On the Parramatta River

Sydney has to be discovered on the water and we took another direction this time, heading west on the river. We went as far as Parramatta, discovering the various aspects of the harbour, the gorgeous little coves filled with boats and the shores and islands covered by so many adorable houses. After the Olympic Park, the river starts to really get narrower, an impression made even more accute by the mangrove that develops on both sides.

Parramatta is based on an aborigenal phrase meaning "where the eels lie" but I'm not too sure if this stands true anymore because the arrival at Parramatta is a bit depressing: in the town, the river runs only in a cemented 2-meter wide bank flanked by a promenade along the local supermarket. The town itself is uninteresting apart from a few early-20th-century building (similar to other towns in the greater Sydney area). So we just stopped for a bite before heading back to Sydney - enjoying nice views of the river by night.



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