Penrith, New South Wales

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Penrith is a suburb in the City of Penrith in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the city's commercial centre as well as the residential neighbourhoods of Lemongrove, South Penrith, and Glenmore Park. It is the western-most part of Sydney (50 km west of the Sydney central business district), lying on the Nepean River, at the foot of the Blue Mountains, which are part of the Great Dividing Range.

The name Penrith came into use in the area in 1822. It may have been named after the town of Penrith, England.

1 Geography & climate
2 Demographics
3 Education
4 Sporting & Recreation
5 Transport
6 Sister cities
7 Famous locations & tourist attractions
8 External links

[edit] Geography & climate

Penrith City covers 407 square kilometres, the majority of this being very flat, although to the west are the Blue Mountains. The Nepean River runs through the city area and there is a lakes region in the north. Several rowing events in the Sydney 2000 Olympics were held at the lakes.

The climate is temperate, similar to Sydney although usually a few degrees warmer on summer days and a few degrees cooler on winter nights. Average Temperatures: Summer 16 °C to 30 °C, Winter 0°C to 17 °C. Median yearly rainfall is 821.6 millimetres.

During Sydney's heatwaves, the temperatures may reach as high as 47 degrees Celsius in the western suburbs, including Penrith. Very occasionally during the cold, clear winter nights, light frosts can form in suburban areas of Penrith.

[edit] Demographics

The estimated population of the Penrith LGA in June 2003 was 178,233.

According to the 2001 Census the population of Penrith City was 172,397 (10th largest City in Australia by population) with a median age of 30 years. 72% of people were born in Australia, with 81% of people having the English language as the only language spoken at home. The population was 49% male and 51% female.

There were 45661 households in the area, of which 55.1% were couples with children, 26.4% were couples without children, 17.3% were one parent families and 1.3% other families. 85.3% of families live in detached houses, the remainder in townhouses, semi detached, flats, etc.

The mean household size was 3 people with a median weekly household income of AUD$800-$999.

[edit] Education

There are a number of high schools in and around Penrith, including Xavier College, Cranebrook High School, Jamison High School, Nepean High School,Kingswood High School,Cambridge Park High School, Saint Dominic's College, Caroline Chisholm Catholic College, and St Paul's, Penrith High School and Penrith Anglican College. There are also a number of primary schools in the area including Corpus Chriti, Braddock Primary, Samuel Terry Primary, Cambridge Gardens Public, Henry Fulton Primary, Cambridge Park Primary, Kingswood Public, York primary, Mary Mackillop College and Leonay Public school.

Additionally, the University of Western Sydney has its Penrith Campus in the area, and the University of Sydney has its Western Clinical School at Nepean Hospital.

[edit] Sporting & Recreation

Penrith has a number of local sporting clubs, the most well known being the Penrith Panthers rugby league club, the winners of the 2003 National Rugby League Grand Final. Penrith has produced two home grown Test captains in Cambridge Park's Brad Fittler in 1995 and Colyton's Craig Gower in 2005. The club (one of the largest in Australia) has a massive entertainment complex and resort, Panthers World of Entertainment. Penrith's Junior Rugby League competition is the largest in the world, which also incorporates teams from the Blue Mountains, Blacktown and Windsor/Richmond areas. Visit the Penrith Junior League Website for more information.

The city is also home to the Penrith Lakes Scheme, a system of flooded quarries that are now recreational lakes. One of these lakes hosted the rowing events of the Sydney 2000 Olympics. According to [1] , it is rated as a Level One course which can be used for International events. The course itself is fully buoyed and can be modified to accommodate swimming and kayaking events.

There are also many other sporting associations, including cricket clubs, AFL clubs and swimming clubs. Penrith is also home to the Penrith Panthers Triathlon club[2]. For a full list see the Penrith City Council's list of sporting groups.

Additionally, Penrith hosts a large shopping centre, known as Penrith Plaza, which is a major gathering point for local youths and is the main commercial hub of the area. Construction to increase the size of Penrith Plaza is complete and has been re-branded a Westfield shopping centre. This development is typical of the growth the area has experienced in recent years.

Penrith has the unique honour of having the first Krispy Kreme outlet in Australia.

[edit] Transport

[edit] Rail

Penrith is served by Penrith Railway Station a major railway station in the heart of the city. As it is on the Sydney suburban network, it has frequent services to and from the City. It is also a major stop on the intercity network.

[edit] Bus

Penrith railway station has its own bus interchange (as do several major railway stations in Sydney). Penrith is also served by Nightride Bus route 70.

[edit] Road

Penrith can easily be accessed from St. Marys and Mt. Druitt via the Great Western Highway. Access from further east is best obtained by the M4 Western Motorway using either The Northern Road or Mulgoa Road exits. If travelling east from the Blue Mountains, access is best obtained by the Great Western Highway. Access from the south can be obtained by The Northern Road and Mulgoa Road, north from Castlereigh road or Richmond road, or from north and south via Westlink M7 and the M4 Western Motorway.

[edit] Sister cities

Fujieda, Shizuoka, Japan

[edit] Famous locations & tourist attractions

Penrith Museum of Fire
Penrith has a campus of the University of Western Sydney
Sydney International Regatta Centre, which was the location for the rowing competitions for the 2000 Olympic Games
Panthers World of Entertainment
Penrith Sake Brewery
Nepean River
Head of the River (Australia)
The Train shed: The Sydney home of Thomas the tank engine & Friends