Distance to date 17,520 kms
We watched the UK MotoGP and Moto2 from Silver stone last night and didn't get to sleep until 1 am, so a liesurely start to the day was called for. Casey Stoner went from last off the grid to 5th place which made it interesting. The morning was sunny and clear but cold so we rugged up to the max again. We had brekky at Gilgandra and Colin bought a paper to catch up on what was happening in the world. Seemed to be much the same things as when they left Perth.
The countryside was gently undulating farm land and we started to see sheep for the first time. The Goobang Mts made a pleasant back drop to the east. We were heading for Parkes and "The Dish" made famous by the movie of the same name which told the story of the part the Dish played in the televising of the Apollo 11 moon landing 1969. 
The Dish is a 65m dia radio telescope perched on top of a short tower that wouldn't look out of place under a Dutch windmill. It is set in flat farming area 20kms out of Parkes. The site was chosen for its lack of radio interference and low wind. As we walked from the car park we saw the iconic view of the Dish pointing straight up in its parked positiion at the end of a long avenue of trees. We watched three short 3D movies at the visitor centre and had a look round the display there. The dish started to move at 2 pm as it was scheduled to start an experimental program at that time. There was much humming of electric motors as the 1,000 tonne structure moved into place. The Dish was built in 1961 for the CSIRO and was fabricated in Germany. 
It was the largest radio telescope of its type at the time and used many innovative features that have been adopted around the World. Like Siding Springs it has been modified extensively to keep it up to date. It specialises in detecting elemental hydrogen and finding new galaxies and stars. Its role in transmitting the Apollo 11 pictures was a special project and it also helped collect data from the Galileo Mission for NASA.We cruised into Parkes and eventually found our Motel. There was a Harley Fat Boy parked next to our room and we met Steve from Melbourne who was at the end of a trip around Australia and heading home. He had been on the road since Easter and had spent much longer in each place he visited. He knew David Cornfoot and his brother Marty as he lived in Epping. He even knew the Wollert Landfill!
The moon over The Dish (if y0u look carefully)Tonight is the last night Alan and Colin spend together. Alan is riding home to Sydney tomorrow and Colin is going to Wollongong to have his tyre checked out by Colin Senior before heading home to Melbourne. Its been a great team with no arguments, dummy spitting or serious problems, even over snoring. The disappointment of not riding the Gibb River Road was soon forgotten as we found other places to visit. Otherwise the trip has gone exactly to plan and we have seen some wonderful places. Costs have been shared by alternating "shouts", which was a good way to go. The success at cards have even balanced out. We're both thinking of what the next "trip might be.
No comments:
Post a Comment