Parramatta

Parramatta is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney 23 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the local government area of the City of Parramatta. Part of the suburb is shared with the City of Holroyd local government area.

Parramatta, founded in the same year as Sydney by the British in 1788, is the oldest inland European settlement in Australia and is the economic capital of Greater Western Sydney. It is the sixth largest central business district in Australia.

Parramatta is a major business and commercial centre, sometimes called Sydney's second central business district. Parramatta has many high density commercial and residential developments. It is home to Westfield Parramatta, which is the fifth largest shopping centre in Australia by gross leasable area. Church Street is home to many shops and restaurants. The northern end of Church Street, close to Lennox Bridge, features al fresco dining with a diverse range of cuisines. The southern end of Church Street features many Chinese restaurants and extends past Westfield to 'Auto Alley', named for the prevalence of car dealerships.

Since 2000, Parramatta has seen the consolidation of its role as a government centre, with the relocation of agencies such as the New South Wales Police Force Headquarters and the Sydney Water Corporation from the Sydney CBD. At the same time, major construction work occurred around the railway station with the expansion of Westfield Shoppingtown and the creation of a new transport interchange. The western part of the Parramatta CBD is known as the Parramatta Justice Precinct and houses the corporate headquarters of the New South Wales Department of Attorney General and Justice. Other legal offices include the Children's Court of New South Wales and the Sydney West Trial Courts, Legal Aid Commission of New South Wales, Office of Trustee and Guardian (formerly the Office of the Protective Commissioner), NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, as well as a branch of the Family Court. Nearby on Marsden Street is the Parramatta Courthouse and the Drug Court of New South Wales. The Garfield Barwick Commonwealth Law Courts Building houses courts of the Federal Magistrates Court and the Family Court of Australia.

Parramatta is the major transport hub for western Sydney, servicing trains and buses, as well as having a ferry service. Parramatta railway station is a major transport interchange on the Sydney rail network. It is served by Sydney Trains' Cumberland line and the Western line. NSW TrainLink operates intercity services on the Blue Mountains line as well as services to rural New South Wales. The Parramatta ferry wharf is at the Charles Street Weir, which divides the tidal saltwater from the freshwater of the upper river, on the eastern boundary of the Central Business District. The wharf is the westernmost destination of the Sydney Ferries River Cat service which runs on Parramatta River. Parramatta is also serviced by a major bus interchange, five high-frequency metrob

us services, Hillsbus (part of Westbus), Sydney Buses, Busways and Veolia buses which service other suburbs around Parramatta. Parramatta is home to a number of public and private schools, including Arthur Phillip High School, Parramatta High School, Macarthur Girls High School, Parramatta Public School, St Patrick's Primary, Our Lady of Mercy College (OLMC), Marist Brothers Parramatta, The King's School Parramatta.

Parramatta Park is a large park adjacent to Parramatta Stadium. It was formerly the Governor's Domain, land set aside for the Governor to supply his farming needs. As the Governor's Domain, the grounds were much larger than the modern day Parramatta Park, extending from Parramatta Road to the south, evident by a small gatehouse adjacent to Parramatta High School. The park contains Old Government House, as Parramatta was once the capital of the colony of New South Wales until Governors returned to residing in Sydney in 1846.

Cultural attractions include Parramatta Stadium, Parramatta Park; a popular venue for walking, jogging and bike riding, Parramatta Swimming Centre, Rosehill Gardens Racecourse and Parramatta City Raceway.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parramatta