Penrith is a city in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia, located in

Greater Western Sydney Greater Western Sydney (GWS) is a large region of the metropolitan area of Greater Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia that generally embraces the north-west, south-west, central-west, far western and the Blue Mountains sub-regions with ...

, 55 kilometres (31 mi) west of the

Sydney central business district The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or ...

on the banks of the

Nepean River The Nepean River (Darug language, Darug: Yandhai), is a Perennial stream, major perennial river, located in the south-west and west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Nepean River, and, continuing by its downstream name, the Hawkesbury ...

, on the outskirts of the

Cumberland Plain The Cumberland Plain, also known as Cumberland Basin, is a relatively flat region lying to the west of Sydney CBD in New South Wales, Australia. An IBRA biogeographic region, Cumberland Basin is the preferred physiographic and geological term ...

. Its elevation is 32 metres (105 ft). Penrith is the administrative centre of the

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

of the

City of Penrith A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

. The

Geographical Names Board of New South Wales The Geographical Names Board of New South Wales, a statutory authority A statutory body or statutory authority is a body set up by law (statute) that is authorised to implement certain legislation on behalf of the relevant country or stat ...

acknowledges Penrith as one of only four

cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

within the Greater Sydney metropolitan area.

History

Indigenous settlement

Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, the Penrith area was home to the Mulgoa tribe of the

Darug people The Dharug or Darug people, are a nation of Aboriginal Australian clans, who share ties of kinship, country and culture. In pre-colonial times, they lived as hunters in the region of current day Sydney. The Darug speak one of two dialects o ...

. They lived in makeshift huts called ''gunyahs'', hunted native animals such as kangaroos, fished in the Nepean River, and gathered local fruits and vegetables such as yams. They lived under an elaborate system of law which had its origins in the

Dreamtime The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal religion and mythology, Australian Aboriginal mythology. It was originally u ...

. Most of the Mulgoa were killed by

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

or ''galgala'' shortly after the arrival of the

First Fleet The First Fleet were eleven British ships which transported a group of settlers to mainland Australia, marking the beginning of the History of Australia (1788–1850), European colonisation of Australia. It consisted of two Royal Navy vessel ...

in 1788. Early British explorers such as

Watkin Tench Lieutenant General Watkin Tench (6 October 1758 – 7 May 1833) was a British military officer who is best known for publishing two books describing his experiences in the First Fleet, which established the first European settlement in Australia ...

described them as friendly, saying, "they bade us adieu, in unabated friendship and good humour".

European exploration

The recorded history of Penrith began on 26 June 1789. Eighteen months after the landing of the

, an exploring party led by Captain Watkin Tench set out to further discoveries made by Governor

Arthur Phillip Arthur Phillip (11 October 1738 – 31 August 1814) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first Governor of New South Wales, governor of the Colony of New South Wales. Phillip was educated at Royal Hospital School, Gree ...

earlier in the month. In the daylight hours of 27 June, Tench and his party discovered the broad expanse of the

. Tench's party became the first Europeans to see the site of what is now the City of Penrith. Tench later wrote 'we found ourselves on the banks of a river, nearly as broad as the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

Putney Putney () is an affluent district in southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ...

and apparently of great depth'. Phillip later named the river after

Evan Nepean Sir Evan Nepean, 1st Baronet, PC FRS (9 July 1752 – 2 October 1822)Sparrow (n.d.) was a British politician and colonial administrator. He was the first of the Nepean baronets. Family Nepean was born at St. Stephens near Saltash, Cornwal ...

, the under-secretary of state in the Home Office, who had been largely responsible for the organisation of the First Fleet. From this point, European settlement began in earnest, firstly on the Hawkesbury River, and later southward up the Nepean.

European settlement

Governor

Phillip Gidley King Captain Philip Gidley King (23 April 1758 – 3 September 1808) was a Royal Navy officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New South Wales from 1800 to 1806. When the First Fleet arrived in January 1788, King was detaile ...

began granting land in the area to settlers in 1804 with Captain Daniel Woodriff's on the banks of the river the first land grant in the area. The first government building in the district was the military depot built (at the present Penrith police station) by William Cox, in mid-1815 near the new Road ( Great Western Road) on unassigned Crown land, set well back from the river. It represented the formalisation of law and order in the district. Its placement seems to have been a practical decision by Cox, placing it on flood-free Crown land on the new road to Parramatta, just east of Woodriff's Rodley Farm. Governor

