Thinking Allowed: A for Effort

Having been in Parramatta for nearly five weeks, we feel we have gotten to know what it is all about. And we really feel rather bad for the old town. They have gotten into a sticky situation that they are gallantly trying to dig out of.

You see, Parramatta is a vital city in Australian history. It was founded just 10 months after Sydney, making it Australia's second city. When a load of prisoners first arrived in Sydney, they did very poorly once their provisions ran out - for though they had a splendid view, the soil was unfit for farming. So, a group of convicts were sent out to found a town in a more sustainable spot. They sailed as far as they could get along the Parramatta River to a more lush, promising freshwater spot and set up camp. And Parramatta thrived. In fact, it did much better than Sydney and Sydney's success was dependent on the provisions generated by its inland sister. And it is hard to not feel bad that in her rise to fame Sydney has trampled on Parramatta's identity and former glory.

But no sore feelings or family feuds here. After years of being a poor struggling suburb of Sydney, Parramatta is pulling out all its tricks to regain some of its former glory. Everything has been given a makeover to match its new motto of "Australia's next great city." The main strip of town is hip: a range of cute shops, cold and hot treats, and an overabundance of terraces. The spacious cobbled town square is dotted with benches and grassy knolls, boasts a great water play area, and is flanked by historical buildings. Each morning the cheery townspeople bring out colorful tables and chairs, giant foam building blocks, and ping pong tables for public enjoyment. For those who like shopping, there is a brand new immense shopping mall. The population is uber diverse and multinational, leading to a vibrant ethnic food and market scene. There is tons of green space: The river walk is peaceful and meandering and the numerous parks all boast brand new and ingenious playgrounds. The business district is clean and thriving. The train into Sydney is 30 minutes. The blue mountains are one train away. And if all these changes weren't enough, the city is ripping down entire blocks to put up nicer blocks of who know what. Just in case you weren't on board or hadn't noticed how cosy life is in Parramatta there are signs everywhere encouraging pride - we are Australia's next great city! and We sing for wanderers! (not sure what that means but it is some sort of town motto).

It really is a town with charm and all the effort has really paid off, because I know my family is impressed. We like hanging out in the town square and we like the parks and river. I think the city of Parramatta hired some incredibly resourceful folks and I truly hope they succeed in shedding their previous poor image of yet another Sydney suburb. But at the end of the day we still feel bad for Parramatta because we wouldn't want to live here. And it isn't its fault because in any other context we likely would have fallen for this little city. But at the end of the day this is still another suburb of a crazy network of suburbs that make up the crazy expanse of the all consuming Sydney.