Old Government House Parramatta: Strange Lights of Colonial NSW
Long before anyone said "UFO", people at Parramatta were writing about strange lights in the sky. Old Government House, the Georgian country residence of the colony's early governors in Parramatta Park, sits at the centre of some of the oldest colonial accounts of moving lights over New South Wales.
Find this and dozens more in Supernatural Sydney: directions, access notes and safety tips. Printed guides include 12 months of the Explorer app free. Get the guide →
Today it's a National Trust museum and part of a World Heritage-listed convict site, and a visit here adds a very different layer to Sydney's UFO lore: settlers, soldiers and convicts trying to make sense of the night sky with no planes, satellites or streetlights to compare it to. We tell these early stories in Supernatural Sydney.
The History of Old Government House
Parramatta was settled by Europeans in 1788, just months after Sydney Cove, on Dharug Country. Old Government House became the country home of the first ten governors of New South Wales and is described as the oldest surviving public building in Australia. It's one of the 11 sites that make up the World Heritage-listed Australian Convict Sites.
By the early 1800s, Parramatta was a busy colonial outpost, and a dark one. With no artificial light beyond lamps and fires, anything bright moving across the sky stood out, and some of it made its way into letters and journals.
The UFO Sightings
Colonial accounts retold in local lore describe fireballs and glowing shapes that seemed to drift or hover silently over the settlement. Convicts and guards along the Parramatta River are said to have reported "stars" that moved too fast, or too erratically, to be anything astronomical.
The most detailed story dates to 1828, when settlers near Old Government House reportedly saw "a bright moving star" cross the western sky, stop above the settlement, then vanish. Witnesses were said to have noted it moved against the wind, which ruled out lanterns or fires. Another account from the 1830s tells of convicts on night duty by the river watching "two balls of fire" cross east to west and disappear behind the ridge.
At the time, most of these sightings were put down to meteors or "atmospheric fire". There's no ghost tour built around them, but standing in the park at dusk, it's easy to picture how strange those nights must have felt.
How to Get to Old Government House
Old Government House is in Parramatta Park, a short walk west of Parramatta Station on the T1 Western Line. The National Trust asks visitors to use the Pitt Street entrance to the park. The house is open Thursday and Friday from 10am to 4pm and on weekends from 11am to 4pm, with guided tours available. You can pre-purchase tickets online or pay on arrival. The wider park is open to the public, and the Parramatta River runs along its edge.
Know Before You Go
- Old Government House is visited on its opening days, with tickets and guided tours. Check the National Trust's current hours and events before you go.
- Parramatta Park is a heritage-listed public park. Keep to public areas and follow park signage and gate times.
- St John's Cemetery, established in 1790, is a nearby place to reflect on early Parramatta. Visit quietly, don't touch or climb on graves, and be respectful of anyone visiting family.
- This is Dharug Country. Treat the park and river with respect and leave no trace.
- For skywatching, the open river foreshore gives the best view of the evening sky.
Old Government House FAQs
Can you go inside Old Government House?
Yes. It's a National Trust museum open Thursday to Sunday, with tickets and guided tours available.
Is Old Government House the oldest building in Australia?
It's described as the oldest surviving public building in Australia, and it's part of the World Heritage-listed Australian Convict Sites.
Were there really UFO sightings in colonial Parramatta?
Accounts retold locally describe moving lights and "balls of fire" in the 1820s and 1830s. At the time, they were usually explained as meteors or atmospheric effects.
How do I get to Old Government House by train?
Catch the train to Parramatta Station and walk west into Parramatta Park, using the Pitt Street entrance.
