Only six miles to the west of the location of the first Australian Block Party is the city of Parramatta, a thriving suburb and the second CBD in the Greater Sydney area..
Parramatta is the oldest inland European settlement, founded in 1788, only 6 months after Sydney. To supply the new colony of food, Governor Arthur Phillips choose Parramatta for extensive farming as it was the furthest inland point reachable by ship from Sydney and the point where the river became freshwater and therefore useful for farming.
Much of the history has been preserved and is tucked in between the shiny skycrapers that dominate the city centre.
The World Heritage listed Parramatta Park is your starting point for exploring this interesting area.
This park is a popular place for leisure and sports. The centrepiece is the convict-built Old Government House (GC7B8VV) and garrison buildings. Built in 1799-1816 these are the oldest surviving public buildings in Australia.
A short walk brings you to Australia’s oldest cemetery (GC1GZ0E). This is also your starting point for the Adventure Lab ‘Parramatta History Walk’ which will show you more of this fascinating city.
Parramatta’s Church Street comes to live in the evening with a wide selection of bars and restaurants. For Indian food, Little India in the suburb of Harris Park is only one trainstop away and well worth visiting at night.
As parking is scarce and expensive, Parramatta can best be reached by bus or train. Or, even better, in order to soak in the sights, take a push bike and paddle from Sydney Olympic Park along the Parramatta river, or take the ferry from Sydney Olympic Park to Parramatta.
It’s time to start making travel plans and booking leave so you don’t miss out on this exciting event. If you haven’t done so yet, head over to https://coord.info/GCACHF8 and log your ‘Will Attend’.
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