Lancers Barracks Parramatta

Lancers Barracks was built by Lt. John Watts in 1818 under instructions from Governor Macquarie. It was finished and operational in 1820. This is one of the oldest still in use Barracks.

A Lancer is a soldier of a cavalry regiment armed with a lance. Lance is a weapon of war used by soldiers on horseback. It has a sharp metal point affixed to the end of the long. Wooden ( usually bamboo) pole. It is used to spear enemy soldiers.

Military presence in Parramatta traces back to 1788, when the first European settlement was established. The Regiment’s ties with Parramatta began in 1891, when the Regiment’s Parramatta Troop was founded.  Regiment’s Headquarters was established in 1897 and Lancers have called Parramatta their home since then. Lancers are Australia’s oldest and most decorated Regiments.

In the 1914-1918 war the Regiment, being militia, did not serve abroad. However most of its pre-war members joined the 1^st Light Horse Australian Imperial Force (AIF). They served at Gallipoli and as part of the ANZAC Mounted Division in Palestine, fighting in Sinai, Beersheba, Jerusalem, Jericho and Amman. By the end of the war, 224 men had died and 679 wounded.

At the end of the war and disbandment of the AIF, the 1^st Light Horse was effectively rolled back into its ‘parent’ militia Regiment, the NSW Lancers, which became known as the 1^st Light Horse (NSW Lancers). It was granted the title ‘Royal’ in 1935. It was a horsed regiment till 1936.

In 1956, the ‘1^st Light Horse Regiment’ was linked with ‘15^th Light Horse Regiment’ making the Regiment also the successor to the 15^th Light Horse Regiment AIF which had been formed in Palestine in 1918 from personnel from Imperial Camel Corps.

Darcy Dugan – Australia’s Most Notorious Escape Artist

Darcy Ezekiel Dugan was born on 29 August 1920 in Sydney. As per Ancestry he died in Glebe on 22 August 1991 at the age of almost 71 and is buried in Rookwood Cemetery.

Darcy committed numerous armed holdups, bank robbery and even robbing the hospital. He became famous for his daring escapes than for his initial crimes. Darcy gave evidence to an enquiry about the dreadful brutality regularly perpetrated against prisoners in Grafton Jail. In his evidence, he mentioned about daily brutal beatings and torture, and even throwing boiling water on prisoners. This prompted Bob Campbell to write a song about Darcy based on the evidence he gave.

Song can now be heard on You Tube

Dugan escaped from ‘escape-proof’ circumstances six times. He once went through a ceiling, the roof and sneaked over the outer wall at Sydney’s Long Bay Jail in daylight. He was located 30 metres away from an armed guard and this was the second incident in the same day 25 minutes after being imprisoned.

Darcy Dugan escaped from a prison tram on 4 March 1946, which was transporting him between Darlinghurst Courthouse and Long Bay jail. He used the kitchen knife to rip a hole and escaped as the tram passed the Sydney Cricket Ground. The tram is still kept at the Sydney Tramway Museum.

Darcy spent 43 years in jail and when he was out for a short time in the 1970s he became a social worker and began exposing police corruption involving crooked cops and gangsters. The crooked cops then framed him and put him back inside for a crime he did not commit. 

Dugan worked as a rehabilitation officer during his final years of freedom until his health declined. In 1980, Darcy married Jan Simmonds, who he had met in prison while she was researching a book about her brother Kevin Simmonds, famous for being an escapee and fugitive in the late 1950s. Although they separated not long after their marriage but they remained friends and Jan looked after Darcy during his last days.

 References:

https://www.geni.com/people/Darcy-Dugan/6000000021935970060

https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10182-478950/darcy-dugan-in-biographical-summaries-of-notable-people?indId=externalindividual-1888ba111b04ca54c46e22375a50ffb8&trn=partner_Geni&trp=logged_out_matches_module

https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10450-9217513/canberra-times-act?indId=externalindividual-1888ba111b04ca54c46e22375a50ffb8&mrid=606d2362a01471577ec58c3950740a17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRGKjvpPVUI        

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darcy_Dugan

Epping

Aboriginal people from the Wallumedegal group, whose lands stretch along the Parramatta and Lane Cove rivers, were living in the region of Epping when the Europeans arrived. The first European settler in the district was freed convict David Kilpack who received grants of land in 1794 and 1795 totalling 80 acres (32.3 hectares). He died two years later and his widow Eleanor married Thomas Higgins. His son was one of the first settlers in the Hornsby district.

