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Parramatta Park

Tours

Immerse yourself in nature and history

Taking guided and self-guided tours of Parramatta Park is a great way to learn about its significance and gain insight into Australia’s early colonial history.

Guided tours

The Dairy Precinct

Parramatta Park Trust runs regular guided tours of the Dairy and Rangers Cottages in partnership with PHIVE, Programming and Venue Services. The tours are limited to a small group and they take place on Monday and Saturday once a month.

Incorporating digital multi-media, artefacts, interactive displays and restored 19th Century cottage gardens, the tours bring the Park’s Aboriginal and earliest European history to life in a dynamic and engaging way. Check our What's On calendar for upcoming tour dates.

Note: Some areas in the Dairy Precinct are limited in terms of accessibility. There are uneven surfaces inside the Dairy and Rangers Cottages and surrounding gardens – care must be taken to avoid trips, slips or falls. Contact the Trust on 02 9895 7599 before you book a tour to ask about accessibility if you have questions or concerns.

 

Old Government House

The National Trust runs guided tours of Old Government House, which is associated with all of the early Governors of New South Wales and contains a major collection of colonial furniture. The oldest standing public building in Australia, it is also one of the most historically significant.

Tours are offered Tuesday to Sunday (and on most public holidays), between 10am and 4pm.

Virtual tools with Google Arts & Culture

The Dairy and Rangers Cottages can be viewed in virtual reality from anywhere in the world, thanks to a partnership with Google Arts & Culture. Google captured 360-degree images from inside each building, allowing visitors to move through and inspect every detail in high definition. The free virtual tours showcase convict-era architecture and building techniques, and feature stories about the people who made the buildings their home.

You can go to Parramatta Park on Google Arts & Culture, read more about the cottages and see detailed video footage of some of the historic construction features. However, the virtual tour only comes to life if you use the Google Arts & Culture app. Use a pair of virtual reality goggles (which you can buy online or in Australian shops for $10 and up), to enjoy a fully immersive 3D experience.

The Google Arts & Culture app is available to download on both iOS and Android mobile devices. After downloading the app, search for Parramatta Park to access the virtual tour. All content is also available on the Google Arts & Culture website

Self-guided walking tours

Colonial Rose Hill

Explore the colonial landscape of Rose Hill, the second settlement site the English established in Australia after Port Jackson. Despite the passage of time, the marks and signs of the early town and the former Governor’s Domain are still discernible within Parramatta Park.

Download the Colonial Rose Hill self-guided walking tour pamphlet.

Monuments and sites

This self-guided tour takes in many of the Park’s historic sites and monuments, including its gatehouses, the Crescent, the Observatory Transit Stones, the Bath House and the Boer War Memorial.

Download the monuments and sites self-guided walking tour pamphlet.

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