Yesterweek, in the intense autumnal sun* I walked along the Parramatta riverbank. I was not…read moreunaccompanied. Sunday morning joggers, dog-walkers, touristy hikers passed me by while less active nappers stretched out on the grass. But my Riverside Walk was also accompanied by something else: a colonial soundscape. Before setting out on my self-guided tour of four historically-evocative artwork installations on the river foreshore, I downloaded the FREE podcast "Life Along the Riverbank" via iTunes, which includes four audio tracks and a full colour brochure of the tour. The idea is that the artworks, the text incorporated into these visual works, and the audio conjure up the colonial world of the early 1800s. You get to hear real stories of real everyday people; cons, free men and women, children, aboriginal people of the region - the Burramatta - and soldiers, while you stand in the very spots where their histories unfolded and became entangled forever. The audio tracks are great; the voiceovers capture the accents authentic to the period and the quotations have been pulled directly from primary sources. Some choice sound effects also transport you to a time when Parramatta was a brutal military garrison town. The artworks and soundscape aim to reveal "stories of hardship, love, loss, survival, order and punishment" and in that they certainly succeed! The tour itself is very short in terms of walking distance; beginning just behind the Parramatta Wharf where the Rivercat comes in and ending at the Gasworks Bridge. The audio tracks are also not overly long. I still managed to draw the whole tour out to a couple of hours, however, as I photographed every inch of the spaces at every conceivable angle and, if I'm honest, had a little difficulty finding Stop 2 and Stop 4...but I'll say more on that later. You could do the whole tour much quicker than I did. In fact, the total audio time is approximately 10 minutes. Stop 1 "STORYWALLS" harmonise nicely with the natural landscape as they look like brown hills beneath a beautiful old shady tree. Each "hill" contains text; details of notables who lived in Parramatta; an Aboriginal missionary, a female teacher, convicts (including poor Ann Mash who was sentenced to seven years for stealing a bushel of wheat!), and the painted, spear-weilding Baluderri who "came to Governor Phillip's hut in a violent rage" threatening to kill the white men who had broken his canoe." These people are made more real to you as you listen to the podcast. Stop 2 "THE BACKYARD OF HARRISFORD" was a bit hard to find! I also recommend you actually walk up the path and follow it right past the new apartment blocks there to look at the front of HARRISFORD, which was the original school for colonial children and went on to become the first King's School. Conservation work is currently underway, but there is plenty to see even from the outside. Listen to the podcast to hear the tales of students who used to play there. Stop 3 "SENTRY BOX" - you can't miss this one. A bright red and white striped artistic re-interpretation of a colonial military Sentry Box that once stood here in the 1790s. It is rather gothic-looking with the shovels and pitchforks etc that stick out the top. Inside the Sentry Box are more primary source quotes, which you can listen to on the podcast. Stop 4 "WINDMILL SHADOW" - I walked right over this one just in front of the Gasworks Bridge initially as this artwork is subtle compared to the nearby Sentry Box. It is comprised of charcoal tiles against the otherwise white cement pavement. The charcoal lines represent approximately where the shadow of Howell's mill would have fallen if it were still standing. The audio track for this one was my favourite. A 48-second folk song about Howell's Mill sung in that really open-throated colonial way that you'd normally associate with sea shanties including songs like "Botany Bay." I confess to playing that track a few times before moving on! It utterly transported me to a time when the colonists relied heavily on windmills for the power that would help them survive an incredible unforgiving environment. It's so peaceful here now, but the self-guided tour podcast and these artworks go a long way towards helping you imagine a time when it was anything but. The artworks and the podcast are all part of Parramatta City Council's "Parramatta Stories Project" and were created by historian Michael Flynn and artists Susan Milne and Greg Stonehouse. It's great that Parramatta Council has made such an effort to preserve the incredible historical heritage of Parramatta. *Review was originally written and posted 29 March 2014.