The western side of Epping spreads over two major land grants – Lieutenant William Kent had 170 acres (69.8 hectares) granted by Governor Hunter and his nephew William George Carlile Kent was granted 460 acres (186.1 hectares) in 1803. The western boundary of the Field of Mars bordered their land.

Many settlers struggled to clear the land and make a living from their farms so the government proclaimed town commons where they could graze their animals, leaving their own land available for food crops. One such common was the Field of Mars which covered between 5,050 and 6,253 acres (2,044 to 2,530 hectares). A convict timber camp was established in 1817 and because the trees were soon removed, the general area was known as Barren Ridges by 1825.

Epping had an important role in the early years of the colony, particularly during the time of Governor Macquarie when timber from the area mainly blue gum, blackbutt and some cedar, was in high demand. After the sawmilling finished the Epping area consisted mostly of orchards and bushland, with most people making a living from vegetable and fruit growing.

In the 1820s, the Mobbs family established citrus orchards in the Epping area, and other growers soon followed. Produce was carted to Ermington wharf on the Parramatta River and sent by boat to the Sydney markets.

Epping Railway Station was opened on 17 September 1886. First called the Field of Mars station, then renamed Carlingford the following year, this choice of name caused confusion as the post office was called East Carlingford. William Midson (1849-1924) suggested the name Epping after the town near Epping Forest, Essex where his father was born. It was accepted and officially adopted in 1899.
The coming of the railway resulted in an increase in land prices. The first subdivisions of land were made the same year as the railway lined opened, with a section of the Field of Mars subdivided into large blocks and sold by the government. This was the beginning of the development of the suburb of Epping.

The commons land was resumed by the government in 1874 and opened up for sale in 1889. By the turn of the twentieth century, there were twelve houses in the area bounded by Rawson to Midson Roads and Chesterfield Road to Devlins Creek, covering an area of about 450 acres (182.1 hectares). The first general store was built by Joseph Walker in 1892. After World War II, there was an increased demand for residential lots resulting in the subdivision and sale of small farms and orchards.

Compiled from the following sources:
Book of Sydney Suburbs. Pollon,Frances, LS994.41 BOO
http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/epping
http://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/library/resources-and-research/local-history/researching-the-history-of-epping
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epping,_New_South_Wales

Eastwood

The indigenous history of Eastwood includes the period when the Wallumedegal people lived in the territory bounded by the Lane Cove and Parramatta rivers. Part of the Dharug group, their country was called Wallumetta. [1]

The 1820s saw the building of Brush Farm House by Gregory Blaxland, following his purchase of the Brush Farm Estate in 1807. Located in what is now Eastwood, the house survives, representing a nationally important site where some of the colony's initial land grants were made.[2]

The suburb Eastwood gets its name from the Eastwood Estate and house, the original owner of which was William Rutledge who built a single storey house on the hill to the east of Brush Farm in 1840.[3] Edward Terry, later the first mayor of Ryde, purchased the estate around 1871 and after his death, it was subdivided to emerge as Eastwood Village.

In 1868, the tart green Granny Smith apple was developed in Eastwood by an English-born orchardist, Maria Ann Smith. She apparently found a seedling growing in her compost heap after throwing out the remains of some Tasmanian crab apples.[4] 

In the 1890s, during a severe economic depression, Harry Curzon-Smith built the stately Curzon Hall which is now located just beyond the borders of Eastwood, in Marsfield. Now considered one of Australia’s finest reception centres, it was built from local sandstone quarried from what is now a pond in the grounds of Macquarie University.[5]

Marsfield Municipality seceded from Ryde in 1894 and was renamed Eastwood in 1907. It was never an affluent council because of the small number of rate payers within its boundaries and it re-joined Ryde in 1948.[6]

Multiculturalism began taking root in the Eastwood by the 1920s when many of the orchards and market gardens in the region were beginning to be owned by Italians – who, with the Greeks, were the first outsiders to put down roots in the district.[7] In the Eastwood Municipality the first Chinese market gardens appear in the Sands Directory by 1921; by the end of that decade there were 14 such gardens listed.[8]

