Old Government House

Old Government House stands in Parramatta Park, Parramatta, in western Sydney, and is run as a house museum by the National Trust (NSW). Convicts built the house and its Barracks between 1799 and 1818, making them the oldest surviving public buildings in Australia, and the site is one of 11 convict sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The Georgian house was the country residence of the first ten governors of New South Wales, including Lachlan Macquarie. From 1910 it housed junior boarders of The King's School for 55 years; it passed to the National Trust in 1967 and reopened in 1970.

The rooms hold a significant collection of Australian colonial furniture, displayed as it would have been when Governor Macquarie lived here. The tour covers the convict-built house with its Georgian-period kitchen, dining room and bedrooms, and the stories of the convicts, servants and soldiers who worked there. Upstairs there is a changing annual exhibition. The shop sells gifts, books, drinks and ice blocks, and ghost tours can be booked. For children there is a rosella hunt and a river-creature colouring activity. The house is surrounded by 200 acres of parkland beside the Parramatta River.

The National Trust recommends allowing at least two hours to explore the exhibition and the house and to learn about its history, followed by time in the shop or on the Barracks verandah. The visit combines easily with the rest of Parramatta Park: a pleasant 30-minute walk along the Parramatta River leads to Experiment Farm Cottage, another National Trust property, and Elizabeth Farm and Hambledon Cottage are also nearby.

The house is open Thursday and Friday from 10am to 4pm and Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 4pm, with last entry at 3:30pm; it is not open Monday to Wednesday. It is closed on Good Friday, Anzac Day, King's Birthday, Labour Day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, and for the summer break from 24 December 2026 to 6 January 2027. The National Trust says the house suits a visit all year round, with changing exhibitions upstairs and regular events and tours.

Entry costs A$15 for adults and A$12 concession; a family ticket is A$42. Concessions apply to full-time students, seniors, pensioners and children aged 5 to 15. Children under 5 and National Trust members enter free. Tickets can be bought at visitor reception or booked in advance to guarantee a place; booking fees apply to advance bookings.

The address is Parramatta Park, Pitt Street Entrance, Parramatta NSW 2150. The house is an easy walk from Parramatta and Westmead train stations. By ferry, take the RiverCat and get off at Charles Street wharf, then walk a short way along the riverside. On foot, the best ways into Parramatta Park are the George Street or Pitt Street gates on the east side and the Queens Road gate or Park Avenue on the west. Drivers can enter the park and follow the loop road to the house, but parking in the park is limited.

The ground floor of the house is wheelchair accessible, but the first-floor exhibition space can only be reached by stairs; there are accessible parking spaces in Parramatta Park, though general parking is limited. Pets are not allowed inside the house, except assistance animals, while dogs on a leash are welcome in the grounds. Tickets are sold at visitor reception, but booking ahead guarantees a place (booking fees apply). The house is closed Monday to Wednesday and on several public holidays.