our city
Parramatta is located 23km west of Sydney’s central business district. It is a city in its own right and is a major commercial and business hub, situated in the geographical heart of the Sydney basin.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Despite Parramatta’s commercial prominence today, its origin was more humble. The first inhabitants of the area were the indigenous Darug tribe, who settled in and around Parramatta for the food it yielded, thanks to the nearby river and surrounding forests. When the British Colony landed in Sydney in 1788, Governor Arthur Phillip and the early settlers soon encountered difficulty farming the soils around Port Jackson.Heading up river later that same year, they landed and established farmland, making use of more favourable soil, and freshwater at the river’s beginning. Originally called Rose Hill, this became the second British settlement on Australian soil after Sydney. In 1791 Governor Phillip changed the name of the settlement to Parramatta – anglicised from Burramatta, an Aboriginal term for “the place where the eels lie down”.
A COLONY BEGINS TO BLOSSOM
True to its original purpose, Parramatta’s farms soon steadied the food crisis. It was men such as John MacArthur and James Ruse – himself a former convict – that helped the fledgling colony become self-sufficient. For this reason, Parramatta had soon grown to twice the population of Sydney, and several colonial government buildings – including Government House, which still stands in Parramatta Park today – were built in Parramatta. Finally at the turn of the century, Parramatta Road was built to accommodate the increasing traffic between the two settlements.
COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE
Parramatta has long outgrown its penal colony beginnings, to becoming a key business hub in not just Sydney but recognised across Australia. In many ways, Parramatta is seen as a "capital" city to Greater Western Sydney, with many coming from across the metropolitan area to work there. Tall office buildings gleam across the Parramatta skyline today, and residential towers continue to sprout across the city. University of Western Sydney have a large campus to the north-east of Parramatta. In addition, Church Street is home to many cafes and restaurants at the northern end, and the southern end is Westfield, one of the largest shopping centres in the Southern Hemisphere.
Parramatta also has some beautiful outdoor spaces to enjoy. Parramatta Park is a large pack on the west side of the city. Formerly the Governor’s Domain, it contains the Old Government House as mentioned. In North Parramatta is Lake Parramatta, parklands that surround a lake once used as a reservoir.
RICH HERITAGE
However, despite her modernisation and commercial significance, Parramatta still leaves many clues to its beginnings. There are many buildings in and around Parramatta on the Register of the National Estate, such as Elizabeth Farm House, Lancer Barracks, Parramatta Town Hall, Centennial Clock, Lennox Bridge, and Arthur Phillip High School. Parramatta is also home to some of the most beautiful historic churches in Australia. In the very heart of the city opposite Town Hall is St John’s Anglican Cathedral. Around the corner is Leigh Memorial Uniting Church and in the north of Parramatta is St Patrick’s Cathedral.
CULTURAL MELTING-POT
In much the same way that Sydney is a highly cosmopolitan and international city, Parramatta boasts a wide range of people groups and cultures. In the 2006 census, data shows that 57.6% of residents were born overseas, the majority coming from India and China. In all, over 100 nationalities are represented in Greater Western Sydney.
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