The end of the Second World War saw an influx of returned servicemen and post-war migrants that led to demand for homes and selling off of much vacant land for residential development. Commercially the suburb expanded as well and by the 1960s, Eastwood became the favoured shopping venue between Strathfield and Hornsby.[9]

The 1990s saw the arrival of many people from Asia, particularly Hong Kong, China, Korea and south-east Asia.[10] Over two decades later, Eastwood is now a multicultural centre, with - according to the 2011 census – just over 30% of residents claiming Chinese ancestry.[11]

Notable personalities

Some notables connected with Eastwood include:

•Geoffrey Robertson, QC who attended Eastwood Public School from 1954-1959[12]

•Maria Ann Smith, the ‘inventor’ of the Granny Smith apple, lived on a farm between the present North Road and Abuklea Road, Eastwood.[13]

Notable buildings

•Brush Farm

Built by one of the European explorers of the Blue Mountains Gregory Blaxland, Brush Farm is one the most substantial houses surviving from the Macquarie period. For many years the Brush Farm Estate, through its elevated position midway between Sydney and Parramatta, operated as a signal station, known as "One Tree Signal Station", to relay messages from vessels on the Parramatta River to the, then, township at Parramatta.[14] The House now hosts art shows and other community events.[15]

•Eastwood house

Built in 1840 by William Rutledge the house is now part of Marist College Eastwood.[16] A silk industry once flourished at Eastwood House[17]

•Eastwood Brickyards/brickworks

The Eastwood Brickyards commenced operation in 1912-3 and supplied bricks to the surrounding area[18]. Now decommissioned, it is a heritage site that has been re-adapted as a community park and housing estate.[19]

[1]http://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/sydney_journal/article/download/2391/2590

[2] http://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/Library/Local-and-Family-History/Historic-Ryde/Historic-Buildings/Brush-Farm-House

[3] http://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/Library/Local-and-Family-History/Historic-Ryde/History-of-Ryde

[4] https://griffithreview.com/articles/mixing-it-up-in-bennelong/

[5] McAndrew, Alex. Eastwood-Marsfield, p. 103 – LS 994.41 MCAN

[6] Shaw, Kevin. Historic Ryde, p.34-35 – LS994.41 HIS

[7] https://griffithreview.com/articles/mixing-it-up-in-bennelong/

[8] http://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/Library/Local-History/Historic-Ryde/Historic-Places/Chinese-Market-Gardens

[9] McAndrew, Alex. Eastwood-Marsfield, p. 70 – LS 994.41 MCAN

[10] http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/eastwood

[11http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2011/quickstat/SSC10787

[12] http://www.eastwood.nsw.edu.au/?page_id=9

[13] http://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/Library/Local-and-Family-History/Historic-Ryde/Historic-Figures/Granny-Smith

[14] http://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/Library/Local-and-Family-History/Historic-Ryde/Historic-Buildings/Brush-Farm-House

[15] ttp://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/sydney_journal/article/viewFile/2391/2590

[16] http://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/Library/Local-and-Family-History/Historic-Ryde/Historic-Buildings/Eastwood-House

[17] http://www.rotarynews.info/2/club/4207/680

[18]http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=2240395

[19] http://202020vision.com.au/project/?id=148

Eastwood – A Brief History

Eastwood became part of the local government area of City of Parramatta. The Wallumedegal Aboriginal people lived on the land bounded by the Lane Cove and Parramatta rivers. The people were part of the Dharug group and they called their country Wallumetta.

European occupation of the area commenced in 1792 when Governor Arthur Phillip granted land along the Parramatta River to eight marines with two of the grants being  in the Ryde area. Phillip named the area ‘The Field of Mars’ and many other grants were subsequently made in the Ryde and Eastwood areas. The Lieutenant-Governor Francis Grose issued grants in 1794 to John Redman, Patrick Campbell, Thomas Bride and Zadoc Pettit which was later to become part of Gregory Blaxland’s estate, Brush Farm. Surgeon William Balmain also received 100 acres. Private John Love received a 90-acre (36.4-hectare) grant from the acting Governor, Lieutenant-Colonel William Paterson, in 1795 and the present shopping and station areas occupy some of this land.

Built by one of the European explorers of the Blue Mountains Gregory Blaxland, Brush Farm is one the most substantial houses surviving from the Macquarie period. For many years the Brush Farm Estate, through its elevated position midway between Sydney and Parramatta, operated as a signal station, known as "One Tree Signal Station", to relay messages from vessels on the Parramatta River to the, then, township at Parramatta.