Lachlan Macquarie Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (; ; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Gove ...

paid Cox £200 for 'erecting a Depot for Provisions, Guard House, erecting necessary Enclosures for cattle and Garden Ground, Frame for a Well ... on the new near Emu Ford'. At this time, Emu Ford was one of the few locality names that would indicate the depot's position. In 1816, Cox mentioned the lockup at 'Penryhn', among a list of expenses. There appears little doubt that he was referring to the depot that was later referred to as Penrith. The name for the new depot, Penrhyn, may have simply been misinterpreted by others. Penrhyn was possibly named after the First Fleet ship that carried women convicts, the ''Lady Penrhyn''. There is no historical evidence to prove Macquarie's hand in naming the depot, especially considering he often endowed and recorded benefactors with that favour. Furthermore, Macquarie would have ensured that a plan of the town would have been drawn up. No documentary evidence has shed any light on Macquarie's reasoning for the placement of this depot and its connection with his vision for a township at Castlereagh. What is clear is that the origin of the name, Penrith is steeped in mystery. Penrith was possibly named after Penrith in Cumbria by someone who knew the old town and who noted geographical similarities. By 1819, the name Penrith was in use with its first reference in the ''Sydney Gazette'' on 8 December 1821 appointing John Proctor as keeper of the new gaol and court house. The lockup at Penrith placed government law and order in the centre of the Evan district. This group of buildings became the point of contact for local administration for anything ranging from issuing publican's licences, holding inquests and church services. Although a magistrate had been appointed to Castlereagh in 1811, the Penrith lockup increased in importance with its promotion to a court house in 1817. A bench of magistrates was appointed: Sir John Jamison, the Reverend Henry Fulton, John McHenry and a military officer from the regiment stationed there. In 1814, William Cox constructed a

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

across the Blue Mountains which passed through Woodriff's land at Penrith. Initial settlement in the area was unplanned but substantial enough for a courthouse to be established in 1817. The post office was established in 1828, the Anglican church, St Stephens, was opened and consecrated 16 July 1839 followed by the Catholic Church, St Nicholas of Myra, in 1850. Two other prominent Penrith pioneers were Irish-born

Thomas Jamison Thomas Jamison ( – 25 January 1811) was a naval surgeon, who was surgeon mate on as part First Fleet which founded Colony of New South Wales in 1788. He was surgeon at the Norfolk Island settlement, before returning to Sydney and becoming pr ...

(1752/53-1811), a member of the

and surgeon-general of New South Wales (after whom

Jamisontown Jamisontown is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 56 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith, and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region ...

is named), and his son, the landowner, physician and constitutional reformer Sir

John Jamison Sir John Jamison (1776 – 29 June 1844) was an Australian physician, pastoral farming, pastoralist, banker, politician, constitutional reformer and public figure. Family background John Jamison was born in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Kingdo ...

(1776–1844). In 1824, Sir John erected the colony's finest Georgian mansion,

Regentville Regentville is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 56 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith, and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region ...

House, near Penrith, on a ridge overlooking the Nepean River. Sir John established an agricultural estate at Regentville and became a Member of the

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. Along with the New South Wales Legislative As ...

. His grave can be seen in St Stephen's graveyard. Regentville House burned down in 1868 but most of its stonework was salvaged and used for building projects in and around Penrith. The first bridge, financed by local businessman James Tobias (Toby) Ryan was opened over the Nepean in 1856 and was washed away the following year in a flood. The railway line was extended to

Penrith railway station Penrith North Lakes (also shortened to Penrith) is a railway station on the West Coast Main Line, which runs between Euston railway station, London Euston and Glasgow Central station, Glasgow Central. Situated south of Carlisle, it serves the ...

in 1863, a school was established in 1865 and in 1871 the area became a municipality. It officially became a city in 1959.

Commercial area

Penrith is one of the major commercial centres in

. The suburb contains two shopping centres. *

Westfield Penrith Westfield Penrith, formerly Penrith Plaza, is a shopping centre in the suburb of Penrith in the Greater Western Sydney area of New South Wales, Australia. The shopping centre opened on 31 March 1971 with Myer as lead tenant and was sold to th ...

, (formerly Penrith Plaza) is the largest shopping centre in the suburb, it opened on 30 March 1971, it was acquired by Westfield in 2005, and it is located within a main commercial centre. *Nepean Village (formerly Nepean Square) is a single level shopping centre located in Penrith. It has many retailers including

Kmart Kmart ( ), formerly legally registered as Kmart Corporation, now operated by Transformco, is a department-store chain and online retailer in the United States and Territories of the United States, its territories. It operates four remaining Kma ...

