A specially commissioned art collection has made its home in Walker Corporation’s six and eight Parramatta Square lobbies, paying tribute to the Indigenous and European history of Parramatta.
Honouring the large role Parramatta has played in Australia’s history, the art collection features an intricate heritage display embedded into the architecture of the six Parramatta Square lobby. Co-designed with the local Darug community, the display tells the story of First Nations peoples and Europeans connections to the site.
“Art and heritage are so important in all our developments and Parramatta has an amazing story to be told,” Walker Corporation Chairman Lang Walker AO said.
“Our new lobby space will greet tenants and visitors with a remarkable display of Darug heritage and colonial history from the first European settlers who established their second camp at the head of the harbour.”
A complete working replica of the Rose Hill Packet boat, known as the ‘the lump’ by first fleet convicts, is permanently positioned in the lobby of six Parramatta Square as part of the collection. As the first European boat built in Australia, the Rose Hill Packet boat was specifically designed to take supplies from Sydney Cove to Rose Hill, now modern day Parramatta.
Also hanging in the lobby of the newest commercial office building of the $3.2 billion precinct, is a super canvas by Indigenous artist Yaritji Young called ‘Honey Ant Dreaming,’ which symbolises the buzz of activity mirroring the hard work of honey ants.
Designed by GML in collaboration with the Darug Specialist Panel, the heritage interpretation display serves as the centrepiece of the six Parramatta Square lobby, drawing on archaeological data excavated from six and eight Parramatta Square.
CEO of GML Heritage Sharon Veale said the designs will serve as visual cues for the audience to move through a timeline of changing lifeways.
“The immersive new heritage interpretation displays at six and eight Parramatta Square will captivate tenants and visitors alike,” Ms Veale said.
“The designs are evocative and beautiful, and hopefully it will create a sense of curious wonder in the place’s histories and stories as part of Parramatta’s exciting future.”
Two more artworks are to be revealed as part of the collection in the coming months.
Visitors to Parramatta Square are encouraged to scan QR codes in the Parramatta Square Passport app to find out more about the artwork’s meaning.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.