Parramatta, New South Wales

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Parramatta Sydney, New South Wales
Old Government House, Parramatta.
Population:	22,809
Established:	1788
Postcode:	2150
Property Value:	AUD $440,000
Location:	25 km from Sydney CBD
LGA:	City of Parramatta
State District:	Parramatta
Federal Division:	Reid, Parramatta

Parramatta is a suburb in the City of Parramatta in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 25 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, approximately at the geographical centre of the Sydney urban area. On the banks of Parramatta River, it is a major government and commercial centre, sometimes called Sydney's "second central business district". It is home to Westfield Parramatta, which is now the largest shopping centre in Australia as well as the largest in the Southern Hemisphere^{[citation needed]}.

1 History
2 Current developments
3 Landmarks
4 External links

[edit] History

Parramatta Town Hall

Parramatta was founded in 1788, the same year as Sydney. The Darug people had lived in the area they called Baramada or Burramatta for many generations, and regarded the area as a food bowl, rich in food from the river and forests. The British Colony however, which had arrived in January 1788 in the First Fleet at Sydney Cove, had only enough food to support itself for a short time and the soil around Sydney Cove proved too poor to grow the thousands of kilos of food that 1000 convicts, soldiers and administrators needed to survive. During 1788 Governor Arthur Phillip had reconnoitred several places before choosing Parramatta as the likeliest place for a successful large farm. On Sunday November 2 1788, Governor Phillip took a detachment of marines along with a surveyor and, in boats, made his way up the harbour to what was called The Crescent, now part of Parramatta Park, where tents were set-up and the work of determining the best places to farm began. A work team of convicts followed, who would have to hoe the land by hand, and clear what trees they could to grow wheat, corn and barley – initially they grew these grains mainly for seed, in order to establish farming in the new colony. The farming (at what became known as Rose Hill, New South Wales) proved successful and enabled the early colony to survive, whereas it otherwise would have certainly failed^{[citation needed]}. The area was at first named The Crescent, then Rose Hill. In 1791, on the King's Birthday, Governor Phillip changed the name of the growing town to Par-ra-mat-ta, a name which approximated the term used by the local people to describe their place. The name Parramatta is derived from Dharug Baramada, meaning "the place where the eels lie down"^[1].

Governor Arthur Phillip built a small house on Rose Hill for times he spent in the town. Another house replaced that in 1799 which has remained until today - this house was used as a retreat by Governors until the 1850s, and one Governor (Governor Brisbane) made it his principal residence for a short period in the 1820s. The house Old Government House, remains as an historic site and museum and is Australia's oldest surviving public building.

Land at Parramatta was granted to James Ruse, an emancipated convict, and is now the site of Experiment Farm, which was built by Dr. John Harris in the 1830s.

It is on a stretch of the Parramatta River which is a gathering place for native species of eel, as it is the point where saltwater meets freshwater and creates a profusion of nutrients. The eel has been adopted as the symbol of the Parramatta Eels rugby league club, which competes in the National Rugby League.

[edit] Current developments

At the start of the new millennium, Parramatta saw the consolidation of its role as a government centre, with the relocation of facilities, such as the New South Wales Police Headquarters, from Sydney's CBD. At the same time, major construction work occurred around the railway station with the expansion of Westfield Shoppingtown, the creation of a new "Transport Interchange", and the development of the Civic Place local government precinct.

Private businesses have also started to relocate their offices to Parramatta in response to the high property prices in the CBD.

In a bid to regenerate central-west Sydney as an urban centre there have been calls for the Museum of Contemporary Arts to be relocated from Circular Quay to Parramatta^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Landmarks

[edit] Lake Parramatta

Lake Parramatta is a 10-hectare reserve, based around a former reservoir. The catchment area for the lake is bounded by North Rocks Rd, Pennant Hills Rd and Hunts Creek. The entrance is from Lackey Street, North Parramatta.

[edit] Parramatta Park

Parramatta Park is a large park adjacent to Parramatta Stadium. It was formerly the Governor's Domain and contains Old Government House, as mentioned above. Another feature is the natural amphitheatre located on one of the bends of the river, named by Governor Philip as "the Crescent", which is used to stage concerts.

[edit] Ferry Wharf

Charles St Ferry Wharf, Parramatta

The ferry wharf is at the Charles Street Weir, which divides the tidal saltwater from the freshwater of the upper river, on the eastern boundary of the Central Business District. The wharf is the westernmost destination of the Sydney Ferries River Cat ferry service.

[edit] Church Street

Church Street is the home to many restaurants with a diverse range of cuisines. It takes its name from St John's Anglican Cathedral opposite the Town Hall. Nearby is the historic St John's Cemetery.

[edit] Railway station

Parramatta railway station is a major transport interchange on the CityRail network. It is served by the Blue Mountains line, Cumberland line and the Western line. The station was originally opened on July 4, 1860, five years after the first railway line in Sydney was opened in 1855, running from Sydney to Parramatta Junction. It was recently upgraded, with work beginning in late 2003 and the new interchange opening on February 19, 2006