Old Government House, Parramatta

About

Old Government House is a heritage-listed former "country" residence used by ten early Governors of the then-Colony of New South Wales, between 1800 and 1847, and which is located in Parramatta Park in Parramatta, in the suburbs of Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is considered a site of national and international significance as an archaeological and historical resource. It also serves to demonstrate how the 18th-century British Empire conducted its expansion, and how Australian society has evolved since its establishment in 1788.

The poor quality of the original Sydney Government House, as well as crime and unsanitary conditions in the growing Sydney penal settlement convinced successive Governors of the desirability of a rural residence. In 1799 the second Governor, John Hunter, had the remains of Arthur Phillip's cottage cleared away, and a more permanent building erected on the same site.