Brush Farm was consolidated from smaller early farms by William Cox and purchased by Gregory Blaxland in 1807. Blaxland was a successful farmer, and apart from growing crops and keeping farm animals, he is known for introducing buffalo grass for cattle fodder, cultivating grapes and making wine that won two medals from the Royal Society in England. History records him successfully crossing the Blue Mountains in 1813 in company with William Lawson and William Wentworth, and so opening the way for settlement at Bathurst and beyond. He built Brush Farm House c1820, which still stands in Lawson Street.

Eastwood House, situated on part of John Love’s grant of 90 acres 1840, was thought to be constructed by William Rutledge. A silk industry once flourished at Eastwood House. The property was sold, and purchased by Edward Terry, in 1863. His land extended from Terry Road to Rowe Street and from Shaftsbury Road to Blaxland Road (east). It was adjacent to Brush Farm lands in the west. Later, he purchased more land to the north. The house is now part of the Marist College precinct. Edward Terry was the first mayor of Ryde and later became a member of the New South Wales Parliament.

Denistone house, a fine two-storey stone building sited on a hill with extensive views to the Parramatta River from the rear of the house. The front elevation had views to the north-east. Its history goes back to a 1795 land grant and various owners who farmed there, until it was bought in 1872 by Richard Rouse Terry, brother of Edward Terry of Eastwood House, who erected the present building in 1874. The building now forms part of the Ryde Hospital complex.

In 1886 the railway was extended across the Parramatta River and on to Hornsby. Initially the station was known as Dundas but this was changed to Eastwood in 1887 after Eastwood House. Following the railways large blocks were subdivided into allotments of residential land spacious enough for a tennis court, garden or pony. Many Federation style homes still survive from this period. Eastwood Brickworks supplied much of the building materials for the post-war building boom.

Known the world over the Granny Smith Apple was first grown in the 1860s on the Eastwood property of Thomas and Mary Ann Smith. Mary Ann recognised the cooking and eating qualities of this new variety which was then developed for commercial sale by the Government Experimental Station, Bathurst.

Eastwood Progress Association was formed in the early years of the 20th century and successfully lobbied for the provision of land for Eastwood Park (3.2 ha) in 1918. Many churches and schools were built prior to World War One and a war memorial was constructed on the corner of Eastwood Park. Electricity was connected in 1923.

Rowe Street, named after Thomas Rowe who owned nearby land, became the focus for commercial activity due to the proximity to Eastwood Station. The Eastwood Centre opened in 1976 on Rowe Street, on the site of the Duke of York Picture Theatre and other buildings. In 1983 a pedestrian mall was constructed from The Avenue, along Rowe Street to West Parade.

The 1990s saw the arrival of many people from Asia, particularly Hong Kong, China, Korea and south-east Asia bringing with them a diversity of culture and ethnicity. Eastwood is now a multicultural centre with over 30% residents claiming Chinese Ancestry according to 2011 census. Eastwood is thriving shopping precinct for Asian goods and services.

Compiled from the following sources:

http://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/sydney_journal/article/download/2391/2590

http://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/Library/Local-and-Family-History/Historic-Ryde/Historic-Buildings/Brush-Farm-House

http://www.rotarynews.info/2/club/4207/680

http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/eastwood

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastwood,_New_South_Wales

Eastwood-Marsfield: partners in history. Alex McAndrew, Local Studies Library, LS 994.41 MCAN

 

Michael Farrell - World War One – Parramatta Soldiers

World War One – Parramatta Soldiers - Michael Farrell

Private Michael Farrell was the brother of John and Daniel Dominic Farrell who also served in the First World War. Michael was employed as a bridge labourer by the Queensland Railway Department in Mackay at the time of his enlistment, but his brother and sister lived in Mechan Street Granville, NSW. Michael was 30 years old when embarked at Brisbane on the HMAT Kyarra A55 on the 31 January 1916.

On the 9 November 1916 Michael was injured through a gunshot wound in Camiers, France and was transferred to the 1 London General Hospital in England, but by the 16 December he was discharged and marched out to Perham Downs. In March 1917 he proceeded overseas to France and in April he rejoined his 26 Battalion. On the 5 May he was once again injured through gunshot wound, and admitted to the 10 General Hospital in Rouen, France. By the 9 June he had rejoined his Battalion in France and a week later he was detached to the 5 Army Sniping School. On the 23 June he rejoined his unit.

