The Parramatta River is an intermediate tide-dominated, drowned valley estuary located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With an average depth of ,Parramatta River by Office of Environment and Heritage NSW the Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, a branch of Port Jackson. Secondary tributaries include the smaller Lane Cove and Duck rivers.
Formed by the confluence of Toongabbie Creek and Darling Mills Creek at North Parramatta, the river flows in an easterly direction to a line between Yurulbin in Birchgrove and Manns Point in Greenwich. Here, it flows into Port Jackson, about from the Tasman Sea. The total catchment area of the river is approximately and is tidal to Charles Street Weir in Parramatta, approximately from the Sydney Heads.
The land adjacent to the Parramatta River was occupied for many thousands of years by Aboriginal peoples of the Wallumettagal nations and the Wangal, Toongagal (or Tugagal), Burramattagal, and Wategora clans of the Darug people. They used the river as an important source of food and a place for trade. The river was formed 15 to 29 million years ago as its waters began to cut a valley into sandstone and shale.
History The Parramatta River and its tributaries have been used by Aboriginal peoples for thousands of years. Several clans occupied its shores, including the Wangal along much of the southern bank, the Wallumettagal on the northern shore, and the Burramattagal around the upper river at present-day Parramatta. The river provided fish, eels, shellfish, waterbirds and other resources and also served as a transport route and territorial boundary. The name Parramatta derives from the name of the Burramattagal people and their country at the head of the river. It is commonly interpreted as meaning "the place where the eels lie down", referring to the eels associated with the upper reaches of the river.
In 1788, Governor Arthur Phillip explored the waterway while searching for fertile agricultural land and a reliable freshwater supply. For the early colony, the river was the principal transport route between Sydney and Parramatta. The first ferry, the Rose Hill Packet, began operating in 1789, carrying passengers and goods between the settlements. Although an overland route was established soon afterwards and the railway reached Parramatta in the nineteenth century, river transport remained important for much of the century.
European settlement substantially altered the river and its foreshores. Land clearing for agriculture increased sediment entering the waterway, while wetlands and saltmarshes were progressively drained or reclaimed. From the nineteenth century, industries including mills, tanneries and other factories developed along the river and its tributaries. Increasing urbanisation and industrialisation caused severe deterioration of the river during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Sewage, industrial effluent and other waste were discharged into the waterway, while sections of wetland were reclaimed and tributary streams modified or channelised. By the mid-20th century pollution had become sufficiently severe that fishing and many recreational activities had largely disappeared from parts of the river. Environmental regulation and remediation from the 1970s onwards gradually improved water quality. Major remediation occurred around Homebush Bay in preparation for the 2000 Summer Olympics, and former industrial waterfronts elsewhere along the river have subsequently been redeveloped for residential, recreational and conservation uses.
Inflowing waterways The headwaters of the Parramatta River are formed by the confluence of Darling Mills Creek and Toongabbie Creek (which has the tributary Greystanes Creek to the south). The point of the confluence lies on the northern border of the grounds of Cumberland Hospital. It also lies on the boundary of the suburbs of Westmead, Northmead, and North Parramatta.
Waterways flowing into the Parramatta River, west to east include: Vineyard Creek at Rydalmere, from the north Ponds Subiaco Creek at Rydalmere, from the north Duck River at Silverwater, from the south Archer Creek at Meadowbank, from the north Smalls Creek at Meadowbank, from the far north Charity Creek at Meadowbank, from the north Haslams Creek at Homebush Bay, from the south Powells Creek at Homebush Bay, from the south Iron Cove Creek at Five Dock, from the south Hawthorne Canal at Iron Cove, from the south Tarban Creek at Huntleys Point, from the north Lane Cove River at Greenwich, from the north
The river in Parramatta
From its start at the confluence of Toongabbie Creek and Darling Mills Creek at North Parramatta, the river flows in a southerly direction through the grounds of Cumberland Hospital. Entering Parramatta Park, it then turns east and flows through the Parramatta CBD. Both banks are largely open to the public, with parkland and walkways, downstream to James Ruse Drive. The river is fed by a number of small creeks and stormwater drains.
The waters are controlled by a series of weirs: the weir at the edge of the hospital grounds, the Kiosk Weir in Parramatta Park, the Marsden Street Weir, and the Charles Street Weir at the ferry wharf. The weirs have been equipped with fish ladders. Kiosk Weir and Charles Street Weir also include footbridges enabling a crossing of the river.
Historically, the river was dammed to provide reservoirs for the town. Currently, however, the function of the weirs is aesthetic, preventing the water from draining away during dry periods. As a consequence the river floods in heavy rain, particularly at the Charles Street Weir. The Charles Street Weir forms the boundary between fresh water and salt water, and is also the limit of tides.
River governance
The whole of Sydney Harbour including its tributary rivers is subject to a long range Catchment Management Plan. The Government has almost eliminated local representation by eliminating the former local catchment management boards.
