For many years I've worked in one of the buildings overlooking this site. Over that time, I've seen this spot change dramatically. My first memory of the site is as a cheap all day parking lot. For a time it was the catering lot when the ABC series Crownies was doing location shooting around the corner at the Court House. For years it has been a construction site, building the new high rise commercial/residential development you see here now.
But in the middle of all that, there was one really interesting use of the land, as an archeological dig in 2005. The archeological team made some significant discoveries on the site relating to the early days of the Colony. These discoveries have been incorporated into the design of the current building, with a viewing area and interpretive signs of the finds. There is also a Heritage Centre in the building which displays finds from the site and has displays exploring the broader history of Parramatta. You will need to visit the Heritage Centre to do this cache.
If you travelled to Parramatta in 1801, one of the first major buildings you would see on your approach was the Wheatsheaf Hotel, thought to be the first public inn built in Parramatta. The cellar of this hotel was one of the major finds of the archeological dig, together with the brick footings from a 1840s house, evidence of 1790s convict huts, the remains of wheelwright's workshop, and the remains of a baker's oven. In addition to these, remains hundreds of bottles, tableware, clay pipes and children's toys were discovered on the site. These are displayed in the Heritage Centre.
The listed coordinates take you to the ground level of the new building where you can look down into the display. Around the edges of the viewing area are a number of signs providing information on the area. The doors to the Phillip Ruddock Heritage Centre are behind this viewing area.
The Heritage Centre is open free to the public six (6) days a week, Monday to Saturday. between 10-11:30 am and 2:30-4 pm. It is currently not open on Sundays.
I have been to the Heritage Centre several times outside of these hours, and it has been open. However it would be best to go there during the official opening hours and not trust that you will be able to get in at other times.
The remains of the cellar in the Heritage Centre
A short video runs on a constant loop in the Heritage Centre, running for approximately 12.5 minutes. The answers to the following questions can be found on the information boards around the remains of the cellar and from the video.
A - How many pieces of clay pipes were uncovered on this site, according to the board?
B - In what year were over a million clay pipes imported to the Colony?
C - Following from B, in this year,what was the population of the colony, in thousands?
D - The painting titled 'Diggers at a sly grog shop ...' was painted in 18D
E - How many artefacts were found on the allotment the Wheatsheaf was built on?
F - How old was the first operator of the Wheatsheaf when he was transported to the Colony?
G - Since the excavations at this site, other remains of convict huts have been uncovered throughout Parramatta. How many have been uncovered?
H - One of the horizontal displays shows a selection of alcohol bottles uncovered during the excavation. How many separate pieces are shown? (don't count those in the hanging cabinet)
I - How many months credit will be give an approved security, according to the sale details for the Wheatsheaf in the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser in 1808?
X = A - B + C + D
Y = E - F - G - H- I
The cache is located at S33 48.X E150 59.Y. This is a short walk from the Wheatsheaf site, in Parramatta Park. You will be looking for a bison tube. You will need to bring your own pen. There is no need to leave the platform to retrieve this cache
You can check your answer with the geo-checker:
