City of Parramatta Council and Extent Heritage launch River Stories open day

City of Parramatta Council and Extent Heritage warmly invite you to River Stories, an archaeological open day and pop-up exhibition to be held at:

  • Queens Wharf Reserve, Parramatta

  • Adjacent to Noller Parade and George Street intersection

  • 9.00am – 4.00pm Saturday 28 October 2023

  • Free entry

On behalf of City of Parramatta Council, Extent Heritage are currently undertaking an archaeological investigation program at Queens Wharf Reserve (as part of the statutory approvals by Heritage NSW) for the construction of the new Active Transport Link Dual Cycleway and Pedestrian Path Project.

The landscape of Queens Wharf Reserve has been changing continuously, but one constant through the millennia has been the river that weaves through it. It has provided sustenance, power and transport for the people who have built lives and communities here for many thousands of years, from Deep Time to the present.

We’re investigating Aboriginal archaeology from the Holocene, and Pleistocene deposits buried deep in the Parramatta Sand Body that formed along the river’s edge for millennia. We are also looking for colonial and historical archaeology including the convict period Commissary Store, Howell and Byrne’s Mills from the mid-nineteenth century, and the later Parramatta Benevolent Asylum, among other features.

Come along to our archaeological open day and pop-up exhibition River Stories proudly hosted in the Extent Heritage Mini-Museum. River Storiespays homage to each chapter of the history of Queens Wharf Reserve and to the people who have built lives and communities around the river. It includes an immersive audio-visual experience as well as fun educational activities, competitions and giveaways for all ages. Throughout the day the Extent Heritage team will run guided tours of the site and showcase the artefacts they have found dating to every period of Queens Wharf Reserve’s history.

Maxine Bengad