enjoy.
Schools in Parkes
Parkes has many schools for its young residents. Parkes Public School was founded in 1876. Other primary schools include Parkes East Public School and Middleton Public School. Holy Family Catholic School and Parkes Christian School also teach students in the town.
Parkes High School is the main public high school. Parkes Christian School offers education up to Year 12. Many students from Parkes also go to Red Bend Catholic College in Forbes, which is about 35 km away.
Climate
Parkes has a climate that changes a lot between summer and winter. Summers are usually hot, with temperatures often reaching 32°C. Sometimes, it can even get up to 40°C! Winters are cool and often cloudy. Light rain is common, and sometimes it even snows. Most of the rain in spring and summer comes from thunderstorms. On average, Parkes gets about 587.5 mm of rain each year. Parkes is a very sunny place, with about 135 clear days every year.
| Climate data for Parkes (Macarthur Street, 1907–2012, rainfall to 1889); 324 m AMSL; 33.14° S, 148.16° E | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 45.2 (113.4) |
45.5 (113.9) |
40.0 (104.0) |
35.4 (95.7) |
27.8 (82.0) |
26.7 (80.1) |
23.3 (73.9) |
27.8 (82.0) |
34.0 (93.2) |
37.7 (99.9) |
44.0 (111.2) |
42.5 (108.5) |
45.5 (113.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 32.3 (90.1) |
31.5 (88.7) |
28.5 (83.3) |
23.6 (74.5) |
18.6 (65.5) |
15.0 (59.0) |
14.0 (57.2) |
15.9 (60.6) |
19.5 (67.1) |
23.6 (74.5) |
27.7 (81.9) |
30.6 (87.1) |
23.4 (74.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17.9 (64.2) |
17.8 (64.0) |
15.0 (59.0) |
10.9 (51.6) |
7.5 (45.5) |
5.1 (41.2) |
4.0 (39.2) |
4.9 (40.8) |
7.3 (45.1) |
10.4 (50.7) |
13.5 (56.3) |
16.2 (61.2) |
10.9 (51.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 6.8 (44.2) |
6.0 (42.8) |
4.5 (40.1) |
0.5 (32.9) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
−3.6 (25.5) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
6.2 (43.2) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 57.6 (2.27) |
49.1 (1.93) |
47.4 (1.87) |
41.4 (1.63) |
47.2 (1.86) |
49.5 (1.95) |
49.1 (1.93) |
49.2 (1.94) |
41.8 (1.65) |
52.4 (2.06) |
49.5 (1.95) |
53.0 (2.09) |
587.5 (23.13) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 5.8 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 7.2 | 9.3 | 10.2 | 9.3 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 6.4 | 6.2 | 85.9 |
| Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 34 | 37 | 39 | 43 | 53 | 60 | 60 | 54 | 48 | 42 | 36 | 32 | 45 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology | |||||||||||||
Transport in Parkes
Parkes has a local bus service run by Western Road Liners. The famous Indian Pacific train passes through Parkes, but doesn't stop. However, the Outback Xplorer train service, which goes to Broken Hill and Sydney, does stop at Parkes railway station. The station opened in 1893.
Parkes Airport has regular flights to Sydney operated by Rex Airlines. The airport is about five kilometres east of the town centre.
Parkes is also located on Australia's main transcontinental railway line. The Newell Highway, which connects Victoria to Queensland, also runs through Parkes.
Media in Parkes
Radio Stations
Parkes has several radio stations you can listen to:
- 2PK AM 1404
- PH FM 88.0 (community radio from Peak Hill)
- ROK FM 95.5 (music station)
- 2LVR FM 97.9 (community radio)
- Sky Sports Radio FM 99.9 (sports and racing)
- SBS Radio FM 101.3 (for different language communities)
- Vision radio 87.6 FM (Christian radio)
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) also broadcasts four stations in the Parkes area:
- ABC Classic FM NSW 2ABCFM 102.7 FM
- ABC Radio National NSW 2ABCRN 104.3 FM
- Triple J NSW 2JJJ 101.9 FM
- ABC Central West NSW 2CR 549 AM (local ABC news and programs)
Television Channels
You can watch these free TV channels in Parkes:
- Prime7, 7Two, 7mate, 7flix, 7Bravo (from the Seven Network)
- Southern Cross 10, 10 Bold, 10 Peach, 10 Shake, Sky News Regional (from Network Ten)
- WIN Television, 9Go!, 9Gem, 9Life (from the Nine Network)
- Special Broadcasting Service, SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS Food, NITV, SBS WorldWatch
- ABC Television, ABC, ABC TV Plus, ABC Kids, ABC Me, ABC News
Newspapers
Parkes has two local newspapers:
- The Parkes Champion-Post is published three times a week.
- The Parkes Phoenix is a free weekly paper.
Notable People from Parkes
Many talented people have come from Parkes, including:
- Billy Burns, a rugby league player.
- Dianna Corcoran, a country music singer.
- Stephen Davies, an Olympic field hockey player.
- Tommy Emmanuel, a famous guitarist.
- David Field, an actor.
- Trixie Gardner, Baroness Gardner of Parkes, the first Australian woman to become a Baroness.
- Bryson Goodwin, an Australian rugby league player.
- Jim McGirr, who became the 28th Premier of New South Wales.
- James Pritchard, an international rugby player.
- Gordon Watson, a pianist.
- Scott Westcott, an Olympic marathon runner.
- Mariah Williams, an Olympic field hockey player.
Festivals
Parkes hosts a super fun event every year called the Parkes Elvis Festival. It happens in early January to celebrate Elvis Presley's birthday. It's a big event that brings many tourists to the town!
Images for kids
-
Parkes Billabong Creek
-
Parkes Bushmans Dam
-
Parkes Bushmans Hill
-
Elvis Memorial
-
War Memorial
-
Court House
-
Henry Parkes Statue
-
Heraghty Park
-
Mazoudier Park
-
Parkes TAFE College
