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  3. River foreshore parramatta

The River Foreshore Parramatta

The River Foreshore Parramatta

This historic precinct of Parramatta includes the section of the river from the Gasworks Bridge to the Marsden Street.  It was once the heart of the township where industry, commerce and agriculture all met for trade and exchange. Prior to European arrival in 1788 it was the tidal meeting place of fresh and salt water, and the Darug meeting place which gave Parramatta its name,  the place ‘where eels lie down’.

This stretch of river foreshore, particularly the southern bank, was arguably the most significant piece of land during the early European settlement of the area. It was here that Governor Phillip landed his boats on 2 November 1788, six months after first discovering the site, and it was from here that they set about building Australia’s second European settlement.

Between 1788 and 1840 this section of river was also of great importance for the feeding of the Sydney region. Australia’s agricultural and farming industries were born in the Parramatta district and the services to support them sprang up along these riverbanks.

Before this the foreshore was of immense significance to the local Darug People as it was the meeting place of the salt water from Sydney Harbour and the fresh water from the Parramatta River. The tides and extremes in climate meant that this section of river could range from being virtually empty of water to a raging torrent.

This changeability was also the source of the local Burramatta name ‘Parramatta’ meaning ‘where eels lie down’ This phrase referred to the period when the eels travelled up the river to spawn and many were caught in the open at low tide.

In the maps and blog posts below you can see how early the early township of Parramatta developed along the foreshore. All this started to change around 1860 with the opening of the railroad line which ran from Sydney to Parramatta. This saw the movement of goods and services to the southern side of Parramatta and the movement of the center of the city towards Centenary Square.

Where the Riverside Theatres Stand
From Baths to Box Office – Riverside Theatres in Parramatta, 1993. Source: City of Parramatta Archives Photograph ...
James Houison’s Bond House, Church Street, Parramatta
The local architect James Houison erected his shop and dwelling on Lot 1 on the south eastern corner of Lennox Bri...
Captain Henry Mance – The Prince of Parramatta River
He was called the “Prince of the Parramatta River”. Well known by many of the residents who lived along the Parramatta R...
First European Exploration of Parramatta, 22 to 28 April 1788
The town of Parramatta may have been established on the 2 November 1788, but this proclamation was made on Phillip’s sec...
Governor Phillip and the ‘Kings Wharf’, 1788
The first colonists under Governor Arthur Phillip arrived at the foreshore a little further south near Duck Cr...
Harvey’s Mill, The Cumberland Steam Mill, and Dares Mill, Parramatta
At the foot of Smith Street (#40 Smith Street) on the eastern side, up from the riverbank, Henry Harvey, a baker, ...
William Sherwin – Parramatta Pioneers
William Sherwin was a Sergeant in the New South Wales Corps who arrived in Sydney in 1792 and by 1803 had settled in Par...
Thomas Halfpenny – George (High) Street – Parramatta Pioneers
A First Fleet private marine of the 35th Company, Halfpenny decided in October 1791 to settle in the country. He had mar...
Michael Murphy – George Street – Parramatta Pioneers
In 1809 the next allotment west from Thomas Halfpenny’s was Michael Murphy; as Murphy had no official lease, he mus...
Byrnes Cloth Factory Parramatta
On the lot to the south of the Rivercat Wharf on George Street and next to Harrisford House, James and William Byr...
Rivercat Wharf – Parramatta
In 1951, the State Government took over the Sydney Ferries Ltd. operations. Between 1969 and 1973 an attempt to re...
Howell’s Wind and Water Mill – Parramatta
In 1828 George Howell and his son ‘George Jnr.’ began work on what was to become one of the most distinctive landm...
Governor Phillip Part 5 – Sydney 1788
… this is a continuation of part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4 of the biography of Arthur Phillip, Austral...
 

The City of Parramatta respectfully recognises the traditional owners of the land and waters of Parramatta, the Darug peoples.
Sensitivity notice: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this website may contain images and voices of deceased ancestors.

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