, Coles, and

The Reject Shop The Reject Shop is an Australian discount variety store chain selling a range of goods such as food, snacks, gift cards and party, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, storage, kitchenware, homewares and seasonal items in 375 store locat ...

Transport

is a major railway station on the

Main Western railway line The Main Western Railway (or Great Western Railway) is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Blue Mountains (Australia), Blue Mountains, and Central West, New South Wales, Central West regions. It is long, of which ...

. It has frequent services to and from the city and is also a stop on the intercity

Blue Mountains Line The Blue Mountains Line (BMT) is an intercity rail service serving the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia. The line travels west from Sydney to the major town of Katoomba and on to Mount Victoria, Lithgow and Bathurst. M ...

. Penrith railway station is served by a bus interchange and by the Nightride Bus route 70. Between 1940 and 1950, the Log Cabin Hotel in Penrith was served by its own station. Log Cabin railway station was accessible to the public and used by patrons of the hotel from the city. Despite requests by Penrith Council for full integration with Sydney rail services as the western terminus for the suburban network, Log Cabin station was only ever used for special services. Penrith can be accessed from St. Marys and

Mount Druitt Mount Druitt is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown, and is part of the Greater Western Sydney regio ...

via the

Great Western Highway Great Western Highway is a state highway in New South Wales, Australia. From east to west, the highway links Sydney with Bathurst, New South Wales, Bathurst, on the state's Central Tablelands. The highway also has local road names between the ...

. Access from further east is best obtained by the

M4 Western Motorway The M4 motorway is a series of partially Road pricing, tolled dual carriageway motorways in Sydney designated as route M4. The M4 designation is part of the wider A4/M4 (Sydney), A4 and M4 route designation, the M4 runs parallel and/or below ...

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 Castlereagh road or Richmond road, or from north and south via

Westlink M7 The Westlink M7 is a tolled urban motorway in Sydney, New South Wales that is part of the Sydney Orbital Network. Owned by the NorthWestern Roads (NWR) Group, it connects three motorways: the M5 South-West Motorway at Prestons, the M4 We ...

and the M4 Western Motorway. The

NSW Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the executive state government of New South Wales, Australia. The government comprises 11 portfolios, led by a ministerial department and supported by several agencies. Th ...

announced funding for the construction of the M9 in the 2014 state budget to connect Camden, Penrith and Windsor. The proposed motorway will start from the

M5 motorway The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...

and run west of the current M7 motorway.

Education

Penrith Public School and

Penrith High School Penrith Selective High School (PSHS) is a public co-educational academically selective secondary day school, located in Penrith, in Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1950 and operated by the NSW Department of Educati ...

are two public schools in High Street.

Jamison High School Jamison High School is a public co-educational secondary day school, located in South Penrith in Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The school is sited on the corner of Evan and Maxwell Streets, and stands adjacent to the Southlands ...

is in

South Penrith South Penrith is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. South Penrith is located 55 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith and is part of the Greater ...

. St Nicholas of Myra is a Catholic primary school, which is part of Catholic Education, Diocese of Parramatta, is located in Higgins Street. The Penrith campus of Nepean College of TAFE is located in the centre of town on Henry Street. The Penrith campus of the

University of Western Sydney Western Sydney University, formerly the University of Western Sydney, is an Australian multi-campus public research university in the Greater Western region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university in its current form was founde ...

is located in nearby Werrington. The

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

has a campus near

Nepean Hospital Nepean Hospital is a 520-bed teaching hospital, providing tertiary referral services for the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District. Nepean Hospital is located at the base of the Blue Mountains in Kingswood, New South Wales, Australia. Th ...

in Kingswood, for research into the basic biomedical sciences and educating medical students at the hospital.

Landmarks and tourist attractions

Heritage listings

Penrith has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: *34–40 Borec Road: Craithes House *26 Coombes Drive: Torin Building *Great Western railway:

Penrith railway station, Sydney Penrith railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Western line in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith in the City of Penrith local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by New South Wale ...

*Nepean River, Great Western Highway:

Victoria Bridge (Penrith) The Victoria Bridge, also known as the Victoria Bridge over the Nepean River, is a heritage-listed former railway bridge and now wrought iron box plate girder bridge, plate girder road bridge across the Nepean River on the Great Western Highway ...