Michael Farrell was killed in action on the 29 October 1917 in Belgium, and buried in the Ypres Reservoir North Cemetery, Belgium.

Forgotten Indian Soldiers of World War One

"Very few people are aware of the role Indian troops played in both world wars," Peter Francis of the Commonwealth Graves Commission said. "In some Indian units the casualty rate was 80%. In three days' fighting in Neuve Chapelle in 1915, for instance, some 4,200 Indian soldiers perished." Most of the soldiers and sailors buried at Wünsdorf died of disease while stationed at the prisoner of war camp in the nearby town of Zossen.
 

For more than 80 years the German graveyard where Jafarullah Mohammad, Mata Din Singh and 204 other Indian volunteers are buried was forgotten.

Until 29^th October 2005, there was nothing to identify the quiet, leafy spot where Jafarullah Mohammad and Mata Din Singh were buried. The two servicemen were among thousands of Indian volunteers who fought for Britain in the World War 1. On 29^th October 2005, the war cemetery in Wünsdorf (about 40kms from Berlin) was officially reopened. Reopening ceremony was attended by diplomats from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and officials from Russia and France, to honour Tartar soldiers who are buried there.

Arthur Cyril Field - World War One – Parramatta Soldiers

World War One – Parramatta Soldiers - Arthur Cyril Field

Private Arthur Cyril Field was an engineer and 27 years old when he embarked from Sydney in October 1914 on the HMAT Argyllshire A8. Arthur was born in Leamington Spas, England, but enlisted in Sydney in September 1914. Arthur did not live in Granville, but was well known in Granville society as he was a frequent guest at many of the Masonic Balls held at the Granville Town Hall.

Arthur was ranked as a Bombadier when he joined the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (MEF) in April 2015. In July 2015 he was suffered a gunshot wound to the left shoulder at Gallipoli, and was admitted to a Casualty Clearing Station. Later in the year in September he contracted influenza and was admitted to the Australian Auxillary Hospital in Harefield England. By October 1915 however he was discharged as a result of an appointment of a commission in the Royal Garrison Artillery. Arthur Cyril Field later qualified for the British War Medal and Victory Medal for his service in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF).                                                 

Robert Arthur Sloan

Robert Arthur Sloan enlisted on 17th January, 1917 in the 13th Infantry Battalion (24th-26th Reinforcement) February 1917 - March 1917, and embarked at Sydney on 7th February 1917 on board HMAT “Wiltshire" A18. He was 24 years old at the time, single and working as a labourer. His service number is 7315.  He gave his address as Jersey Rd, Wentworthville and named his father, R. Sloan of the same address, as his next of kin. He was Presbyterian. Red Cross records report that during active service at Villers Bretonneux he received machine gun wounds to the right arm, right leg and abdomen, while another account describes a shell bursting, wounding him and killing nine others. The report confirms that he died of his wounds on 18th September, 1918, and was buried at the British Military Cemetery at Brie on the 19th September.He was Lance Corporal.

Service Number: 7315

Rank: Private

Roll title: 13 Infantry Battalion - 24 to 26 Reinforcements (February 1917 - March 1918)

Conflict: First World War, 1914-1918

Date of embarkation: 07 February 1917

Place of embarkation: Sydney

Ship embarked on: HMAT Wiltshire A18

Parramatta Park - Part 3

Gate House

Gatehouses are part of the evolution of the Park from Governor’s Domain to Parramatta Park. There are 6 gatehouses in Parramatta Park:

• George Street  Gatehouse - Tudor Gatehouse – Grand entrance
• Ross Street Gatehouse
• Park Road Gatehouse
• Macquarie Street  Gatehouse - Tea Room – Gothic-style
• Great Western Hwy Gatehouse  – Mays Hill
• Queens Road Gatehouse

Bath House

The bath house was built in 1823. The Governors Bath House has intricate exposed timber work within the internal roof structure and large sandstone paving under foot. Due to his war wounds, Governor Brisbane wanted a private place with warm baths. This Bath House is convict built heating and pumping system. In 1886, Parramatta Park Trustees converted the Bath House  to Pavilion.

