Parramatta Wharf To Parramatta Lake and return - 6th December 2018
The group met at Circular Quay Station at 8.10am.
Participants - Ron, Chris, Helen, Richard, Peter, Colin and Natalie and Yvonne for lunch
Along the Way:
Time Taken: 4 hours of walking from 10.00 to 2.00 after the morning tea stop. Plus another 20 minutes back to the station.
Distance: After much discussion and hilarity over the map on Peter’s phone we agreed we had walked 14km approximately. Probably more as we then walked back to Parramatta Station.
The group met at Circular Quay Station at 8.10am.
Participants - Ron, Chris, Helen, Richard, Peter, Colin and Natalie and Yvonne for lunch
Along the Way:
- A slow ferry to Parramatta with some slight showers along the way. The day improved weather wise and became sunny and very warm.
- Morning tea stop at the wharf café/bar.
- Walked along the river under the newly restored Lennox Bridge and continued around the new stadium which is being built.
- The information panels were great.
- Passed by the old Kings Oval which seems to be part of Parramatta Public School.
- Negotiated a bit of a goat track as the stadium works had blocked off the walk down to the river. After speaking to a worker though, he assured us we could get down and we did.
- Continue through some back streets to Female Factory precinct. The buildings are not accessible to the public generally. From 1821 to 1847 they were used as the barracks for the female convicts and a factory. In 1847 it was re-purposed as an Invalid and Lunatic Asylum. The first purpose built orphanage was also part of the precinct and it was then turned into Parramatta Girls Home. Now it is all part of the Cumberland Hospital. If the walls could talk there would be some pretty horrid stories I think.
- Then a fairly long walk through busy streets and up a hill towards one of the entrances to Parramatta Lake.
- The walk around the Lake took about 1 ¾ hours and had many lovely views to the water. At times it was very hot when the path moved away from the water into more bushland. There were some gravel road sections and bush paths over rocky outcrops to negotiate but generally not too difficult. However, we were very relieved to actually get to then end.
- We spied a medium sized skink and a water dragon and heard some cockatoos arguing loudly at the beginning.
- There was a section of the walk that had fences and signs indicating where the Kings School boundaries were. It would be interesting to know if the deliberate holes in the fences were done by the school or other people.
- A few more signs along the walk would have been good as we were not sure at times if there was an alternative path nearer the water rather than along the gravel road sections.
- We were pretty hot by now so didn’t hang around the area to explore any further. The thought of a nice cold drink spurred us on the final stretch.
- The final 30 minute walk back to Church Street took us past an old Roman Catholic Cemetery. Natalie also mentioned about the Tunks original house which is heritage listed and now a funeral home and also the ancestral connection to the Royal Oak Hotel, where we met Yvonne for lunch.
- We enjoyed the cold drinks and very yummy food and the busy conversations.
- The Royal Oak Hotel is slated for removal when the tram line is built but the date keeps getting pushed back. Construction was to begin this October but the barman said they have been told they can stay there until December of 2019.
- After lunch a slower walk back to the station where we caught our transport home.
Time Taken: 4 hours of walking from 10.00 to 2.00 after the morning tea stop. Plus another 20 minutes back to the station.
Distance: After much discussion and hilarity over the map on Peter’s phone we agreed we had walked 14km approximately. Probably more as we then walked back to Parramatta Station.