Many Italian migrants came to Australia from rural areas of their homeland and settled in parts of their new country that allowed them to make a living from working the land. Hundreds of them, including Onsonato Galluzzo, settled in semi-rural areas around Sydney. This ABC report from 1958, tells the story of how Galluzzo arrived in Australia in 1939 and acquired land in Epping, just north of Parramatta, after the war. When more of his family joined him in Australia in 1949, they tilled the three-and-a-half acre property together and turned it into a thriving farm to support the family for generations to come.

This piece is inspired by the Korean Mukbang video genre, an internet broadcast of a person devouring huge quantities of food in real time. Parramatta Mukbang invites the viewer to witness four people eat distinct dishes that pay homage to the area’s rich and vibrant multicultural make up. Indian sweets, a halal snack pack, laksa and a burger are eaten bite-by-bite, encouraging the viewer to feast its eyes on both the food and the act of eating itself. Created to be displayed in Parramatta Square, this slow TV piece also serves as both a mirror and a companion. Parramatta Mukbang reflects how the community is already interacting with this public gathering space, while also calling on the public to eat together, not alone.

Every day life about town, across the suburbs of Western Sydney, captured by ABC TV during the 1970s. Video produced by ESEM Projects with support from the ABC's Content Ideas Lab for Storybox Parramatta.

At the end of 2019, fires ripped through parts of the Blue Mountains, stripping and blackening thousands of hectares of bushland. A layer of smoke blanketed Sydney for months and became a constant reminder of the intensity of the bushfires and the communities battling them. Parramatta’s air quality reached hazardous levels and its burgeoning city skyline disappeared for days at a time. Months on, this peaceful walkthrough of those affected areas acts as important reminder of the fires and acknowledges nature’s incredible ability to recover. Produced by the ABC's Content Ideas Lab for Storybox Parramatta.

This video is featured as part of our content partnership with the ABC Content Ideas Lab. Notes: Parramatta is a significant centre of Lebanese settlement in Australia. People from the village of Kfarsghab began to migrate to the area in the 1890s and established the roots for Parramatta’s Lebanese community. The easing of immigration restrictions after World War II saw a wave of migration from Europe and by 1963 the Lebanese community in Parramatta was well established and quickly expanding. Here you see members of the community socialising and performing the Dabke, a traditional dance, at Cedars of Lebanon Hall in Parramatta.

This video is featured as part of our content partnership with the ABC Content Ideas Lab. Parramatta was an established and bustling city centre long before it was declared “Sydney’s second CBD”. It was founded in 1788, the same year as Sydney, and is rich in historical landmarks including St John’s Cathedral, the Centennial Memorial Clock, Town Hall and Lancer Barracks. Take a little journey back in time and encounter some Paramatta’s many heritage sites that still stand today.

This video is licensed as part of our content partnership with the ABC Content Ideas Lab. Video notes: At the end of 2019, fires ripped through parts of the Blue Mountains, stripping and blackening thousands of hectares of bushland. A layer of smoke blanketed Sydney for months and became a constant reminder of the intensity of the bushfires and the communities battling them. Parramatta’s air quality reached hazardous levels and its burgeoning city skyline disappeared for days at a time. Months on, this peaceful walkthrough of those affected areas acts as important reminder of the fires and acknowledges nature’s incredible ability to recover.

Storybox is surfacing unique insights into urban life in Australia in partnership with the ABC's Content Ideas Lab. As part of the partnership we are reinterpreting archival recordings of city scenes, to create intimate moments of encounter with the past lives of diverse Australians. Notes: The ABC has been documenting the social lives of places for over 80 years. This video edit features scenes of recently arrived migrants in Villawood in the 1950s. We can't help but wonder what the boy in the background was thinking?