Magazine

By Sally Green in {CATEGORY} on 11 May 2012

Parramatta Park was once known as Baramada or Burramatta ('Parramatta') which means "head of waters" or "the place where the eels lie down". Parramatta Park is one of Australia's most historic parks and is one of the largest Parks in Sydney's West.

The Park was originally the core territory of the Burramatta clan of the Darug Aboriginal people. Located at the head of the Parramatta River, Parramatta Park features woodlands, historic buildings and vast open meadows with panoramic views of the river valley.

The Park encompasses an area of 85 hectares and is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register and the Commonwealth National Heritage List. Parramatta Park is also a great venue for major special events, such as Australia Day Celebrations, The Mothers Day Classic and Sydney Symphony in the Park. Other uses of the park include sporting, recreational competitions, cultural and community functions.

Facilities which are available to the public are large expanses of grassland recreational areas, three sporting fields, picnic and BBQ areas, walking tracks, cyclist lanes, an event centre and educational utilities, two children's playgrounds and exercise facilities. The park also offers interpretive educational, cultural and heritage areas including the Dairy Precinct, the Crescent, Rumsey Rose Garden and Murray Gardens.

Annual visitation exceeds 1.5 million people. The park is managed by a board of Trustees that report to the Minister of Arts Sport and Recreation and is 50% self funded.

Parramatta Park has been maintained by Green Horticultural Group for the past six years. The company has a strong track record in delivering a high standard of service which incorporates an excellent and unblemished environmental record since its inception in 1998.

The aim for Green Horticultural Group on this particular contract at Parramatta Park is to ensure the continuous improvement of all areas of the Park to a world class standard. This is obtained through taking pride in not only attention to minor details, but also to ensure the appreciation of the major components such as the revitalisation of the renowned Rumsey Rose Garden through a thorough and vigorous maintenance plan, covering all aspects such as soil testing, improved drainage, irrigation, and research into a new fertiliser regime and a more sustainable mulch that will give nutrient and sustenance to the rose plants.

Other areas of interest are the Dairy gardens, where Green Horticultural Group produce interpretive and demonstrative crop displays, with seasonal and rotational changes in crops.

The Old Kings Oval turf wicket is prepared for the Parramatta Cricket Club's 1st Grade Team and has been lifted from a ground assessment ranking of 10 up to its current ranking of 4 during the past 6 years.

Green Horticultural Group firmly believes maintenance is very much the sustaining of a garden or landscape to hold its original integrity. The quality systems and procedures employed by GHG are followed rigorously to ensure all reporting requirements are met and that the quality of the site is maintained.

Green Horticultural Group were proud winners of the Landscape Contractors Association 2005 Awards of Excellence for Commercial Maintenance in Parramatta Park.



THE GREEN HORTICULTURAL GROUP PTY LTD
PO BOX 345, ROUND CORNER, NSW, 2158
T: (02) 9679 2555 F: (02) 9679 2955
www.greenhorticulture.com.au

Read more articles in {CATEGORY}, by Sally Green or from May 2012.