We visited the markets, shops, and food spots in Eastwood. The history here runs deep.
Sitting on the north side of the Parramatta River, Eastwood is on land that originally belonged to the Wallumedegal people. When Europeans showed up in the late 1700s with guns, diseases, and straight-up prejudice, these people would have suffered massively. Colonisation happened, the land got carved up into private property, the railway rolled in — and that seems to be how Eastwood as we know it was born.
Over time, more European settlers arrived. But today? A huge part of Eastwood’s community has roots in Asia — especially China and Korea — and you can feel that influence everywhere.
Fun fact: the Granny Smith apple was first grown here. Yes, that iconic green apple. They even celebrate it every autumn.
All of that makes Eastwood a full-on cultural mashup. People come here to grab groceries you won’t find in mainstream supermarkets, or to eat great Chinese and Korean food along Rowe Street and nearby. It’s busy. It’s multilingual. Signs are in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Korean.
But here’s the part that hits different — I saw no visible markers or reminders of the Wallumedegal people.
According to the local museum at Hunters’ Hill the Wallummedegal people’s name derives from the word for Snapper, Wallumai, and Matta, which means “place of water” (see picture above).