Old Government House, Parramatta

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/old-government-house-parramatta

1. How big is Old Government House, Parramatta?
2. What is the location?
3. What is the primary period of gubernatorial occupation?
4. What is Old Government House in Parramatta?
5. Why was Old Government House built instead of using the main Government House in Sydney?

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is Old Government House, Parramatta?110 hectares (260 acres)
2. What is the location?Parramatta Park, Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia
3. What is the primary period of gubernatorial occupation?1800-1847
4. What is Old Government House in Parramatta?Old Government House is the oldest public building in Australia. It was built between 1800 and 1847 as a country home for the colony’s governors.
5. Why was Old Government House built instead of using the main Government House in Sydney?The main house in Sydney was too small and not clean enough. Crime was high in the penal settlement, so a new, better place was needed for the governors.

Colonial Administration: The system of governance and control established by a ruling power in a colony.
Convict Transportation: The practice of sending convicted criminals to distant penal colonies as punishment.
Archaeological Resource: A site or object that provides evidence about past human life and activities.
Indigenous Custodianship: The traditional responsibility and care for land by its original inhabitants.