Parramatta Excursion – 31 January 2023

I had organised an excursion to Parramatta with Valerie and Sue. This was partly for a nice ferry cruise along the Parramatta River from Circular Quay, and also for visiting some historic sites at Parramatta.

We met at the wharf at Circular Quay and board the ferry to Parramatta. The one we were on had seats up on the roof – so that was where we went.

we were soon underway.

The first stop was at Barangaroo.

Then to Cockatoo Island.

The ferry proceeded up the river, with a few more stops, under Gladesville Bridge.

We noticed this stone brick structure and wondered what it had been. Perhaps the foundations for an old bridge?

Then past the old Thomas Walker Estate.

And under the historic Jan Whitton Bridge – the first rail bridge over the Parramatta River. It is now a walkway/cycleway.

Here is a Pelican and a Pied Cormorant –

And a Darter –

We passed the Duck River –

Upstream of Rydalmere, we had to go back down to the lower deck. Due to a poor buying decision, ferries and been purchased that were too high for the low bridges along the river. The top deck was now out of bounds.

And we knew we were approaching Parramatta as too high towers loomed close. They are 67 stories high.

We disembarked at the Parramatta Wharf, and found that die to development work near the wharf, the ferry willl not be running for the next few months, so we were lucky with our choice of date.

We then set off to look for historic sites. I had copy of “Exploring Hidden Sydney” by Trevor McAlister with me and it has a chapter on Parramatta.

Our first stop was Hartford House. It dates from 1823 and was later used for Kings School.

We were looking at the building from outside, when a staff member inside beckoned us inside. She showed us the very interesting interior.

One thing we noted were how low the door arches were –

And at the back was an old well –

This historic building is abutted by the high skyscrapers

We then crossed to the north side of the river, and walked upstream.

The path went past some wetlands and then under the James Ruse Bridge. Here there is an  old boundary marker – one of nine put in by Governor Gipps to mark the boundary of Parramatta

The next old building we wanted to visit was the Female Orphan School.

It is the oldest brick 3 story building in Australia. Started 1813, completed 1818. It is now pat of the University of Western Sydney and houses the Whitlam Institute.

The displays are not normally open to the public on Tuesdays, but a staff member saw us and invited us in. It was very interesting and we stayed for more than an hour.

We then headed back to the south side of the river, and visited Hambeldon Cottage which dates from 1824.

Peter Woodard says that “That cork oak was purchased in 1817 at Madeira off Portugal, by John MacArthur. It travelled on the ship Lord Eldon to Australia.”

Nearby was Elizabeth Farm –

It was closed, so we could not see inside.

Then to the Experimental Farm Cottage –

We then headed back to the CBD and had a late lunch. It was time for our ferry back to the city. On the way to the wharf, we visited the site of the new Powerhouse Museum. It does look a bit flood prone.

Then our ferry arrived – a Rivercat.

On the journey back, we noticed more birds –

Dollarbird

Darter

Great Egret

Pelicans

And a Peregrine Falcon flew past –

We also noticed the last motor ferry to be still operating in the harbour – the Putney Punt –

The trip back was more direct, with less stops. We were soon approaching the city.

This had been an interesting and enjoyable excursion. We were talking about a later trip to see more of the rich history of the Parramatta area.