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Parramatta's Indigenous Heritage

Parramatta's regional symbol by Indigenous artist Danny Eastwood

Background | Indigenous Public Art | Reconciliation | Early Indigenous history | Colonial disruption

(Parramatta's regional symbol by Indigenous artist Danny Eastwood)

Background Background.
Parramatta is the first major location of settlement by Europeans after the arrival of the 'First Fleet', which brought convicts from England in 1788. Before this time Indigenous people lived in the area for thousands of years, relying on the bountiful supply of food from Parramatta River which runs east into Sydney Harbour. The area stretching from the Blue Mountains to the coast was occupied by 'Darug' Aborigines who shared similar languages.

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Riverside Walk - click here for details on the walk.

Indigenous Public Art Indigenous Public Art abounds in Parramatta. A regional highlight is Riverside Walk, the wide Aboriginal art path running beside the scenic Parramatta River from Charles Street ferry wharf to the historic Lennox Bridge. The rich and evocative designs tell the history of the region and its people from an Aboriginal perspective.


    - A walk up Church Street from the Parramatta Heritage Centre reveals innovative 'rubbish bin' designs that have been painted by notable artists, including Indigenous illustrator, Elaine Russell.
    - Close to Parramatta's City Centre is a unique Indigenous sculpture garden over a median strip in Camellia
    - a unique 'drive-by art gallery' to brighten up the industrial streetscape.
    - From contemporary art to archaeological finds, Parramatta Regional Park is home to Aboriginal markings on trees which bear witness to the strong past Indigenous presence in the region.
    - For information and tours of these sites, contact Parramatta Heritage Centre on 9630 3703.

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Reconciliation Reconciliation.
While there were some early efforts made at reconciliation, Indigenous people were not given full citizenship rights in Australia until a referendum in the late 1960s. Parramatta City Council issued a formal apology to Indigenous people in 1997, becoming one of the first government bodies to do so. The Aboriginal flag now sits proudly beside the Australian flag in Council Chambers.

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Early Indigenous history Early Indigenous history.
The Darug were made up of many clans, including the Barramatugal who lived in the area now known as Parramatta. The title is thought to be derived from the Aboriginal word for 'place where the eels lie down' to breed (in Parramatta River). Like their neighbours - the Toongagal in Toongabbie and the Bidjigal past present-day Rose Hill - the Barramatugal fashioned tools and spears for hunting native animals and collected wild berries and flora as a valuable source of vitamins. The Barramatugal had a close relationship with the river, from which they caught fish, eels, and other food. Their stable bark canoes often carried a small fire in the middle - built on a mound of soil to allow them to cook their catch fresh. 'Firebrand farming' was also practised in the region.

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Colonial disruption Colonial disruption.
Soon after Governor Phillip's arrival with the First Fleet (of convicts from England) in 1788, Parramatta was developed as a farming settlement to feed the new English colony. This led to the immediate and tragic displacement of local Aborigines from the land they had lived off for hundreds of thousands of years.


    - Pemulwuy & the frontier conflict.
    Local Aboriginal groups led a resistance against the new settlers. The most prominent warrior was Pemulwuy. Once when he tried to spear a soldier in retaliation, he was shot in the head and body. Despite being held in chains in the hospital where he was sent to recover, he managed to escape. In retaliation, the British ordered that any groups of Darug Aborigines be attacked, and a reward was placed on Pemulwuy's head. In 1802 he was shot and killed, and his head was cut off and sent to England. The conflict continued on and off until 1805 when the first recorded act of reconciliation occurred between Indigenous people and the British settlers.

    - The introduction of foreign diseases was the most debilitating trend - and many of the Barramatagal clan disappeared in the Small Pox epidemic during early European settlement. However against the odds others survived and their descendants live in the region to this day. In the early 19th century, more positive developments occurred and the region became a meeting place for tribes from surrounding regions. An annual feast was held by Governor Macquarie to encourage Aboriginal people to leave their children at a local school, but this focus later shifted to Blacktown area.

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