Parramatta Park — The Vanished Letters

Your quest for the vanished letters begins on Macquarie Street, laid out by Governor Lachlan Macquarie in the early 1810s. This historic main street of Parramatta, planned according to British colonial principles, leads you towards Old Government House. This sandstone edifice, built between 1818 and 1821 under the direction of Macquarie and architect Henry Kitchen, was the first major government residence in New South Wales outside Sydney. Exploring this Georgian colonial style building, a symbol of Parramatta's administrative development, you will discover how the early decisions of the British colony shaped the city.

The journey continues into Parramatta Park, established in 1790 and one of Australia's oldest public parks. Covering approximately 72 hectares, the park features historic gardens and avenues dating back to the 19th century, offering a documented setting of colonial promenades. It was here that Governor Macquarie planned the expansion of Parramatta, a city that would become a vital center for New South Wales. As you walk these paths, you will collect clues hidden in the landscape, revealing the governor's intentions for this historic site in Parramatta Park, a UNESCO World Heritage area.

Your investigation then leads you to Elizabeth Farm, a property established in 1793 by John Macarthur, a pioneer of the Australian wool industry. The main house, built between 1793 and 1795 in a simple colonial style, is an archaeological site testifying to the beginnings of European agriculture in New South Wales. The remains of 18th-century gardens around the property tell the story of this influential family and their role in the nascent economy. Here you will unearth fragments of correspondence that shed light on Macarthur's ambitions, a key figure in Parramatta's history.

Returning towards the center of Parramatta, you cross Prince Alfred Square, a public square laid out in 1867 to commemorate the visit of Prince Alfred, son of Queen Victoria. This central urban space, approximately 0.5 hectares, is surrounded by 19th-century commercial buildings and houses a commemorative fountain installed the same year. Nearby, Parramatta Town Hall, a municipal building constructed in 1861 by architect John Horbury Hunt, is a three-story sandstone building with a 15-meter clock tower. These historic sites of Parramatta, with their archives documenting local civic history, are crucial places for piecing together the puzzle of the vanished letters.

Your final stop takes you to St John's Cemetery, established in 1793 and one of Australia's oldest colonial cemeteries. It contains burials of pioneers, colonial administrators, and military personnel from the 1793-1850 period, with sandstone tomb inscriptions dated 1793. By examining these testimonies to the colony's demographic history, you will shed light on the last pieces of the mystery. Along the Parramatta River, a major waterway used for river transport in the 19th century, you will contemplate the developed banks and public promenades established in the 1880s-1890s, thus concluding your historical walking exploration of New South Wales heritage.