Parramatta River

Parramatta River from the Gladesville Bridge from

The Parramatta River is a waterway in Sydney, Australia. He is in addition to the smaller rivers Lane Cove River and Duck River is the most important tributary of Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson).

The river begins at the confluence of Toongabbie Creek and Darling Mills Creek west of Parramatta and flows in an easterly direction to a line Greenwich Point ( Greenwich) - Robinsons Point ( Birchgrove ). At this point, still 21 km from the sea, it flows into Port Jackson.

The entire catchment area of the river covers an area of ​​approximately 130 km ² and is valid until Charles Street Weir in Parramatta City, about 30 km west of Sydney Heads, as estuary.

  • 3.1 Water Quality
  • 3.2 fisheries
  • 3.3 Important wetlands and other protected areas
  • 3.4 Land Reclamation
  • 3.5 remediation
  • 4.1 Sailing
  • 4.2 Sea Scouts
  • 4.3 Rowing
  • 4.4 foot and cycle paths
  • 4.5 monuments

Management

Today The whole of Sydney Harbour with all its tributaries is subject to a long-term Catchment Management Plan. The government has local responsibilities abolished by water authorities almost.

The government of New South Wales runs a fixed policy of public access to the shores of the harbor and the river. This includes bank sections in private hands, which are freely accessible but at low tide. Berths and marinas fall under the jurisdiction of the NSW Maritime, who look after the operation of the port, the river bed and the ocean floor. In some bays floating jetty, mostly in private hands, but some also in connection with commercial moorings.

Parramatta River at Gladesville

Parramatta River at Ermington

Parramatta River at Parramatta City

Traffic

Ferry and piers

The Parramatta River is navigated by River Cat ferries that go to Circular Quay. The main piers are:

  • Parramatta City ( south shore )
  • Sydney Olympic Park, ( south shore )
  • Meadowbank, ( North Shore )
  • Kissing Point, ( North Shore )
  • Cabarita Park ( south shore )
  • Abbotsford, ( south shore )
  • Five Dock, ( south shore )
  • Gladesville, ( North Shore )

River crossings

The Parramatta River, along with the port the most important waterway in Sydney. Since its colonization by European immigrants river and harbor formed a perfect barrier for the development of the area north of it. Sydney cut almost in half. Therefore, many river crossings are extremely important for the life in the city. From east to west ( including the port ) are:

  • Sydney Harbour Tunnel
  • Sydney Harbour Bridge
  • Gladesville Bridge
  • Mortlake Ferry ( the last car ferry on the river )
  • Ryde Bridge (now a double bridge )
  • Old Railway Bridge at Meadowbank (now pedestrian and bicycle bridge )
  • John Whitton Bridge ( new railway bridge )
  • Silverwater Bridge
  • Thackeray Bridge ( pedestrian bridge ) near the ferry landing Rydalmere
  • Railway bridge in the Carlingford Line with subsequent pipe bridge
  • Bridge on James Ruse Drive
  • Gasworks Bridge, Parramatta ( historic iron lattice bridge, which was named after the former gas works )
  • Bridge of Oars in Parramatta
  • Barry Wilde Bridge in Parramatta
  • Lennox Bridge in Parramatta

Silverwater Bridge

Gasworks Bridge, Parramatta

Bridge of Oars in Parramatta

Ecology and Environment

Water quality

By 1970, river and harbor served as an open drainage ditch to Sydney's industry and so the bays on the south bank of the middle barrel are contaminated with various heavy metals and chemicals. The bays on the north shore are not as severely affected as the Sydney Harbour Bridge was completed in 1932 and so the industry likely settled on the south shore of the harbor.

Dr Gavin Birch of the University of Sydney has published a number of documents from which it appears that is contaminated Sydney Harbour as well as most other ports in industrial cities that most deposits in the bays on the south bank of the middle barrel ( Blackwattle Bay and Homebush Bay) find that there are five particularly soiled areas in Sydney Harbour and that four of which are in the river system of Parramatta.

The most polluted areas on the Parramatta River are:

  • Homebush Bay - dioxins, lead, Phthaleate, DDT, PAHs ( coal tars ), especially from the nearby chemical factories of Berger Paints, CSR Chemicals Ltd, ICI / Orica and Union Carbide..
  • Iron Cove - different metals and chemicals with no identifiable source. The contaminants may come from the Iron Cove Creek or from Hawthorne Canal.
  • Prior to the site of the former Australian Gas Light Company (AGL ), redeveloped as Breakfast Point today.

The water quality is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency of New South Wales on pollution by faecal bacteria and E. coli bacteria, but to the west only to Cabarita. The Authority examined the water quality in the river farther west sections not though have settled there more industrial enterprises and the flow of leisure boats will sail. In the monitored areas, the water quality is generally satisfactory, except after heavy rain.

Fishing

On Parramatta River exist due to known contaminants various fishing bans. In Homebush Bay is because of dioxin fishing banned completely and the entire port area, and all tributaries, there is a ban on commercial fishing in the Parramatta River.

The Parramatta River is one of the few notable coastal rivers in New South Wales, which was not subjected to the Healthy Rivers Commission Investigation (Commission for healthy rivers examination). The Cooks River and Botany Bay have been studied. Some people call such an investigation for the Parramatta River system so that you collect all the information about the state of the river and its sediments, and its fish population, thus supporting the water sector management.