*Off Bruce Neale Dr, Steel Trusses 1.3 km past station:

Emu Plains Underbridge Emu Plains Underbridge is a heritage-listed steel truss railway bridge, railway underbridge located off Bruce Neale Dr approximately west of the Penrith railway station, Sydney, Penrith railway station in the Greater Western Sydney, western Syd ...

*1 Museum Drive:

Penrith Museum of Fire The Penrith Museum of Fire is an Australian Fire museum, firefighting museum that contains heritage-listed former operating and Historic preservation, stored for preservation Glossary of firefighting equipment, fire service vehicles located in ...

, including the following: **Fire and Rescue NSW Heritage Fleet **NSW Fire Brigades No 10 Vehicle Number Plates **1869 Shand Mason 7 inch Manual Fire Engine **1891 Shand Mason Fire Engine **1898 Shand Mason Curricle Ladders **1909 Edward Smith Headquarters Switchboard **1929 Ahrens Fox PS2 Fire Engine **1939 Dennis Big 6 Fire Engine **1942 Ford 21W Fire Brigade Mobile Canteen Other items of interest include: *Nepean Belle, an old-world style

paddlewheeler A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine driving paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, whereby the first uses were wh ...

located on the Nepean River at Penrith. *St Stephen's Church (1839), in High Street, and its historic graveyard, is heritage-listed *Penrith has a campus of the

Western Sydney University Western Sydney University, formerly the University of Western Sydney, is an Australian multi-campus public research university in the Greater Western region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university in its current form was founde ...

Sydney International Regatta Centre The Sydney International Regatta Centre (SIRC), located in Penrith, New South Wales, Penrith, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, is a Rowing at the 2000 Summer Olympics, rowing and Canoeing at the 2000 Summer Olympics, canoe sprint venue built fo ...

, which was the location for the rowing competitions for the

2000 Olympic Games The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

*Panthers World of Entertainment *Penrith Sake Brewery *

* Head of the River, which takes place at the regatta centre *Red Cow Hotel, Station Street, is Penrith's oldest standing hotel *Thornton Hall, Mountain View Crescent, is heritage-listed *Nepean Park, Castlereagh Road, is heritage-listed

Culture

Arts

The Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Complex is in High Street next to the Council Chambers. Named after

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

singer

Joan Sutherland Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, (7 November 1926 – 10 October 2010) was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano known for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s to the 1980s. She possessed a voice ...

, the building was designed by architect

Philip Cox Philip Sutton Cox is an Australian architect. He is the founding partner of Cox Architecture, one of the largest architectural practices in Australia. His work has won him multiple awards, the first being in 1963, one year after graduat ...

and opened in 1990. It incorporates the Penrith Conservatorium of Music and the Q Theatre (Penrith), which had been operating in Station Street for 30 years before moving to the complex in 2006.

Sport and recreation

Penrith Stadium Penrith Stadium, currently known as BlueBet Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league and association football stadium located in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. The 22,500 capacity venue is the home ground for the Penrith Panthe ...

is the home of the

Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Greater Western Sydney suburb of Penrith, New South Wales, Penrith that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The team is based west of the cen ...

NRL team. 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. Penrith Stadium was also home to the Penrith Nepean United FC soccer club. The team had a 2–1 win against

Sydney FC Sydney Football Club, commonly known as Sydney FC, is a professional association football, soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. They compete in the top-tier men's league in Australia, the A-League Men. Established in 2004, ...

in a home game friendly match in front of 5000 fans on 17 August 2007. There are also many other sporting associations, including

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

clubs,

AFL AFL may refer to: Education * Angel Foundation for Learning, a Canadian Roman Catholic charity * Ankara Science High School, a high school in Ankara, Turkey, natively referred to as ''Ankara Fen Liesi'' * Assessment for learning Military * ...

clubs, Penrith City Outlaws gridiron team, Panthers Triathlon club,

Penrith Emus Rugby Penrith Rugby Club, known as the ''Emus'', is an Australian rugby union club based in Penrith, a western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. The club was formed in 1965 as Nepean and renamed Penrith in 1981. Penrith competed in the Shute Shield ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

, and soccer clubs. Just west of

Cranebrook Cranebrook is a suburb of Greater Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and is located 50 km radially (65 km by road) WNW of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith. Craneb ...

