Places to visit in and around Parramatta NSW

Arrunga Bardo means ‘calm water’, and its spot on the southern shore of Lake Parramatta is perfect.

This garden, established by the local Aboriginal community and City of Parramatta Council, is devoted to native plants that were indispensable to the Burramatta people.

You’ll see ample evidence of the Burramattagal occupation here, such as hand-stencilled paintings, cave shelters, stone flakings, scar trees and shell deposits.

After your walk, you might want to take a swim in the lake (from October to mid March each year), or hire a kayak, canoe, paddleboat, stand-up paddle board or rowboat. You can also spend time in the picnic areas, where there are BBQs and playgrounds.

Entry is free and the area is open 6:30am to 5:30pm daily (7.30pm during daylight savings).

Taking a stroll along the northern foreshore of Parramatta River – part of the Parramatta River Walk – is a complete sensory experience. Beginning from the Parramatta Heritage and Visitor Information Centre, the walk includes bright murals that illustrate Parramatta’s Aboriginal story.

You’ll see depictions of traditional Aboriginal food sources, native plants and fishing activities to help you understand the river's culinary abundance and the impacts of colonisation and the forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families.

Designed by local Aboriginal artist Jamie Eastwood, this is public art that will deepen your understanding of Parramatta’s history before 1788 to the present day.

You’ll learn about notable figures including Baludarri, a Darug/Dharug man who once lived in Parramatta and is described, through the retelling of British colonists, as a confident and resourceful man.

You’ll also connect to the Baludarri Wetlands Boardwalk where the river, wetlands and surrounds were an important source of food, as well as a place for meeting and trade for the Darug/Dharug nation.

This a family and dog-friendly walk with places to stop and rest and accessible amenities.

Explore the network of walking tracks from Hunts Creek Reserve until you come to Balaka Falls, a scenic, small tiered-cascade waterfall.

There’s plenty of ways you can get there on foot or bike, with bushwalks and cycle tracks suitable for all skill levels, with tracks up to 2.5 kilometres. You can access these from Northam Drive, Norfolk Place, Lesley Avenue or Sun Valley Place.

Keep your eye out for the Coastal Enriched Sandstone Moist Forest closer to the creek and tracts of Sydney Turpentine – Ironbark Forest and Coastal Enriched Sandstone Dry Forest up the catchment and away from the creek.

You might also discover Hunts Creek, which lies at the junction of the land of the Burramattagal, Bidjigal, Terramerragal and Wallumattagal clans. The area’s clear waters were once used to distil illegal peach cider. By the 1820s, bushranger Jack Donohue and his gang were holed up in the area’s local caves, possibly relying on the skills of Aboriginal people to live off the land.

The reserve is family and onleash dog-friendly, with 2 playgrounds and picnic benches to rest after a visit to the Falls.

You’ll find a unique historical site at the 1813 Female Orphan School, a place where young female orphaned girls were housed by the government in the 1800s and a significant part of Parramatta’s local heritage and community.

The school provided young girls with the care, work ethic and domestic skills in an attempt to remedy experiences of abandonment and poverty. Interestingly, 80% of the girls voluntarily entered the school, not as orphans but as young women who wanted a proper education.

This is an elegant and well proportioned building, representing the neo-classical Palladian architectural style of order and restraint. It was the first 3 storey building in Australia and one of the first built by paid workers.

For 100 years after 1880, the building provided services for psychiatric patients. After it closed, it fell into disrepair. However, Western Sydney University took custodianship and began restoration of the site you see today.

Now, you can visit the Whitlam Institute, a showcase of 40,000 items of the Whitlam Prime Ministerial Collection. It is a place for public policy research and debate, supported by the Parramatta Heritage Partners.

Entry is free and the building is open Wednesday to Friday 10am to 4pm.

Lennox Bridge is the site of the earliest documented European crossings of the Parramatta River in the Parramatta area. This is is one of NSW and Australia’s most important historic structures and one of the earliest bridges in the country.

Built with convict labour between 1836 and 1839, Lennox Bridge now features 2 large interpretive murals to help you understand the historical and engineering significance of the bridge.

It’s easy to visit Lennox Bridge, located a short walk from Parramatta’s Riverside Theatres and close to Prince Alfred Square, the site of Parramatta’s first gaol in 1796 and later the first female factory in 1804.

