Parramatta is the second settlement in Australia after
Sydney in 1788. It is about 14 miles west of central Sydney. The British Colony
arrived in the First Fleet at Sydney Cove. They only had enough food for a
short time and the soil around Sydney Cove was too poor to grow the amount of
food that 1,000 convicts, soldiers and administrators would need to survive. So
Governor Arthur Phillip reconnoitred several places before choosing Parramatta as
the most likely place for a successful large farm. Parramatta was the furthest
navigable point inland on the Parramatta River and also the point at which the
river became freshwater and therefore useful for farming.
In November 1788, Governor Phillip with a detachment of
marines and a surveyor, made his way upriver to a location that he called The
Crescent, a defensible hill curved round a river bend, now in Parramatta Park.
As a settlement developed, Governor Phillip gave it the name "Rose
Hill" after George Rose, Secretary for the British Treasury. In 1791 he
changed the name to Parramatta, approximating the term used by the local
Aboriginal people.
Parramatta Park is a large park adjacent to Parramatta
Stadium and a
World
Heritage Site. It was formerly the Governor's Domain, land set aside for
the Governor to supply his farming needs. Originally the grounds were much
larger than the today’s Parramatta Park. I usually enter the park by the Queens
Road Gatehouse that is just off Park Street and walk clockwise. There is a path
that goes round the park (about 2 miles) and also a couple of paths across as
seen on the
map.
There are many historical
monuments
dotted along the park. There are nice big trees on one side of the path which
has lanes for cars and cyclists and pedestrians. While on the inner side there
is open grass where on weekend you can see children having football lessons.
Further up there is children’s playing area with swings and climbing frames.
Most mornings especially in cooler weather, children are brought by mothers and
carers, to have a run about and play.
Just past these is the Domain Creek coming off the
Parramatta River. It usually has a few ducks and coots wandering about. The
outer side there is the Coleman Oval where fairs are held. Last year there was
a medieval fair. There was enacting of some fights; there were some birds of
prey and booths selling wood crafts. Sadly it was a wet day and the field was a
muddy mire.
Walking further along there are the Wisteria gardens, only
open for a few weeks in spring when the Wisteria and the many cherry trees are
in full bloom. This is right at the edge of the river and part of the garden is
over the bridge and across the river too. The path moves along the river and
the trees on both banks of the river are full of fruit bats. These are a large
species of bats and this is a fairly substantial colony. There are also a couple
of trees which are home to the Ibis. The river gushes past and you can cross
over it via the Button’s Bridge, which carries on as Ross Street Causeway that
takes you to the Parramatta Stadium.
The bridge is a nice spot to see the bat colony. When it is
not too warm like on a late winter morning, you can see a few bats taking to
air and moving to a new spot. I have never seen bats flying about in day light so it is always a fascinating
experience each time I see them. Once or twice something had disturbed them and
large numbers were taking to the air and making that squeaking kind of sound.
You can also see the ibises perched on a couple of trees just at the bend of
the river. There are some ducks and coots swimming near the banks and also some
cormorants. The flowing water is a pleasant sound in the peaceful scene.
On the left is the dairy cottage and on the right the band
rotunda. Dairy Cottage was built from 1798 to 1805, originally a single-room
cottage and is one of the earliest surviving cottages in Australia. It was
built for ex-convict George Salter. Between 1814 and 1816 it was converted to a
dairy. There is also a café and event
centre here. The road curves along the river bank and land rises up. You can
also climb down from the car park and walk along the riverbank. There are
soaring trees, grasses, ferns and numerous lizards along this small path.
This joins up with the road when you reach the Crescent. Across the river next to the Parramatta
Stadium and practically the opposite bank of the river is the Old King’s Oval. This
used to be race course originally, I seem to have heard. There is a bench just
under the trees where one can sit and enjoy the peace and landscape of the
Oval. There a particularly some trees that I love looking at.
