Parramatta Park Trust

«Government Hoose uz mye hoose! And its duhmain uz mye duhmain, no’ a public resort!»
Much to the ol’ Scotch-​tongued Guvnor Macquarie’s chagrin, the everyday people of the colony did treat this place as a «public resort» or «Common» long before it officially became one (in 1858). In the 1820s, these colonists committed «various Depredations on the Trees… intended for Ornament,» disfiguring and destroying them for firewood and bark to shingle their dwellings, dug sand for their mortar, and grazed their cattle right up until they were threatened with prosecution for such offences to the Guv’s private property. No doubt it is because this 85-​hectare heritage-​listed park began as the Governor’s private domain that, even today, one feels as though one is perambulating through an impressive, peaceful country estate, far removed from the bustle of the CBD rather than where one actually is: in the middle of it!
Locals (including the cute and boisterous wildlife — corellas and cockatoos) are often to be found taking full advantage of this pastoral oasis, cycling, picnicking with family and frolicking along its river, beneath its handsome trees or in the vicinity of picturesque, colonial architectural gems including; the Georgian McMansion known as «Old Government House;» the Tudor revivalism of the George Street «Tudor» Gatehouse, (on the cusp of becoming a café /​restaurant and reclaiming its status as the official entry point to the park in the near future); the Gothic design of the Macquarie Street Gatehouse (the perfect place for a high tea or a quick coffee and cake) and the considerably humbler convict-​built Salter’s Cottage, which eventually became the Governor’s «Dairy Cottage» as well as the adjacent Ranger’s Cottage. The Mays Hill Gatehouse has also just been newly restored and it is pretty as a picture.
Believe it or no’ (sorry, I momentarily slipped back into my Scottish accent) that is just for starters, because the park is a veritable hot bed of historicity!*
Indigenous history is brought to the fore in a bush regeneration program currently underway within the park, which will restore a remnant of Sydney’s Coastal River-​Flat Forest. Introduced exotic trees and plants are being removed to allow native species to regenerate so visitors will experience the landscape as it was for the Darug people for at least 20,000 years.
At the «Murray Gardens» you can stand in the very spot where convicts built their huts from 1788 – 1810 and at the «Rumsey Rose Gardens» see the heritage rose species on display as well as where cons once worked in the government lumberyard (1790 – 1815).
Partial to a Georgian cannon? As am I! There are two at the stunning sandstone Boer War Memorial with numbers and such engraved on them in an old-​timey hand, and not far from there you can stand at the site of Parramatta’s first building, Governor Phillip’s Redoubt, and see what remains of the Governor’s Bath House (now a pavilion) and Observatory. There you’ll see an obelisk marking the Observatory’s «transit instrument.» And, while it may be hard to believe, it is not the only obelisk around these parts. There’s another one on «Oak Drive» which serves as a memorial to a Governor’s wife who died in an horrific horse and carriage accident in 1847. The Female Factory Precinct, old Parra Gaol and the Old King’s School are all very close to Parramatta Park, too. See? «Hotbed of historicity» was not mere hyperbole!
And if you do get peckish or thirsty and you aren’t in possession of a picnic, the afore mentioned heritage-​listed Macquarie Street Gatehouse is a winner, as are Lachlan’s café and restaurant at Old Government House and the Parramatta Park Café.
Seriously, I can’t think of another park in the wider Sydney area that has this much going for it!
* You can learn a lot about the history of Parra Park simply by wandering around aimlessly and reading the abundant, well-​researched signage at significant locations as you stumble upon ‘em, pick up some self-​guided tour brochures from the Parramatta Heritage Centre, or download the free historic walking tour app «DigiMacq,» which I’ve already reviewed thoroughly on Unilocal.
* Review originally written and posted 4 May 2014. Info about Mays Hill Gatehouse restoration reflects more recent developments in 2015.