Parramatta Heritage Centre (Gallery)

The Heritage Centre's exhibition program offers visitors the opportunity to experience Parramatta’s unique cultural heritage through local stories and social histories of local and national significance. The exhibitions reflect Parramatta’s diverse heritage, pulling together the many stories of the region, and expressing the creativity of local, regional and national communities.

The core exhibition Parramatta: People & Place tells the story of the indigenous Darug people, colonial settlers and multicultural communities and explores how Australia’s second colonial settlement developed into its contemporary role as the vibrant demographic centre of the Sydney metropolitan region.

A lively program of regional and national temporary exhibitions explore historical and contemporary issues with a focus on interpreting Parramatta’s influence on broader issues. The temporary exhibition program brings in touring exhibitions from other institutions to provide local western sydney audiences access to nationally significant objects and stories. The program also allows local communities to share their cultural traditions and express issues of significance. It also showcases Parramatta Council’s cultural collection through exhibitions developed with in-house expertise.

The centre's public programs bring the exhibitions to life by creating opportunities for visitors to talk to a curator or expert, be involved in passionate discussions about exhibition themes, or just engage with the behind-the-scenes activities. For details of current and upcoming exhibitions see the events calendar.