Sydney/Outer West
The Outer West is the huge area of Sydney to the west of the cities of Parramatta and Holroyd, which is the boundary with the Inner West. It is south of the Shire of Baulkham Hills, which is part of Sydney North West. It includes the cities of Blacktown,Penrith and Hawkesbury. Penrith is fast becoming the center for Outer Western Sydney business and night life. Blacktown and St Marys are also close behind and well worth mentioning. Richmond and Windsor in the City of Hawkesbury are famous for their history. Further west is the Blue Mountains and to the south Fairfield and Liverpool.
Get in
By car
Road access from Sydney to the Outer West is via the M4 motorway, which is accessed from Parramatta Road, the main western exit from the CBD. The M4 connects with the M7 Westlink motorway, which in turn connects to northern Sydney's M2 and southern Sydney's M5.
Access from the Blue Mountains is via the Great Western Highway which traverses the mountains to cross the Nepean River just west of Penrith or the Bells Line of Road which terminates after crossing the Hawkesbury River at Richmond. Access from Singleton and the Hunter Valley is along the Putty Road which terminates at Windsor. The Northern Road provides access between Penrith and Camden/Campbelltown to the south.
By train
Catching a train on the Cityrail can be a way accessing the outer west for travellers. All trains stop at the major centres of Paramatta and Blacktown, before proceeding either to Penrith or Richmond. Express services to the Blue Mountains can be a much quicker way of getting to Penrith, if you are central around the time one is leaving.
See
- Koala Park Sanctuary, 84 Castle Hill Road, West Pennant Hills, ☏ +61 2 9484 3141. If you don't have time to go out a look in the bush by yourself, you can get up close and personal with a koala or kangaroo at the Koala Park Sanctuary. You can see the koalas being fed at 10:20am, 11:45am, 2:00pm and 3:00pm $27 adults and $9 children.
- Featherdale Wildlife Park, 217-229 Kildare Road, Doonside, NSW 2767 (near Blacktown) (Take bus 756 from Blacktown railway station), ☏ +61 2 9622 1644. 9AM-5PM. The park showcases Australia's wildlife and includes a koala sanctuary. You can also feed kangaroos, wallabies, emus, and other Australian wildlife. Adults: $29, Children: $15.50.
- Bennetts Wagon, Hackett Drive & Gt Western Highway St Marys. In the south creek park see an example of a Bennett Wagon. Bennett's were a famous St Mary's wheelwright.
- Knapsack Viaduct- a railway viaduct at Lapstone Hill built in 1867 by John Whitton (the 'Father' of the NSW railways). It is signposted from the Emu Plains exit of the motorway.
- Blacktown: one of the largest and most multicultural suburbs of Sydney.
Do
- Penrith Whitewater Stadium, McCarthy's Lane, Cranebrook NSW Australia. (Drive or get a taxi from Penrith Station), ☏ +61 2 4730 4333. Penrith Whitewater Stadium was the competition venue for the canoe/kayak slalom events during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Located only an hour from Sydney, it is the only man-made whitewater course of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
Book whitewater rafting or whitewater kayaking. September to July.
Buy
Eat
Drink
- Panthers [1] is a hub for entertainment in the west. Including Dining, Music, Accommodation, Sports Bars, Video Games Arcade, Slot Machines (Pokies) etc. Panthers is also home to the Panthers Rugby League team. It has a variety of outdoor entertainments and fast food outlets.
Sleep
Connect
Go next
- Blue Mountains by car or train. If you're coming from Sydney, you've already come a third of the way.