Penrith Lakes Western Sydney Lakes is an area located in the suburb of Castlereagh near Penrith in Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was previously known as the Penrith Lakes until 2022. It features lakes and parklands as well as recreational f ...

, a system of flooded quarries that are now recreational lakes, in addition to featuring Pondi Beach, an artificial beach. One of these lakes hosted the

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...

events of the

Sydney 2000 Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

. This facility 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. North of the rowing lake is the

Penrith Whitewater Stadium The Penrith Whitewater Stadium is located near Sydney, Australia. It is an artificial whitewater sporting facility which hosted the canoe/kayak slalom events at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The facility is part of the Penrith Lakes Sche ...

, the only pump-powered and

artificial whitewater An artificial whitewater course is a site for whitewater canoeing, whitewater kayaking, whitewater racing, whitewater rafting, playboating and slalom canoeing with artificially generated rapids. Course types Main types of course: Flow div ...

slalom course in the Southern Hemisphere. It was built for the

, and it continues to host international competitions on a regular basis. Penrith is home to the Elite Fight Gym. A

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

training facility established by

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

fighter

James Te-Huna James Te Huna (born 29 September 1981) is a New Zealand retired professional mixed martial artist, best known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the first Australian-based fighter to win a UFC fight on Australian soil, a ...

. In 2013, James te Huna left EFG to establish a rival MMA centre in St Marys named Bee Stingz (located at Valley Fitness). The first Flip Out trampoline arena was opened in Penrith in 2012. The franchise has since gained over 60 locations across 6 countries. Penrith Softball Club - Founded in 1975, the Penrith Softball Club has been the driving force behind the sport in the local area.

Media

Penrith is home to three local newspapers: '' The Western Weekender'', ''Nepean News'', and ''Penrith Press'', the latter of which no longer produces a print edition. The Weekender is considered its newspaper of record, and produces a weekly print edition as well as 24/7 online coverage. The current FM radio station "the edge" 96.1 FM evolved from the former (original) 2KA station founded by Frank Kelly. With the sale of Vintage FM, and My88 leaving the 88.0 band to go online, Penrith is no longer served by a local radio station. In 2001 the

Penrith Museum of Printing The Penrith Museum of Printing is a museum in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia with a focus on Australian letterpress printing equipment and techniques. Establishment In 1987 Alan Connell (1922–2020), a retired employee of the now defunct ...

opened. Its collection represents the history of Australian

letterpress printing Letterpress printing is a technique of relief printing for producing many copies by repeated direct impression of an inked, raised surface against individual sheets of paper or a continuous roll of paper. A worker composes and locks movable t ...

Geography

Penrith sits on the western edge of the

, a fairly flat area of Western Sydney, extending to

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places *Detroit–Windsor, Michigan-Ontario, USA-Canada, North America; a cross-border metropolitan region Australia New South Wales *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area Queen ...

in the north,

Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...

in the east and

Thirlmere Thirlmere is a reservoir in the Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland district in Cumbria and the English Lake District National Park, Lake District. The Helvellyn ridge lies to the east of Thirlmere. To the west of Thirlmere are a numbe ...

in the south. The

forms the western boundary of the suburb and beyond that, dominating the western skyline, are the Blue Mountains. There is a difference of opinion between

Penrith City Council Penrith may refer to: Australia *Penrith, New South Wales Penrith is a city in New South Wales, Australia, located in Greater Western Sydney, 55 kilometres (31 mi) west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Nepean R ...

and the

as to the boundaries of Penrith the suburb. The Board includes in its official description the area of Kingswood Park, Lemongrove and North Penrith, which the Council considers separate suburbs.

Climate

Penrith has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfa'') with long, hot summers, mild to cool short winters with cold nights, and pleasant spring and autumn. The daytime temperatures are generally a few degrees hotter than Sydney (Observatory Hill), especially during spring and summer, when the difference in temperature between Penrith and the Sydney area can be quite pronounced. Night-time temperatures are a few degrees cooler than Sydney on most nights of the year. In extreme cases, there could be a temperature differential of in summer, owing to

sea breeze A sea breeze or onshore breeze is a wind that blows in the afternoon from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass. By contrast, a land breeze or offshore breeze is a wind that blows in the night from a landmass toward or onto a large ...

s, which affect coastal areas much more than areas further from the ocean and do not usually penetrate as far inland as Penrith.

Frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor that deposits onto a freezing surface. Frost forms when the air contains more water vapor than it can normally hold at a specific temperature. The process is simila ...

occasionally occurs on some winter mornings, mainly due to a mountain breeze and a

temperature inversion In meteorology, an inversion (or temperature inversion) is a phenomenon in which a layer of warmer air overlies cooler air. Normally, air temperature gradually decreases as altitude increases, but this relationship is reversed in an inver ...

caused by the proximate mountains. The average summer temperature range is from and in the winter .

Mean A mean is a quantity representing the "center" of a collection of numbers and is intermediate to the extreme values of the set of numbers. There are several kinds of means (or "measures of central tendency") in mathematics, especially in statist ...

yearly rainfall in Penrith is , which is significantly less than recorded closer to the coast (Sydney Observatory Hill's mean yearly rainfall is ), as coastal showers do not penetrate inland. The highest recorded temperature was on 4 January 2020 — a day when Penrith was the hottest place on earth. The lowest recorded temperature was on 16 July 2018. Penrith's hot temperatures are exacerbated by a combination of its inland location,

urban heat island effect Urban areas usually experience the urban heat island (UHI) effect; that is, they are significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas. The temperature difference is usually larger at night than during the day, and is most apparent when winds ar ...

(i.e. density of housing and lack of trees) and its position on the footsteps of the Blue Mountains, which trap hot air. Penrith’s dry, sunny winters are owed to the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills. It runs roughl ...

blocking westerly cold fronts, which turn to

foehn winds A Foehn, or Föhn (, , , ), is a type of dry, relatively warm downslope wind in the lee of a mountain range. It is a rain shadow wind that results from the subsequent adiabatic warming of air that has dropped most of its moisture on windw ...

on the range's

leeward In geography and seamanship, windward () and leeward () are directions relative to the wind. Windward is ''upwind'' from the point of reference, i.e., towards the direction from which the wind is coming; leeward is ''downwind'' from the point o ...

side (that includes all of the Sydney metropolitan area).

Population

Demographics

In the 2021 census, Penrith recorded a population of people. Of these: *Age distribution: The median age was 36 years compared to the national median of 38. Children aged under 15 years made up 14.9% of the population compared to the national average of 18.2% and people aged 65 years and over made up 17.1% of the population compared to the national average of 17.2%. *Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population: Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders ( ) are the Indigenous Melanesians, Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal peoples of the res ...

people made up 6.2% of the population of Penrith compared to the national average of 3.2%. *Ethnic diversity : 65.8% of people were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 66.9%; the next most common countries of birth were

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

2.9%,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

2.7%,

the Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands, with a total area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers, which ar ...

2.2%,

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

2.0% and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

(excluding

SARs Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the virus SARS-CoV-1, the first identified strain of the SARS-related coronavirus. The first known cases occurred in November 2002, and the ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

) 1.7%. 71.9% of people only spoke

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 1.7%, Tagalog 1.0%, Hindi 0.9%, Korean 0.8% and Arabic 0.8%. *Religion : The most common responses for religion were No Religion 35.1%,

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

20.7%,

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

12.3 and

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, not further defined 3.1%. *Finances: The median household weekly income was $1,397, compared to the national median of $1,746. This difference is also reflected in real estate, with the median mortgage repayment being $1,783 per month, compared to the national median of $1,863. *Housing: Nearly half (36.0%) of occupied private dwellings were separate houses, 20.4% were semi-detached (row or terrace houses, townhouses etc.) and 43.4% were flats, units or apartments.

Notable residents

Slalom canoeing 2012 Olympics W K1 AUS Jessica Fox

Jason Arnberger Jason Lee Arnberger (born 18 November 1972) is an Australian first-class cricketer who played for the Victorian Bushrangers and New South Wales in Australian domestic cricket. He was a right-handed opening batsman. Arnberger's nickname is "Chee ...

(b. 1972), cricketer *

Richie Benaud Richard Benaud (; 6 October 1930 – 10 April 2015) was an Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales cricket team, New South Wales and Australia national cricket team, Australia. Following his retirement from international cricket in ...

(1930−2015), cricketer and commentator *

Thomas Bent Sir Thomas Bent (7 December 1838 – 17 September 1909) was an Australian politician and the 22nd premier of Victoria. Early life Bent was born in Penrith, New South Wales the eldest of four sons and two daughters of James Bent, a hotel-keepe ...

(1838−1909), 22nd

Premier of Victoria The premier of Victoria is the head of government of the state of Victoria in Australia. The premier leads the Cabinet of Victoria and selects its ministers. The premier is appointed by the governor of Victoria, must be a member of the Vic ...