When you get off the Rivercat at Parramatta wharf, you're right at the end of the navigable part of…read morethe river. There's a little weir, with a walkway over the top, and beyond that, parks and walkways along the foreshore. When I arrived on a bright, sunny day, there was a guy fishing over the weir, officeworkers inhaling lunch under the trees and others power-walking, trying ever so hard not to puff. As I sat on the plentiful grass, a kookaburra chased off some somnolent looking pigeons and then flew off over the waterlilies. Never having visited the river here before, I was amazed to see so much green space so near the city centre of Parramatta, and greatly enjoyed my walk up to the Heritage Centre, just over Lennox Bridge. Along much of the way, you can enjoy the 'Riverside Walk' artpiece by Aboriginal artist Jamie Eastwood. It visually represents the history of the area from an Aboriginal point of view. There's little plaques giving a historical backing to the visuals, and would make a great way to educate the kids. This area's been inhabited for tens of thousands of years, and it's quite a legacy to think about as you take each step. The ancient history of this country and its people may not be as visible as the Pyramids or Stonehenge, but it's here, under our feet. It just takes a bit more imaginative effort and interest on our part to conjure up. It's only a ten minute walk or so up to the Heritage centre (and a stop on the free bus loop) and beats pounding the asphalt no end.

I returned under lowering skies, armed with comfortable shoes and a handy map from the Heritage…read moreCentre. Past the foreshore up to the Queen's Wharf Reserve, round to Hambledon Cottage, Elizabeth Farm and Experiment Farm, the walk itself is clearly marked by yellow signs dotted along the streets. It is a strange experience, seeing built up cityscape in front of you while keeping old photographs and descriptions in mind. Bifocal timewalking, I'll call it. Pleasantly disorienting. With so much to see, I've written separate reviews for the attractions mentioned above, but would like to express my appreciation for the effort the local Council obviously has taken with making visible their local history. I was trailed by a couple of school groups, noisily trudging their way around what seems a much less boring school history excursion than many I remember. Explorers Tree for the 5th time? The Heritage Walk is great kids, trust me, it could be worse. With rain starting to spatter, I snuck off the track after Experiment Farm, so I didn't make it through the main street of Harris Farm proper, or past the barracks. Although, next school hols, I suspect I'll be trailing some little feet along behind me.

Call me a traditionalist, but I love me a good town square…read more Maybe because they're throwbacks to an age when the whole town would turn out on a balmy weeknight and listen to minstrels and the dulcet calls of traveling snake oil salesmen. Or maybe just because there's something inimitably social about a big open gathering place at the heart of a community. Either way, it's just been through a big refurb and there's more planned, with places like Jamie's Trattoria and Bourke Street Bakery opening up on adjacent sides, enough to keep the locals happy and draw foodies in from surrounding suburbs. On Fridays there's growers markets around the fountain, and sometimes they'll bust out ping pong tables and giant chess sets for the public to play with.

Parramatta Square is a nice open space to relax at lunch or after work/school…read more It has recently been done up and features a new playground for the kids, nice grass areas to sit down and a fountain area. It hosts a market on Fridays and other various events throughout the year such as Christmas celebrations. There's also table tennis, giant chess and other activities in the afternoon throughout the week.

Cockatoo Island's vast abandoned factories, unused alleyways and shipping docks provides an…read moreexciting location for visitors to see a huge range of Street Art in one location. And because of its dynamic and live nature, the art will change and evolve, giving visitors something different to see throughout the course of the festival which runs from 4 November - 11 December, 2011. We are delighted one Sunday that the weather is perfect and that public transport for a Fun Day ticket is only $5 so we take advantage of this offer and catch the ferry over to Cockatoo Island for the street art display called Outpost. When we arrive we are met with a colourful cup wall and a huge expansive chalkboard floor which our toddler runs too and grabs chalk from the baskets to begin her own graffiti. On hot days because of the asphalt it can be incredibly hot so make sure young one are covered up and it wouldn't hurt to have cover for yourself. Children scoot and skate around us as this place is perfect for this kind of activity. We then choose to walk down the working tunnel which leads to the Turbine Hall. It makes for a wonderful experience to see art from Ben Frost, Everfresh and The Beastman. We exit and go into the Turbine Hall where the Kidzoom Home project shows a movie installation and three commodore pile up installation inside. On the other side we sit in one of the many cafes and have a refreshing drink and coffee. Our Toddler decides she is off and goes into the junk room with other kids to construct her own sculpture she loves it. Following this we go into a big room with hanging t-shirts and profiles on different graphic artists and then go over to the X Box room to do some dancing. This exhibition is progressive, dynamic and worth those who are keen to take the short trip from Circular Quay for the day. Relax with a cocktail in the Cockatoo Island Bar at the end of the day. Verdict: One in a million experience that you must go and see.

