Parramatta, Australia

Parramatta is a city, suburb, and commercial centre in the west of Sydney, widely viewed as the city's "second central business district".

European Settlement at Parramatta was begun by Governor Arthur Phillip in November 1788, just nine months after the First Fleet arrived in Sydney Cove. For a time in the early 1800s it was the seat of government of the colony of New South Wales (which at that time encompassed the eastern 2/3 of the Australian mainland). Afterwards the seat of government was moved back to Sydney, but the Governor's former residence, Old Government House, remains as a historic site and Museum and is Australia?s oldest surviving public building.

Parramatta is the site of Australia's oldest farmstead, Elizabeth Farm. The property was named after the wife of the pioneer Australian farmer James Ruse, and is still a tourist attraction today.

The name Parramatta is derived from a local Aboriginal expression meaning "place of many eels". The area was at first named Rose Hill, later changing to the native name for the area. It is located at a portion of the nearby Parramatta River which was indeed a gathering place for native species of eel. The eel has been adopted as the symbol of the Parramatta Eels Rugby League club who compete in the prestigious NRL.

The name was given to a fort north of Wellington, New Zealand, in the 1840s. The remains of the fort are still visible on the Ngatitoa Domain in Porirua City, but the surrounding suburb name has been changed to "Paremata".

See also: Parramatta Rail Link