Hello Wistaria Gardens - Discover its stories

Published: 24 January 2023 at 2:46 pm

Visitors to Parramatta’s Wistaria Gardens can uncover its fascinating history while enjoying the blooms as new, pop-up interactive signs bring the Gardens to life.

 

Eight new points of discovery will lead visitors around Wistaria Gardens to reveal fun facts about the Gardens’ design, history and key features including the ancient Parramatta Sand Body, Glengarriff House, and the neighbouring camp of the endangered Grey-Headed Flying Fox.

 

Using the innovative location-based engagement platform, Hello Lamp Post, the technology brings objects and public spaces to life through SMS conversations with the interactive persona of an object.

 

Conversations are free and can be started by scanning a QR code. Using AI-technology, visitors can have a fun and friendly two-way conversation with various objects around the Gardens and are not required to download an app or register.

 

“Greater Sydney Parklands is looking at new and interesting ways to engage with our diverse local community, and this technology allows visitors to Wistaria Gardens to gain a better appreciation for its tranquil place in Parramatta,” said Greater Sydney Parklands Chief Executive, Joshua French.

 

“We are committed to restoring Wistaria Gardens and Glengarriff House over time and we are developing draft plans to share with the community for feedback this year. We hope that in the meantime, new and old visitors can learn something about the Gardens’ history, plants and animal life that they may not have known before.”

 

There are eight objects to discover throughout the Gardens. These include:

• The Parramatta Sand Body, the ancient landform beneath the surface of Parramatta Park
• The origins of the Gardens
• Why the plant is called ‘wisteria’ but the Gardens are ‘wistaria’
• Unusual plant life including the Gardens’ striking date palms
• The neighbouring Grey-Headed Flying Fox camp
• Glengarriff House and its changing role throughout its history
• The reason why the land around Domain Creek is terraced
• The surprising history of the much-loved palisade fence that separates the Gardens and Parramatta Park.

 

For more information about Hello Wistaria Gardens, please visit: https://www.parrapark.com.au/things-to-do/whats-on/hellowistariagardens/