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STOP PRESS
Please click on this link and sign the Petition to Stop the Gregory Place Development
Stop Gregory Place & Save Parramatta’s Heritage! Petition
Call for the World Heritage listing to be resubmitted
Dear Factory Friends,
If you came to the general meeting on Friday, 20 February 2026, or saw Saturday’s Sydney Morning Herald on 21 February 2026, you will know the news I am about to share. The Parramatta Female Factory did not receive a stand-alone World Heritage Status. It didn’t make the final assessment. It is no understatement to say the Committee, many members and the community are gutted by the news. The government have shared their commitment, and we need to hold them to it:
The Labour Government put Parramatta’s Female Factory forward for World Heritage Listing because it is one of the most important historical sites in Australia. “Irrespective of the outcome of the UNESCO process, we are determined to protect the Female Factory for future generations.” (Andrew Charlton).
This open letter encapsulates our feelings about the news. After the letter, is what our first step is going to be, and we ask each of you to contact your local politicians, State and Federal Heritage Ministers and make the 5-point demand as well. Email them, visit them, share with your networks. Also, Hon. Penny Sharpe MLC, Andrew Charlton MP, and Donna Davis MP have been exceptionally helpful, so write to them as well to help give them evidence they can use in the continued fight.
Let’s walk together – like the Female Factory women!!!
Much of the community is gutted by the UNESCO rejection of the Parramatta Female Factory for World Heritage. This is after 15 years of advocating for it with support from amazing Australians like Jack and Judy Mundey and Tom and Meg Keneally, 20,000+ petitions from all over Australia and internationally, as well as significant state and government support.
The reason we believe is that its assessment focus was on the institutional care of the submission, not the 1000s of women who went through or the 5 fights for rights by hundreds of women against military, police and the system, including the first women’s workers action.
We are pleading that the state and federal government continue the good work, listen to the women’s voices through history and our voices now. Submit an extension of the 11 world heritage sites to 12, as was done for the Tasmanian Wilderness. Make it a museum with management by museum experts with appropriate funding.
Why is this highly significant women’s site not given the same ongoing care and funding? Surely this site is of no less value, historically or as part of our Australian identity !!!!!!!!
The Parramatta Female Factory Friends have fought for this place. We submitted a successful National Heritage Listing because we believed it was worthy, just as we believe in the world heritage value. Let’s all walk together and honour women, past and present, make this place and its stories accessible to all Australians, not lost again!!!!
What we are asking and what you can include in any communication with others is:
Given the current status of the site and its vulnerability at this point, we call on the Federal Government and the NSW State Government to immediately:
1. Reinvigorate the World Heritage Process by submitting an application to extend the current 11 Convict Sites on the UNESCO listing to include the Parramatta Female Factory national listing. There are a number of precedents, including the recent Tasmanian Wilderness addition.
2. Provide a single transparent governance model for the precinct that will prevent fractured decision-making and project-by-project erosion of heritage values and inappropriate re-purposing. It needs to have a historic site and museum specialisation as seen with Museums of History NSW and Cockatoo Island
3. Give appropriate custodial care through resourcing – a dedicated, multi-year funding envelope for management, conservation works, interpretation design, research access, survivor-informed engagement and high-quality visitor and education infrastructure, including a management structure and incumbents with specific museum and historic built heritage expertise.
4. A museum that honours and shares this foundational history and its potency as a part of our Australian identity.
5. A commitment that any rezoning or major development proposals that have an impact on this National Listing proceed only with World Heritage-grade heritage impact standards and genuine community consultation and well-defined limitations for developers that respect our past and future.
Attached is our press release. You can also use elements of that to state the case of what we want. Your individual responses are more effective than a form letter. Brief and succinct is the best… each communication will help!
We will continue to do what we can to protect this amazing site and ensure its existence and access into the future, so our future Australians can connect with this place and history.
Warmest Regards,
Gay Hendriksen
President, Research Coordinator
Parramatta Female Factory Friends
Gateway to the Past and Present for all Australians
What is the Parramatta Female Factory?
Amazing Stories, Extraordinary Lives, Experience History, Never forget
Let’s weave a tale of history, heritage, and the remarkable women who shaped it. 🌟📜
🌺 Uncover Your Ancestral Threads: The Parramatta Female Factory 🌺
🔍 Do you have a female factory ancestor? Perhaps hidden in the folds of time, there’s a resilient woman who once walked the sun-drenched yards of the Parramatta Female Factory—a place where stories intersected, dreams flickered, and strength bloomed. She might have been a convict, a mother, a survivor. Her footsteps echo through history, waiting for us to listen.