1904 to 1909, born in Penrith *

Nathan Bracken Nathan Wade Bracken (born 12 September 1977) is a former Australia national cricket team, Australian cricketer. A tall left-arm fast bowling, fast-medium bowler, Bracken is capable of swinging the ball both ways. He has represented Australia in ...

(b. 1977), Australian cricketer * David Bradbury (b. 1976), former Federal Member of Lindsay, and former Mayor of Penrith *

Yvette D'Ath Yvette Maree D'Ath (born 26 July 1970) is an Australian politician. She served as the Labor member for Redcliffe in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 2014 until her retirement in 2024. D'Ath served as Attorney-General and Minister for ...

(b. 1970), Attorney General of Queensland *

Jason Dundas Jason Dundas (born 25 July 1982) is an Australian-born television presenter, actor, producer and director, known for his roles as special correspondent for CBS's ''Entertainment Tonight'', the host of ''The X Factor Australia'' in 2016, host o ...

(b. 1981), television presenter * George Ellis (b. 1964), composer *

Mick Fanning Michael Eugene Fanning (born 13 June 1981) is an Australian professional surfer who was crowned champion of the Association of Surfing Professionals/World Surf League (ASP/WSL)'s World Tour in 2007, 2009 and 2013. In 2015, he survived a shark ...

(b. 1981), surfing world champion 2007 * Jessica Fox (b. 1994), French-born Australian slalom canoer, Olympic gold medallist, world championships gold medalist *

Mark Geyer Mark Bradley Geyer () (born 7 December 1967) is an Australian radio host and former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative ...

(b. 1967), Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and a media identity. * Michael Hartley (b. 1993), Australian rules footballer * John Hastings (b. 1985), former Australian Test and ODI cricketer * Bill Howell (1869−1940), cricketer * Tony Jones (b. 1961), sports journalist based in Melbourne. * Ahmad Akbar Khan (born 1984), Australian born Pakistani footballer *

Ken Kearney Kenneth Howard "Killer" Kearney (3 May 192418 August 2006) was an Australian rugby footballer – a dual-code international player – and a rugby league coach. He represented the Wallabies in seven Tests, and the Kangaroos in thirty-one Tes ...

(1924−2006) Dual international rugby player, Australian Test and St George premiership-winning captain-coach. *

Simon Keen Simon John Cobrin Keen (born 4 October 1987) is an Australian cricketer. Keen played for the New South Wales cricket team and in the Big Bash League for Sydney Thunder in 2012–13 and Sydney Sixers in 2014–15. Keen was born at Penrith, New So ...

(b. 1987), Australian U19s cricketer * Jennifer Maiden (b. 1949), poet *

Nic Naitanui Nicholas Naitanui (; born 4 May 1990) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was born in Sydney to Fijians, Fijian parents, and his family moved to Perth, Western ...

(b. 1990), Australian rules footballer, born in Penrith *

Evelyn Grace Ione Nowland Evelyn Grace Ione Nowland (18871974) was an Australian nurse and trade unionist. She was the founder of New South Wales Nurses and Midwives' Association. Early life and education Nowland was born on 10 November 1887 in Penrith, New South Wales ...

(1887–1974), nurse and trade unionist *

Dominic Purcell Dominic Haakon Myrtvedt PurcellO'Connor, B,Break Out". '' Men's Fitness''. December/January 2007 Issue; retrieved 18 December 2006. (born 17 February 1970) is an Australian actor. He is best known as Lincoln Burrows in ''Prison Break'' (2005� ...

(b. 1970), actor, best known for his role as Lincoln Burrows in 2000's

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

award-winning TV series ''

Prison Break ''Prison Break'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. The series revolves around two brothers: Lincoln Burrows (Dominic P ...

''. * James Tobias (Toby) Ryan businessman, politician ( Nepean Electorate) *

Ben St Lawrence Ben St Lawrence (born 7 November 1981) is an Australian long-distance runner who specialises in the 5,000 and 10,000metres. He is the former Australian and Oceanian record holder in the 10,000metres. St Lawrence competed in the 2012 Summer Ol ...

(b. 1981), Olympic long-distance runner * Kent "Smallzy" Small (b. 1984), radio presenter for Nova FM * Brad Smith (b. 1994), football player for

AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...

