Situated adjacent to St John’s Cathedral is the area now referred to as Parramatta Square. But don’t be fooled by the modern facade for this area has been a community hub at the centre of Parramatta for over 230 years. Over its long a chequered history it has been a market place, an Aboriginal and European meeting place, a city centre, and a Civic hub.
Historically the area has been defined as the large block of land bounded by Church Street, The Railway Line (and later Darcy Street), Smith Street and Macquarie Street. It is hard to imagine now, but once this land was part of a natural valley that fed three separate ponds, with tall stands of trees growing in the rich volcanic soil. All of which was managed for tens of thousands of years by the local Burramattagal clan of the Darug Peoples.
Read the stories compiled by Research Team: Parramatta Square