Moving along on the left is a natural amphitheatre located
on one of the bends of the river, named by Governor Philip as "the
Crescent", which is used to stage concerts. He built a small house for
himself on the hill of The Crescent. In 1799 this was replaced by a larger
residence which, substantially improved by Governor Lachlan Macquarie from 1815
to 1818, has survived to the present day, and was used as a retreat by
Governors until the 1850s. Governor Brisbane made it his principal home for a
short period in the 1820s. The house, Old Government House, is currently a
historic site and museum within Parramatta Park and is Australia's oldest
surviving public building.
The road along the Crescent is lined with Oak trees. It is
strange to have this European tree, which in winter are probably the only trees
without leaves, leaving the sunlight to warm walkers on the road. In summer the
leaves from good canopies that provide the much needed shade for humans and the
fauna. There is a second bridge over the river called the Noller Bridge. This
is another place to stand and watch the river. This is also the area for the
government farms where wheat, barley, oats and some maize was grown. Moving
further along the walk on the left is a pavilion where shows can take place.
Once I saw the Elvis Appreciation Society holding a music show there. There is
a Tudor Gatehouse, on O'Connell Street, was erected by the Park Trust in 1885
and designed by Gordon McKinnon. It was restored in 1980.
Past the George Street gate house on the left is the bowling
green and also Rumsey Rose Garden. The coming of spring starts all the bushes
budding. There are so many varieties of roses from all over the world. There are
both new and old species to be seen, with so many colours and perfumes. Suring
winter the bowling green can hold entertainment events, like a movie being
shown on a screen on the side of a large van, a couple of stalls set up to sell
tea and sandwiches. People can picnic while watching movies and warming in the winter
sun.
Further up the road on to the right of the road is the Boer
War Memorial. The pillars and plinth of the memorial are supposed to be from
the original post office building. The memorial has 3 cannons, one on either
side and a smaller one on top to the plinth. Then one walk right up to the spot
where the remains of Governor Brisbane's private astronomical observatory,
constructed in 1822, are visible. Astronomers, who worked at the observatory,
discovering thousands of new stars and deep sky objects, include James Dunlop
and Carl Rümker.
Next is the Bath House designed for Governor Brisbane, in
1822 Colonial Architect S L Harris and built the following year. Water was
pumped to the Bath House through lead pipes from the Parramatta River. Then it
was pumped out and downhill to a duck pond on the slope below. The Bath House
was sophisticated having a heated plunge pool and a domed roof surmounted by a
cupola lantern. By 1886 the Bath House had become dilapidated and the Park
Trustees converted it into a pavilion which is used as a picnic shelter. On the
left side of the road the park boundary ends fairly close as there is a railway
line running next to it.
The right side had open grass which used to be cattle
paddocks. This was also the place where the first airplane landed in 1911, on 4
November. William Ewart “Billy” Hart, made one of the earliest and longest
flights in New South Wales, when he flew a Bristol Box-kite aircraft from Penrith
to land at Parramatta Park. In this first cross country flight in New South
Wales, Hart astonished the community by travelling a distance of 18 miles
(29km) in under 20 minutes, and his aircraft reached an altitude of 3000 feet. This
flight was acclaimed as a remarkable performance and Parramatta celebrated his
achievement, which was credited with taking Parramatta “a leap into the
future”.
Continuing further you complete a full circle back to the
Western Domain and the gate house we entered near. There are a variety of eucalyptus such as Tallowoods, Swampy
Mahogany, New England Peppermints, Lemon scented Gums, Red Forest Gums, Argyle
Apple and Broad Leaf Ironbarks; Jacarandas, Pin Oaks, Stone Pines, Oleanders,
Weeping Willows at the end of the river, Kurrajongs, Agathis, Camphor Laurels,
Araucarias and various Palms are all growing around the park. Over 120 bird species
have been recorded in the park such as fruit bats, parakeets, lorikeets,
blackbirds, ravens, pigeons of different species, ducks, cormorants, geese,
coots, and so many more that I can barely register before they disappear.
This is the best way of taking exercise, as it provides the
physical work out and at the same time relaxes and de-stresses you with the
calm environment and gently sounds of the birds, breeze and water flowing.