William Hart Memorial

William Edward Hart was born on 20 April 1885 at Parramatta. He was first Australian to fly a plane and first qualified pilot in Australia. On 29 June, 1911  Billy won Australia's first air race when he defeated the American A. B. Stone from Botany to Parramatta Park.

Dairy Cottage

The Dairy Cottage is one of Australia’s oldest surviving colonial buildings and offers a glimpse back into Australia’s past. Dairy Cottage was constructed between 1798 and 1805 by ex-convict George Salter. In 1811 – 1815 Governor Macquarie purchased George Salter’s land and converted this cottage to Diary. Dairy Cottage is rare intact structure of European settlement. Dairy Cottage remains unchanged since c1820. 

Boer War Memorial

Boer War Memorial was erected in 1904. This is in memory of first Australian troops to arrive in Africa in 1899 from Lancer Barracks Parramatta to take part in Boer War. This was the first overseas military engagement in which troops were representing Australia. 

Lady Fitzroy Memorial

Memorial erected near the site of the carriage accident on 7 December 1847 which took the life of Lady Mary Fitzroy, wife of the Governor and aide de camp Lieutenant Charles Masters. A commemorative Oak tree was planted to mark the site of the accident. The current oak tree is the third tree to be planted on the site in c1996.

Government House

Governor Phillip laid out the area of Domain in 1790 as part of the settlement of Rose Hill and constructed a small timber cottage for the Governor’s residence. Nine years later, Governor Hunter replaced the cottage with two stories Georgian House. This convict built Old Government House is the oldest surviving public buildings in Australia and is a World Heritage site. It was the country residence for the first ten governors of NSW.

The Crescent

Natural ridgeline which once framed a small billabong on the bank of the Parramatta River. First Government House in Parramatta was built for Governor Phillip in 1790 on the ascending hill of The Crescent. Now the Crescent is used as an event space. This year Tropfest Jr will be held at The Crescent.

Observatory Transit Stones

Observatory was built by Governor Macquarie in 1822. Two marker trees were planted to the south of the of the transit stones with two additional in the southern domain. All four trees marked as a north-south alignment across the Governor’s Domain. This was the third observatory built in Australia. It was at this observatory, first extensive and systematic cataloguing of Southern Skies were carried out astronomers. The observatory building was demolished in 1848 with only the transit stones on their plinth left standing. A 16 inch repeating circle and the 5 foot 6 inch transit telescope are now on display at the Powerhouse Museum.

 

Parramatta Park - Part 2

Parramatta Park

Parramatta Park is one of Australia’s most significant cultural landscapes

Over 100 archaeological sites related to aboriginal history and early colonial history

Monuments and buildings built by convicts with cultural significance

Successful colonial farming in Australia

Beginning of cattle industry in Australia

Timeline – Parramatta Park

1788 – 1792: Governor Arthur Phillip

Establishment of convict town at Rose hill

Naming of the crescent

Construction of Government Cottage on The Crescent

Name changed from Rose hill to Parramatta

1795 – 1800: Governor John Hunter

30 acres land grant to George Salter

Construction of Dairy Cottage

Construction of first mill

Extension to Governor’s cottage

1800 – 1806: Governor Philip Gidley King

Dairy farms in Parramatta

Government house built on the site of earlier cottage

1806 – 1808: Governor William Bligh

                      Visited Parramatta twice a month but rarely stayed in Parramatta

                    Governor Bligh was granted 105 acres land to north of Government House by Governor King

1806 – 1808: Governor William Bligh

                      Visited Parramatta twice a month but rarely stayed in Parramatta

1806 – 1808: Governor William Bligh

                     Visited Parramatta twice a month but rarely stayed in Parramatta

1806 – 1808: Governor William Bligh

                     Visited Parramatta twice a month but rarely stayed in Parramatta

1806 – 1808: Governor William Bligh

                     Visited Parramatta twice a month but rarely stayed in Parramatta

Continued to Part 3

Parramatta Park - Part 1

European History

In September 1788 Governor Phillip announced his intension to establish a settlement at Parramatta.

Governor Hunter granted George Salter 30 acres in 1796. Salter erected a small cottage sometime between 1796 and 1800, which was later purchased by Governor Macquarie for Government use. This cottage, which is still standing, was enlarged by Macquarie and became known as the Governor's Dairy. It is one of the oldest buildings in Australia.