📜 Our Shared Tapestry:
- Unique Stories: Each thread in our collective tapestry is unique. Some threads are spun from hardship, others from resilience. Some shimmer with defiance, while others carry quiet courage. These stories—the warp and weft of our past—shape who we are today.
- Past and Present: Our tales aren’t confined to sepia-toned pages. They live on, whispered in the wind, etched into sandstone walls, and passed down through generations. The past dances with the present, and we’re the custodians of this delicate choreography.
🌿 Preserving Heritage:
- Believers in Legacy: We’re not just time travelers; we’re memory keepers. We believe in preserving Australia’s heritage—the layers of memory that cling to old bricks, the scent of eucalyptus carried by the breeze. It’s more than nostalgia; it’s a duty.
- The Female Factory: Imagine the sun dappling the courtyard, casting shadows on worn skirts. Imagine laughter and tears, whispered secrets, and the clatter of wooden clogs. The Parramatta Female Factory—a crucible of survival—is etched into our land. We won’t let its story fade.
🚶♀️ Your Invitation:
- Friends of the Factory: Join us as a friend of the factory. It’s like having a cup of tea with history. We’ll share discoveries, unravel mysteries, and celebrate the indomitable spirit of those who walked these grounds.
- Storytellers Wanted: Are you a wordsmith, a bard, or simply someone who feels the pulse of the past? Share the stories—the whispers of women who stitched hope into their petticoats, who sang lullabies under moonlit rafters.
- Heritage Tours and Events: Lace up your historical boots! Come explore the factory—its walls, its buildings, its echoes. Let’s walk where they walked, breathe the same air, and honor their memory. Our events are like time capsules—unearthed treasures waiting for you.
🌟 Together, We Unfold History:
- The Parramatta Female Factory isn’t just a place; it’s a living narrative. It’s the laughter of children born there, the tears of separation, the resilience of women who stitched their stories into the seams of time.
- So, whether you’re a curious wanderer, a genealogist tracing roots, or someone who believes that heritage is our compass, join us. Let’s bring the factory’s whispers to every corner of this sunburnt land.
🌸 Your Invitation Awaits. Let’s turn the pages together. 🌸
PS: If you find a faded ribbon or a forgotten letter, know that it’s a breadcrumb left by those who came before. Follow it. 💌🔍🕊️
Now, tell me: do you hear the echoes of history in the rustle of leaves? 🍃🕰️
About Us
The Parramatta Female Factory Friends have been around since 2010, and we are a registered not-for-profit and registered with ACNC as a Charity. We have a clear Vision of what we are about, and we hope you agree with us that not only as a place of National Heritage, but the significance merits World Heritage.
Guided Walking Tours
Without a doubt, the Tours of the Parramatta Female Factory by trained guides provide an amazing overview of what it was like for a female convict who was sent to the Factory and what they did. You can book a tour here.
Research Centre
Our Parramatta Female Factory Friends Research team are involved in researching female convicts and making connections for members of the public who find they have a convict past. The Research Centre holds the Babette Smith Collection as part of its Library, which assists members and researchers, and you can find more about the Research Centre here.
Education
The Parramatta Female Factory Friends have been involved in educating the public in the history of the Parramatta Female Factory. We have a static exhibition on display on boards and some archaeological relics on display in cabinets. We continue to be involved in researching the History as well as writing short historical articles for the Friends Newsletter, and our website includes Snippets of history of the Parramatta Female Factory here.
Membership
You can become a Member and enjoy membership benefits here.
Donations
Why Your Support Matters Your donation—large or small—directly funds the preservation of the Parramatta Female Factory site, vital research, and sharing its powerful stories with the community, as every dollar makes a real difference through our registered, transparent not-for-profit charity. Every donation matters. Click here.
What’s happening – News & Events
To find out what’s been happening in the News for the Parramatta Female Factory, please check out here.
Shop
The Parramatta Female Factory Friends have a collection of items for sale, which can be found here.
Our Patrons
Our amazing Patrons support us, and you can visit here.
Our Business
Advocacy
The Parramatta Female Factory Friends have been involved in advocacy for the Parramatta Female Factory for over a decade. To look at what we are currently involved in and what we have been doing please visit here.
Partnerships & Collaboration
Parramatta Female Factory Friends Inc. warmly welcomes collaborations with individuals, community groups, educational institutions, heritage organisations, government bodies, and like-minded partners to preserve and promote the history and legacy of the Parramatta Female Factory through education, conservation, advocacy, and community engagement. Please visit here
Business Documents
You will find our core Business Documents here.
What’s On
For the very latest on what is happening, please check our Facebook page at: @pfffriends and our Instagram Page at @pfffriends