“The vintage row boats we have for hire will help bring activity and life to our River foreshore,” Cr Chedid said. “At the same time, these row boats will give families a fun and healthy activity to do with the kids during the school holidays.
“I’m very excited about having row boats back on our River. We haven’t seen any recreational rowing in this part of the River since our colonial days.
“This is the first time Council has ever run this program but we’ve been talking about doing this for a long time. Finally, we have it up and running.
“At the moment, the plan is to trial it and if it proves popular, we may look into having a commercial operator run this service permanently,” Cr Chedid said.
The row boats are part of Council’s new city activation program aimed at revitalising key areas of Parramatta, including the River and Church Street Mall. They also form part of the Lord Mayor’s Healthy City initiative, designed to encourage a healthier lifestyle in the community.
“Our city animation program is about trialling and testing new projects to revitalise parts of our City; find out what works before we make any significant investments,” Cr Chedid said.
Row Boats on the River details:
When: Hours of operation are 11.00am to 2.30pm and 3.30pm to dark.
Where: Parramatta River, southern bank, between Church Street and Wilde Avenue, Parramatta
Cost: Ten vintage dinghies and two paddle wheelers are for hire, starting at $10 for half an hour.
To ensure people’s safety, Council has arranged for an experienced water safety instructor to be present at all times.