In 1823 Brisbane also constructed a bathhouse west of Old Government House. When in operation a sunken bath was located in the centre of the building surrounded by a suite of rooms. In 1886 the building was converted to its present form as a pavilion after it had been extensively vandalised following the Domain becoming a public Park in 1857.

During the years 1822 to the 1850's the area supported agriculture whilst also being used as a gentrified residence for successive Governors. The last Governor to occupy the house, Fitzroy left Government House in 1855 after the death of his wife. During the 1840's it was debated whether to hand Governors Domain to Trustees for public use which was finally achieved in 1858. Parramatta Park has been a People's Park since then.

Archaeology: Indigenous – Parramatta Park has evidence of Aboriginal occupation. Aboriginal stone artefacts have been found in 14 locations. According to Aboriginal consultants, scarred trees are located within Parramatta Park. 

Archaeology: Non-Indigenous – Government farm and convict huts are one of the first buildings constructed in Parramatta Park.

During the years 1822 to the 1850's the area supported agriculture whilst also being used as a gentrified residence for successive Governors. The last Governor to occupy the house, Fitzroy left Government House in 1855 after the death of his wife. During the 1840's it was debated whether to hand Governors Domain to Trustees for public use which was finally achieved in 1858. Parramatta Park has been a People's Park since then.

Aboriginal History

Darug people called Parramatta as Burramatta. Burramatta consists of two words:

• Burra meaning eel
• Matta meaning creek

Evidence of Aborigional occupation exists within Parramatta Park along the ridgeline of the Cresent and Domain Creek – scarred trees and several artefacts.

Parramatta Park is a World Heritage listed site and one of the oldest Parks in Australia. The 85 ha park offers a unique blend of natural and rural landscapes and historical features.

Continued to Part 2

Kellyville

Kellyville is a part of the Hills District and fast growing suburb of Sydney. Kellyville is bounded by Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Rouse Hill and Glenhaven. Kellyville possesses a unique combination of being semi-rural, older suburban and modern. Population is low because properties here are large, and many accommodate orchards, or support horses kept for riding, or cultivate native-plant nurseries. But it is changing very quickly due to the residential development and rail line expected to open in 2019. This development is bringing lots of young families to Kellyville.

Kellyville was originally known as 'There and Nowhere', followed by 'Irish Town', as a large number of Irish people lived there. The first land grants were in 1802.  Kellyville is named after Hugh Kelly, who owned the Kellyville Estate.

Kelly was convicted of larceny (theft) and transported to Australia. He arrived in Australia in May 1803 on a ship called the Rolla. Hugh Kelly was pardoned in April 1808. He began work for Humphrey Evans, a former Royal Marine turned farmer, who had a 130 acre grant in Parramatta. Evans died in 1805 and by 1810 Kelly had married Evans’ widow Mary and established a licensed inn 'The Half Way House' which became 'The Bird in the Hand' which was located on the corner of Wrights and Windsor Roads. After Mary’s death Kelly married another two times, to Ester Harley who died in a house fire and finally to another Mary in 1828 when he moved to Goulburn.

White Hart Inn - an artist impression

Early land grants:

The White Hart Inn is located on 30 acres originally granted to John Moss in 1810. Moss transferred the land to Edmund Wright in 1821 and in the same year Edmund Wright transferred the land to Hugh Kelly.

After Kelly's death in 1884, John Fitzgerald Burns, James Green and George Withers purchased portions of several early land grants, which were subdivided into farmlets as part of the 'Kellyville Estate', thereby giving the suburb its name Kellyville. The first subdivisions of 100-acre lots were made in 1884.

Kellyville Post Office opened on 1 January 1889.

Bus outside Kellyville Post Office on corner of Acres & Windsor Roads Kellyville 1930s

Parts of Kellyville became separate suburbs – Beaumont Hills, north of Samantha Riley Drive, was renamed in 2002.  Kellyville Ridge, west of Old Windsor Road, is a separate suburb in the City of Blacktown.

Kellyville Public School is a historic building which was established in 1849. For most of the 20th century, Kellyville was semi-rural. From the 1960s to the 1980s about 900 homes were developed in an area around Acres Road, known locally as 'The Village'. More recently, major developments such as Kellyville Plaza have encouraged residential growth. Due to the suburb's location, Kellyville is a major growth area in The Hills.