Join us on an intriguing journey through Parramatta, to discover how developments in scientific and medical knowledge have influenced the treatment of patients and their ailments since pre-settlement, and the early days of the colony, through to the current time.
There is evidence that in pre-colonial times Parramatta was a gathering place for Aboriginal people, where ideas and techniques would have been exchanged and discussed. Then, as the settlement grew to become the centre of governance throughout much of the colonial period, Parramatta became home to a range of colonial medical institutions.
In more recent times, Parramatta District Hospital became a centre for medical innovation and excellence, with the opening of Australia’s first dedicated Cardiac Fitness and Rehabilitation Auxiliary. In between there were some decidedly odd developments – and some surprising innovations!
Join us as we time-travel through the evolution of Australian medicine, from colonial times – when the convict hospital caused more illness than it cured – to the cutting-edge treatments of today.
This walking tour will visit Aboriginal lands along the Parramatta River, along with the sites of the Colonial Hospital, the Parramatta District Hospital, the Estella Private Maternity Hospital and the Macquarie Street Asylum. It will conclude outside the Brislington Medical and Nursing Museum, previously home to a dynasty of local doctors, before becoming the Nurses Home for the local hospital.
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