Parramatta Advertiser, 10 March 2010

FORGET the Opera House or Sydney Harbour Bridge - tourists need to see where it all began, according to Parramatta State Labor MP Tanya Gadiel as she launched the Discover Parramatta guidebooks on Thursday night.

The launch of the visitors' guide and dining guide followed a presentation of Parramatta Council's draft tourism strategy. It outlined a series of recommendations to be considered for implementation over the next five years.

Ms Gadiel said tourists needed to know Parramatta was where the colony started. "Australia would not be what it is today without Parramatta, which fed the colony with its alluvial soils. Parramatta sustained us," she said.

"After tourists have seen the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, they need to discover what an incredible place Parramatta is."

It is the 19th year the visitors' guide has been produced but the first year it has been endorsed by Tourism NSW, which gave a $49,000 grant to help its production and distribution.

The guide is being distributed in key tourist locations across Parramatta, Sydney and around the state. The guide can also be downloaded from www.discoverparramatta.com

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