Important wetlands and other protected areas

Important wetlands are:

  • Bicentennial Park Wetlands
  • Newington Wetlands

There are substantial settlements of mangroves along the river west of Henley ( on the north shore ) and Mortlake ( on the south bank ), as well as in the Lane Cove River. The mangroves have reclaimed land that was previously salt marsh. The investigation of historical drawings and descriptions shows that at the time of the British colonization of the mangrove areas were smaller. Information boards in the Glades Bay is shown that there are today where to find extensive mangrove settlements, formerly found open water, sandy beaches and rocks were. The clearing and cultivation of the country has ensured that soil and nutrients are washed into the river. This created an ideal habitat for mangroves. The Excessive siltation of the river is a growing problem.

Land Reclamation

Many areas along the river, particularly the marshy headlands were drained, often served as a landfill and were later transformed into playgrounds. Large parts of the Meadowbank Park created that way. Many industrial sites have been reclaimed from the river, especially in the Homebush Bay. Most streams that flow into the creeks were channeled, ie Banks and stream bed concreted.

Rehabilitation

Many river basins with highly contaminated sediments were not rehabilitated until today, but such work will start just in Homebush Bay. This relates to the dioxin deposition in the former Union Carbide factory and lead deposits in the former Berger Paints Factory. The former AGL site was analyzed and drafted and approved a reorganization plan. The plan was carried out and started the construction of medium-high and high apartment houses. But the coming of the AGL deposits have not been sufficiently removed, as shown by independent studies.

In other river basins, the deposits were covered with concrete to protect the fish that feed on the bottom flora and fauna. Many of these companies are in favor to leave the toxic deposits untouched, but give environmentalists consider that they could enter the food chain, claiming the company only wanted to save the disposal costs.

Activities

Sailing

There are numerous sailing and yacht clubs on the river:

  • Abbotsford 12ft Flying Squadron in Abbotsford
  • Concord & Ryde Sailing Club in Putney
  • Parramatta River Sailing Club in Gladesville

Sailing and Rowing is allowed through a renewed annually approval from Sydney Waterways.

Sea Scouts

There are Sea Scouts:

  • First Yaralla in Rhodes
  • First Epping in Meadowbank

Rowing

The river has a long rowing tradition. In Henley, there is a memorial to Henry Seale, a rowing champion of his time.

Inter alia The following schools have rowing teams:

  • MLC School
  • The King's School
  • Sydney Boys High School
  • Newington College
  • The Scots College
  • Sydney Grammar School
  • Shore School

There are also a number of rowing clubs ::

  • Leichhardt Rowing Club in Iron Cov
  • Rowers Drummoyne in Iron Cove
  • Sydney Rowing Club, Abbotsford
  • UTS Haberfield Haberfield
  • Balmain

There are still some annual rowing regattas on the river, especially in Iron Cove and in the Hen and Chicken Bay, but most regattas are held today at the Sydney International Regatta Centre ( SIRC ), where 2000 Olympic rowing competitions were held. Previously GPS Schoolboy Head of the River races have been held on the Parramatta River; later they were moved to the Nepean River and then into the SIRC.

Most rowing training takes place on the middle and upper reaches of the river between Abbotsford and Homebush Bay because it (hence less waves) is there less traffic and greater wind protection. Is rowed on the Lane Cove River and Iron Cove, where also there is little traffic.

Footpaths and cycleways

Many riparian areas are still in the hands of the industry or private residents, but there are also increasingly accessible to the public embankment with foot and bike paths. Where former industrial site is being redeveloped riparian areas be made accessible to the public. Where a track alignment on the shore is not possible, cycle paths are guided through quiet residential areas where they are clearly distinguishes from the roadway.

Important shores parks are:

  • Cabarita Park
  • Kissing Point Park in Ryde
  • Meadowbank Park
  • Putney Park
  • George Kendall Riverside Park in Ermington
  • Bicentennial Park in Homebush Bay
  • Millennium Parklands in Homebush / Auburn

Monuments

Important Grade II listed building on the river or in the vicinity are:

  • Thomas Walker Convalescent Hospital (now '' Rivendell Child, Adolescent and Family Unit ''), designed by Sir John Sulman and built from 1891 to 1893.
  • Callan Park, a former psychiatric hospital with beautiful sandstone buildings, which were designed in 1877 by James Barnet.
  • Gladesville Mental Hospital with sandstone buildings and park-like gardens, designed in 1836 by Mortimer Lewis.
  • Yaralla, built in the Italian style mansion of Thomas Walker and his daughter Lady Eadith Walker, benefactor of the community Concord, today lady Eadith Walker Hospital. It was built in the 1860s and erhiekt of'' Sir John Sulman '' designed extensions.
  • Newington, a Regency house, built in 1832 by John Blaxland. 1863 Immobile was acquired by the Wesleyans and converted into the Newington College. It later became an administrative building of the Silverwater prison.

The above buildings are all listed in the Australian Register of Historic Places.

Tributaries

The tributaries of the Parramatta River are:

  • Lane Cove River
  • Hawthorne Canal
  • Iron Cove Creek
  • Powells Creek
  • Haslam's Creek
  • Duck River
  • Subiaco Creek
  • Vineyard Creek
  • Clay Cliff Creek
Tasman Sea Duck River (New South Wales) Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales Meadowbank, New South Wales Gladesville, New South Wales Sydney-Harbour-Tunnel Imperial Chemical Industries Coliform bacteria Salt March Ryde (New South Wales) Regency era
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