Penrith, New South Wales

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.

Table of Contents
Penrith, New South Wales...................................................................................... 1
Geography & climate............................................................................................. 1
Demographics........................................................................................................ 2
Education............................................................................................................... 2
Sporting & Recreation............................................................................................ 2
Transport................................................................................................................ 3
Rail..................................................................................................................... 3
Bus..................................................................................................................... 3
Road................................................................................................................... 3
Sister cities............................................................................................................ 4
Famous locations & tourist attractions..................................................................4

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 u sually a few degrees

warmer on summer days and a few degrees cooler on winter nights. Average

Temperatures: Summer 16 C to 30 C, winter 0C 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.

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, semidetached, flats, etc.

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

Education
There are a number of high schools in and around Penrith, including Jamison High
School, Nepean 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 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.

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.

Transport
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.

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.

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.

Sister cities
Fujieda, Shizuoka, Japan

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