Arka Evren

FILM · 2000 · AUSTRALIA

The Dish

11 archived facts 2 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026

10 Interesting Facts About The Dish

  1. #001

    Although The Dish's interior scenes were shot on a set, all scenes showing the real Parkes Dish were filmed on location. The facility was closed for three weeks because of the shoot.

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  2. #003

    The film is actually based on a true story, and the real director of the Parkes antenna was named Dr. John Bolton.

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  3. #004

    The character Fox Mason, played by Russ 'Mitch' Mitchell, never saw the moonwalk pictures live. He was busy pointing the windy dish at the Moon.

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  4. #005

    The film is set in the town of Parkes in the Australian state of New South Wales, but it was actually shot in Forbes, the neighbouring town a few miles down the road. The reason for the change of location is that Parkes has changed over the last 30 years, while Forbes has not changed as much. Forbes still looked like a 1960s town, just as Parkes did 30 years earlier.

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  5. #006

    As Cliff explains, Parkes technicians sometimes take rides on the moving dish. However, the depiction of the Parkes team playing cricket on the dish, which was actually filmed on location on the real dish, is a fictional scenario.

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  6. #007

    The Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station south of Canberra had a 26-metre antenna and is mentioned in the film. In fact, before Parkes took over, it was Honeysuckle Creek that provided the first 8 minutes of footage of the Moon landing. You can see the flicker on screen as the receiver dishes are changed while the original footage is being watched. Unfortunately, very little remains of Honeysuckle Creek TS, which also controlled Skylab.

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  7. #008

    The Dish control console used in the film is on display at the Parkes visitor centre.

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  8. #009

    The Moon was at first quarter during the Apollo 11 landing; the full moon images shown in the film would not have been what anyone saw that day. Also, because it was first quarter at the time of the landing (nearly 22:00 Houston time), the Moon was not visible from North America; Australia was the only place able to take photographs of the first steps on the Moon.

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  9. #010

    Parkes is in New South Wales and would have received news broadcasts from Sydney, but the newsreader shown, Sir Eric Pearce, was broadcasting from Melbourne. The clip was taken from his personal show reel.

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  10. #011

    John Gorton was Prime Minister of Australia in 1969. As the film suggests, he was famous for his drinking; "Gorton flu" became a euphemism in the Australian media for a hangover.

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