The New South Wales Government has a documented policy in relation to access to the harbour and river foreshores, including public access to intertidal lands where landowners have absolute waterfronts but where the waterfront is exposed at low tide. Moorings and jetties are the responsibility of Transport for NSW, who are also responsible for the management of the harbour and river seabed. Many bays contain swing moorings, mostly privately owned, but some associated with commercial marinas.
Along the Parramatta River many hands have made lighter work, in the community-wide effort to make the entire river swimmable again by 2025, starting with the opening of Lake Parramatta in 2014. 13 councils sit within the Parramatta River catchment group and all have committed to tackling the two major polluters: sewer overflows and stormwater.
Transport
Ferry services and wharves
There are River Cat services along the Parramatta River to Circular Quay. The main wharves, westtoeast are: Wharf name Suburb Location on side of river Image Parramatta ferry wharf Parramatta Southern Rydalmere ferry wharf Rydalmere Northern Sydney Olympic Park ferry wharf Wentworth Point Southern Meadowbank ferry wharf Meadowbank Northern Kissing Point ferry wharf Kissing Point Northern Cabarita ferry wharf Cabarita Park Southern Abbotsford ferry wharf Abbotsford Southern Chiswick ferry wharf Chiswick Southern Huntleys Point ferry wharf Gladesville Northern
Crossings The Parramatta River, along with Sydney Harbour, is the most significant waterway in Sydney. Since settlement, the river and the harbour have presented a formidable barrier between the earlyEuropean settled southern Farm Cove precinct, to development north of the waterway. Together, Parramatta River and Port Jackson literally cut Sydney in half along its northsouth axis.
As a result, the many crossings are extremely important to the life of the city. From west to east, the crossings of the Parramatta River are located at: Crossing name(Unofficial name) Southern crossing location Northern crossing location Comments/use Image Bridge RoadWestmeadNorth ParramattaCarries vehicular traffic.New bridge constructed directly adjacent to Bridge Road for Parramatta Light Rail. Carries Light Rail and shared path.Ross Street WeirParramattaCarries vehicles. Restricted AccessButtons BridgeParramattaCarries bicycle and foot traffic in Parramatta park.Noller BridgeParramattaCarries bicycle and foot traffic in Parramatta park. Rings Bridge Parramatta A bridge which carries vehicular and pedestrian traffic north–south along O'Connell Street. Marsden Street WeirParramattaFormerly carried Marsden Street, but was replaced for this purpose in 1971 due to frequent flooding. Remains connected to Marsden Street on one side, but with restricted accessBernie Banton Bridge Parramatta A multi-span concrete girder bridge which carries vehicular and pedestrian traffic north–south along Marsden Street. Originally built in 1971 to replace the frequently flooded Marsden Street Weir, the bridge was named the Marsden Street Bridge. The bridge was then renamed in 2006 in honour of the asbestos diseases campaigner Bernie Banton. Lennox Bridge Parramatta A stone arch bridge designed by David Lennox and constructed with convict labour between 1836 and 1839. Formerly carried the Castle Hill Tramway until 1919. Carries Church Street. Carried vehicular traffic north–south along Church Street until 2019. Now carries Parramatta Light Rail and pedestrians Barry Wilde Bridge Parramatta Carries a car lane, a bus lane and a footpath on either side of the bridge as Wilde AvenueElizabeth Street Footbridge Parramatta A pedestrian bridge incorporating Wake, an artwork by Milne and Stonehouse Charles Street WeirParramattaCarries foot traffic. Allows access to Parramatta Ferry WharfThe Macarthur Bridge(Gasworks Bridge)Parramatta Completed in 1885, this is an historic iron lattice bridge named for the gasworks which used to be situated nearby. Carries vehicular and foot traffic as Macarthur Street Arthur Street BridgeParramattaCompleted in 2023, carries pedestrian and Bicycle traffic. First diagonal arch bridge in Australia. Connects Arthur Street to the Parramatta Valley cycleway.James Ruse Drive bridge ParramattaA concrete span road bridge that carries vehicular traffic north–south along James Ruse Drive. Also carries pedestrian Traffic. CamelliaRydalmereCarries water pipes, adjacent to former rail bridge.Carlingford railway bridge(Camellia Railway Bridge) Camellia Rydalmere Formerly carried the Carlingford railway line. Converted into an active transport link as part of Parramatta Light Rail With adjacent water pipe bridge on the Carlingford railway line CamelliaRydalmereNew bridge constructed to carry duplicated Parramatta Light Rail, replacing the former rail bridge.Thackeray Street Bridge CamelliaRydalmere A pedestrian bridge. Also carries water pipes. Connects to the Parramatta Valley cycleway. Silverwater Bridge Silverwater Rydalmere A concrete span road bridge that carries vehicular traffic north–south along Silverwater Road, opened in 1962. Also carries pedestrian traffic John Whitton Bridge Rhodes Meadowbank A railway bridge carrying the Main Northern railway line Meadowbank Railway Bridge Rhodes Meadowbank carried the Main Northern railway line until superseded in 1980, converted for pedestrian and cyclist useRyde Bridge Rhodes Ryde A dual bridge that carries vehicular and pedestrian traffic north–south along Concord Road Mortlake Ferry