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Last year, I held the Parramatta Heritage Forum to showcase different visions for the future of Parramatta's unique and significant heritage.

The community-lead forum featured five visions from key community groups on what the future of the Parramatta Female Factory might look like, and the role it will play in Parramatta's rapidly growing community.

To have your say on the future of Parramatta's heritage, let me know which vision (or visions) you support!
If you have any questions or require assistance with any federal matters, please get in touch via 02 9689 1455 or at [email protected]

 

Vision 1 - Parramatta Female Factory Friends

For over 12 years, the Parramatta Female Factory Friends have been advocating for protecting the Parramatta Female Factory and appreciation of the site's significant history through site activation, regular tours, publications and a research service.

Their vision for the future of the Factory includes:

  • World Heritage status - to ensure the site is protected and accessible for generations to come.
  • National research centre - to explore the site's history and relationship to the Australian identity.
  • Access for all Australians - to be able to experience one of the foundational places of the Australian identity.
  • A living, immersive museum - featuring content on Dharug history, built heritage, industrial history, the Factory as part of colonialism and the history of feminism in Australia.

Vision 2 - National Trust

Australia's leading heritage conservation charity, the National Trust's vision is to bring the heritage to life for future generations. It manages or owns over 300 sites across Australia with 20 in NSW open regularly to the community.

Their vision for the future of heritage in Parramatta centres around preservation of existing sites in the face of encroaching development in and around Parramatta.

Existing sites managed by the National Trust in Parramatta include Old Government House and Experiment Farm Cottage - both of which have been carefully preserved and are regularly open to the public.

 

Vision 3 - Parramatta Female Factory Precinct Inc.

Established in 2007 as a support network and contact register for former residents of the Parramatta Girls Home, the Female Factory Precinct Inc. aims to transform the precinct into a place of shared cultural heritage.

Today, under the chairmanship of Bonney Djuric OAM, they continue to conduct workshops and develop resources related to the history of the Female Factory Precinct and its relationship to contemporary human rights and historic treatment of mental illnesses more broadly.

Their vision for the future of the Factory Precinct includes preserving this place as a Site of Conscience - a place of memory and previous struggles where exhibitions and programming occur to activate its past for future generations.

 

 

Vision 4 - North Parramatta Residents Action Group

Formed in 2015, NPRAG has advocated for protection of sites with historical significance and against overdevelopment in the Parramatta area.

The association's aim is to promote the preservation and activation of Parramatta's public parklands and landscapes to enhance the historical, cultural, economic and social capital of Parramatta.

Consistent with this vision, they propose to restore and regenerate Parramatta's Fleet Street Heritage Precinct as a 30ha botanic gardens and heritage tourism destination - complete with family areas and outdoor amphitheatres.

NPRAG also proposes to establish the Museum of NSW, incorporating sites like the Female Factory with Lancer Barracks, Elizabeth Farm and Old Parramatta Gaol to tap into Parramatta's potential for cultural tourism.