Grigor Taylor Grigor Weston Taylor, born 1943, also known as Greg Taylor, is an Australian former actor, best known for his parts in several television series including ''Matlock Police'' and ''Glenview High''. Early life, education and teacher Taylor was ...

(b. 1943), 1970s TV actor * Ray Watson, (1922−2010), judge who reformed family law to create no-fault divorce. *

Alan Whiticker Alan James Whiticker (born 1958) is an Australian non-fiction author and publisher, with over 50 published books on history, sport, biography, true crime and lifestyle. Whiticker writes primarily on matters pertaining to the history of the spo ...

(b. 1958), non-fiction author *Numerous

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

players including Ben Alexander (1971–1992),

Greg Alexander Gregory Peter Stephen Alexander (born 4 March 1965), also known by the nickname "Brandy", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, who has since become a radio, television commentator and ...

, Mark Carroll, John Cartwright,

Nathan Cleary Nathan Cleary (born 14 November 1997) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays as a for the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League and plays for New South Wales rugby league team, NSW Blues in State o ...

, Kurt Falls,

Craig Gower Craig Gower (born 29 April 1978) is an Italian-Australian former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. He is a dual-code rugby international, having played rugby league for Australia and ...

Des Hasler Desmond John Hasler (born 16 February 1961) is an Australian professional rugby league coach who is the head coach of the Gold Coast Titans in the National Rugby League and a former player. Primarily a , he initially played for the Penrith Pan ...

, Liam Ison,

Luke Lewis Luke Lewis (born 11 August 1983) is an Australian rugby league commentator and former professional rugby league footballer who played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League (NRL) and Australia ...

Soni Luke Soni Luke (born 25 February 1996) is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL. Background Luke played his junior rugby league for the St Mary's Saints. He is of Tongan descent. Playin ...

Luke Rooney Luke Rooney (born 16 January 1983) is an Australian former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played rugby league, becoming an Australia national rugby league team, Australian internation ...

Tim Sheens Timothy Sheens (born 30 October 1950) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. Head Coach of the Australia national team between 2009 and 2015, he has also been the head coach of National Rugby League (NRL) c ...

, and

Joseph Sua'ali'i Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i (; born 1 August 2003) is an Australian rugby football, rugby union footballer who plays for the New South Wales Waratahs in the Super Rugby and the Australia national rugby union team, Australia national rugby team. He pr ...

Twin towns – sister cities

Penrith is twinned with: *

Fujieda, Shizuoka is a Cities of Japan, city located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 145,032 in 59,480 households, and a population density of 750 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Fujieda is a member of th ...

, Japan, a Sister City since 1984. *

Penrith, Cumbria Penrith (, ) is a market town and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. It is less than outside the Lake District, Lake District National Park and about south of Carlisle. It is between the Rivers River Pet ...

, United Kingdom, a Sister City since 1989. *

Gangseo District, Seoul Gangseo District (; ) is one of the 25 districts (''gu'') of Seoul, South Korea. It is located on the south side of the Han River. South Korea's third busiest airport, Gimpo International Airport, is located in Gonghang-dong, where many fli ...

, Republic of Korea, a Friendship City since 1994. *

Xicheng District Xicheng () is a district of the city of Beijing. Its cover the western half of the old city (largely inside the 2nd Ring Road; the eastern half is Dongcheng District, Beijing, Dongcheng District), and has 1,106,214 inhabitants (2020 Census). It ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, China, under a Mutual Co-operation Agreement since 1998. *

Kunshan Kunshan is a county-level city in southeastern Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu province with Shanghai bordering its eastern border and Suzhou on its western boundary. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Suzhou. Name Th ...

, China, under a Mutual Co-operation Agreement since 2003. *

Hakusan, Ishikawa is a city located in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 113,375 in 43246 households, and a population density of 290 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . It is the second-most populous city in Ishik ...

, Japan, a Friendship City since 2005.

References

External links

*
Visit Penrith
' – Penrith City Council Tourism website
Future plan for Penrith CBD– Nepean Belle PaddlewheelerPenrith City Council websitePenrith City HistoryPenrith Panthers Rugby League ClubPenrith on Visit NSWPenrith News & EventsWestern Weekender Newspapersydney.com – Penrith
*

CC BY-SA A Creative Commons (CC) license is one of several public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted "work". A CC license is used when an author wants to give other people the right to share, use, and bui ...

] {{Authority control Penrith, New South Wales, Suburbs of Sydney Cities in New South Wales