Today, the squsare features a Victorian bandstand, a 1920s war memorial and the Gollan Memorial Clock Tower, built in 1954. In recent years, the square has also been used for festival events, attracting both locals and visitors to enjoy this great public space.

Wentworth Point Community Centre and Library is located at the heart of Wentworth Point, a bustling suburb along the Parramatta River and next to Homebush Bay.

When you venture into the library, you’ll find the frog reading nooks – unique spaces that celebrate the Green and Golden Bell Frog, an endangered species that is more prevalent and protected in Homebush. We call the frog reading nooks ‘Tiddalik’ after a mischievous frog from Aboriginal mythology who would keep all the water to itself until it was made to laugh.

We’re lucky to have realised the importance of this area to these patriotic amphibians – the local population was discovered in 1993 as the area was developed for the 2000 Olympic Games.

This state-of-the-art library also features study areas, dance and music rooms, meeting spaces and a book vending machine.

Come and enjoy Wentworth Point and the broader Homebush Bay area – it’s a place settled for many thousands of years, and where once it was filled with industrial style uses, today you can explore evidence of times past, from the shipwrecks of Homebush Bay and the Brick Pit Ring Walk to the Abattoir Heritage Precinct amd Newington Armory.

Wentworth Point sits next to the site of the 2000 Olympic Games, which attracted athletes from around the globe.

Parramatta Town Hall is intimately connected to Parramatta’s history as a municipality and a city. It was not only built as a meeting place for Council business, it was also built as a suitable public place for community meetings, concerts and other activities.

This ia a Victorian Free Classical architectural style – one used throughout Australia for many civic buildings as well as banks and theatres in the second half of the 19th century.

Today, Parramatta Town Hall is available for Council and local community groups for a variety of functions including civic receptions, flag raising ceremonies, bridal expos and festival performances.

You’ll find Town Hall in Centenary Square, a market place for the local community and home to many significant events, from Lunar New Year celebrations to Anzac Day Commemorations. From the square you can visit other heritage buildings, such as St Johns Cathedral, Church Hall and Vergers Cottage.

Known by many as ‘Little India’, Harris Park is home to many of the state’s best South Asian dining spots, notably the aromatic fare served along and around Wigram Street. A complete sensory experience, this lively neighbourhood is a must-visit for flavour aficionados.

You have a choice of around 10 Indian restaurants on Wigram Street, each offering a range of delicacies from north and south India. As well as delicious meals, you will be greeted with displays of sweets at the counter – just impossible to resist!

This is a place of real Indian culture – with 45% of local residents of Indian ancestry, Harris Park is a multicultural hub with a large variety of cuisines, plenty of vegetarian options, decent servings and extremely reasonable prices.

While in Harris Park, take the self-guided 2.4 kilometre Harris Park Heritage Walk, where you’ll discover a cluster of heritage properties ranging from Experiment Farm Cottage, an 1835 bungalow; Hambledon Cottage, the second house of John Macarthur that is surrounded by 200-year-old trees; and Elizabeth Farm.

Just over a 10 minute walk from Parramatta rail station, escape the hustle and bustle of the city centre and enjoy some of the features of Prince Alfred Square.

This lovely green space became a village green in 1837 after being the site of a gaol and the female factory. Thankfully, what we see today is a more pleasant representation of life in Parramatta, where you can take in the lined avenues and features representative of a Victorian People’s Park.

The park features avenues of contemporary plantings of palms, brush box and jacaranda, surrounding monuments such as the Parramatta War Memorial, and the sandstone Gollan Memorial Clock Tower.

Replicating just how the park was used more than a century ago – as a place for public gathering – you might now visit this space to attend local events such as Parramasala and Winterlight.

Newington Armory, a heritage-listed former naval armaments depot, has been transformed into a unique arts venue. You can visit its theatre, outdoor amphitheatre, artist studios and an exhibition space the site also provides a place to cycle, picnic and play.

The Newington Army was built by the Royal Australian Navy in the late 19th century and was designated as a World Heritage site in 2011. The site includes the Armory Gallery, a 500 m2 contemporary art gallery and Building 20, which presents site-specific installations and smaller exhibitions.

There’s plenty to enjoy throughout the year, from free exhibitions, film festivals and public art to cultural activities and kids’ activities. You might also want to do the Heritage Railway Discovery Tour along Parramatta River around the historic buildings.

Nearby Blaxland Riverside Park, spans 3 hectares and provides an array of activities and challenges for all ages and abilities.

Newington Armory is open Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm and entry is free.