A new pop-up interactive experience has bloomed in Parramatta’s Wistaria Gardens, bringing the history of the grounds to life.
Visitors to Wistaria Gardens will now be able to discover a range of fun facts about the Garden’s design, history and key features through interactive signs located across the site.
A collaborative initiative with Hello Lamp Post, ‘Hello Wistaria Gardens’ brings objects and public spaces to life through SMS conversations with the interactive persona of an object.
Conversations are free and can be started by scanning a QR code. Using AI-technology, visitors can have a fun and friendly two-way conversation with various objects around the Gardens, without being required to download an app or register.
People will be able to discover everything from the origins of the grounds and the ancient landform beneath the surface of Parramatta Park to the neighbouring Grey-Headed Flying Fox camp and Glengarriff House. The signs will also answer why the plant is called ‘wisteria’ but the Gardens are ‘wistaria’.
“Greater Sydney Parklands is looking at new and interesting ways to engage with our diverse local community, and this technology allows visitors to Wistaria Gardens to gain a better appreciation for its tranquil place in Parramatta,” Greater Sydney Parklands Chief Executive Joshua French said.
Horticultural improvements began last year across Wistaria Gardens, with Greater Sydney Parklands promising to consult the community on future plans to protect and restore the property.
“We are committed to restoring Wistaria Gardens and Glengarriff House over time and we are developing draft plans to share with the community for feedback this year,” French said.
“We hope that, in the meantime, new and old visitors can learn something about the Gardens’ history, plants and animal life that they may not have known before.”
The new pop-up interactive platform comes after Wistaria Gardens was officially transferred from NSW Health to the Parramatta Park Trust in July 2022.
Formerly part of the Cumberland Hospital site, Wistaria Gardens and the heritage-listed Glengarriff House are now managed by Greater Sydney Parklands.
The Greater Sydney Parklands Trust overseas the protection of the cultural heritage and environment of the Centennial Parklands, including Queens and Moore parks, Western Sydney Parklands, Parramatta Park, Callan Park and Fernhill Estate.
One of Sydney’s most intact surviving Edwardian Gardens, the two-hectare Wistaria Gardens and Glengarriff House were originally built as the residence for the Medical Superintendent of the Parramatta Lunatic Asylum in 1906.
To find out more information, go to http://www.parrapark.com.au/things-to-do/whats-on/hellowistariagardens.
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.