On a historical wander around Parramatta, I thought I'd better do the dutiful thing, and check this…read moreout. Was surprised to find one of the best local history exhibitions I'd ever trod my weary way in to. In through the glass doors and I was met by a cheery smile from the gentleman staffing the Visitor Info counter and by a welcome blast of arctic-level aircon. Twas rather warm. Past the old (mail?) cart and a giant photo of Lennox Bridge (just outside) in times previous, down a somewhat underlit corridor and I found myself in the 'Parramatta People and Place' exhibition. With an emphasis on migrant contribution and a larger than usual recognition of Indigenous history (although it never really feels enough), the exhibit presents a wonderful collation of poignant objects and info spanning the history of the city. There's a lace christening gown made by convict women at Darlinghurst jail, who were later housed in the infamous Parramatta Female Factory. Leather shoes found in an archaeological dig. An artwork reconising the work of the nine Swann sisters - you don't see CV's like 'wife, mother, dentist, activist for international peace' often enough. There's a haunting poem by Oodgeroo Noonuccal honouring the Darug people, and the photo of Samuel Marsden, the notorious 'flogging preacher' which shows he had a drunkard's nose. The exhibition's free, there's a lovely spot to sit overlooking the river while the kids play on a big pirate ship, and a moving exhibition upstairs about the Chinese community's part in local history next to the Local Studies and Family History Library. A real treasure.

I had to write a piece on an historical site and decided to write about the Female Factory at…read moreParramatta - an unused site (except for parts that are now Cumberland Hospital) that used to be a gaol in colonial times. A friend and I went to the actual site to see what it was like for ourselves, took a few photos etc, but because it was unused there was no information we could have gotten other than from our own observations. Luckily, Parramatta Heritage Centre is like a miniature museum cum historical library with all the information I could possibly need for this paper. They also have exhibitions on site, and a permanent one called Parramatta: People and Place which is all about the Burramatta Aboriginal people and European settlement of the area. The information centre upstairs is volunteer run, and I have to say they are amazing people - I don't think people realise how much of a good job they do here. The man I spoke to was a great storyteller, providing me with a verbal account of what he knew of the Female Factory and pointing me towards some great sources. It's a great opportunity to find out more about the area, meet tons of interesting people, or like me, research and write up a decent essay.

When you see this painting on Foveaux Street in Surry Hills you can't help but stop and laugh. It…read morewas done by Sydney Graffiti Artists Beastman and Numskull in response to the Keep Australia Beautiful campaign where graffiti was removed across the city. I really like this artwork, it not only stands out against the bland walls across Foveaux st, but I like how the artists are challenging the idea that graffiti is something that needs to be cleaned up and removed.

So much fun! Ran into a silent disco (live DJ, music streamed through headphones available to…read moreeveryone), which was quite a blast. Plenty of cute stalls and artisan vendors (one particularly talented laser-cut greeting card artist, worth finding), and a whole lane of street food vendors. The Rocks, in general, is a lovely area to walk around.

Definitely worth a wander if you are in town. Its pleasantly…read morebizarre. I loved the inflatable tyvek suits and the strange costumes.

Just back from a 4-year-old birthday party at this farm. A crisp winter day baked in golden…read moresunshine certainly helped matters but seriously, this place was heavenly. My son got to 'squeeze a cow until milk came out'! He held chicks, a baby bunny, a duckling and then took a bucket of feed out to the goats, Alpacas, sheep, calves and donkeys. He fed milk to a baby goats and THEN he rode on a pony. Seriously, this kid thinks he has died and gone to an Easter theme parked heaven. The staff are wonderful: engaged, informative and clearly passionate about providing safe shelter for the many orphaned animals who call this place home. We will certainly go back and given that it's only a 40 min drive from the CBD, that could be very soon!