Western Sydney's hidden history in a city you thought you knew

By Michael Turtle
Updated March 18 2021 - 12:30pm, first published June 6 2020 - 5:00pm
Uncle Kurt's, a Brooklyn-style bar on the ground floor of a parking garage, is part of a new vibe in Parramatta. Pictures: Michael Turtle
Uncle Kurt's, a Brooklyn-style bar on the ground floor of a parking garage, is part of a new vibe in Parramatta. Pictures: Michael Turtle

If it wasn't for Parramatta, the rest of Sydney might not exist. After the First Fleet landed in 1788, the new arrivals struggled to grow crops around Sydney Cove. When Governor Arthur Phillip discovered the perfect agricultural land at Parramatta a few months later, he ensured the survival of the fledgling British colony.