Greater Western Sydney#Reserves team

{{Further|History of Sydney}}

Near Penrith, numerous Aboriginal stone tools were found in Cranebrook Terraces gravel sediments dating to 50,000–45,000 BP.{{Cite book | last1= Attenbrow | first1= Val | year= 2010 | title= Sydney's Aboriginal Past: Investigating the Archaeological and Historical Records | location= Sydney | publisher= UNSW Press | isbn= 978-1-74223-116-7 | pages= 152–153 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=TDxldj_SLcYC&q=inauthor%3A%22Val%20Attenbrow%22&pg=PA152 | access-date= 11 November 2013 }} For more than 30,000 years, Aboriginal people from the Gandangara tribe have lived in the Fairfield area. Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, the Penrith area was home to the Mulgoa tribe of the Dharug people, who spoke the Dharug language. They lived in makeshift huts called gunyahs, hunted native animals such as kangaroos, and fished in the Nepean River. The Auburn area was once used by Dharug people as a market place for the exchange of goods between them and Dharawal people on the coast.{{cite web | url=http://www.mananura.com/aboriginal-history-dharugtx.html | title=The Dharug Story | author=Christopher Tobin | publisher=Mananura Aboriginal Centre | access-date=18 May 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929223218/http://www.mananura.com/aboriginal-history-dharugtx.html | archive-date=29 September 2007 }} The area that later became Campbelltown was inhabited prior to European settlement by the Tharawal people.Liston, C: Campbelltown: The Bicentennial History, Allen & Unwin, 1988: p.1-4. {{ISBN|0-04-324015-1}} For more than 30,000 years, Aboriginal people from the Gandangara tribe have lived in the Fairfield area. The people of what is now known as Carlingford, a suburb on the eastern peripheries of the greater west, were the Wallumedegal people, who practised fire-stick farming along the northern banks of the Parramatta River, which encouraged animals to graze, thus enhancing the ease of hunting and gathering.Department of the Environment and Heritage, Blue Gum High Forest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion (Commonwealth of Australia, 2005), p.1 Most of the natives died due to introduced diseases, such as smallpox, following the arrival of the First Fleet, and the remainder were largely relocated to government farms and a series of settlements.

File:Castle Hill Rebellion (1804).jpg of 1804]]

File:Joseph Lycett - Residence of John Macarthur Esq near Parramatta N.S.W. - Google Art Project.jpg in 1823, with Parramatta River in foreground]]

In 1788, Governor Arthur Phillip had reconnoitred several places before choosing Parramatta as the most likely place for a successful large farm, making it the second European settlement in Australia, after Sydney. Old Toongabbie was established in the same year."Man of Honour – John Macarthur", Michael Duffy, Macmillan 2003, p. 81 ff The Sydney Cove region originally settled in 1788 turned out to be unsuitable for farming, and after a number of years of near-famine in the colony, efforts were made to relocate food production inland to hopefully more climatically stable regions. Phillip sent exploratory missions in search of better soils and fixed on the Parramatta region as a promising area for expansion and moved many of the convicts from late 1788 to establish a small township, which became the main centre of the colony's economic life. Nevertheless, poor equipment and unfamiliar soils and climate continued to hamper the expansion of farming from Farm Cove to Parramatta and Toongabbie.

In February 1793, the Auburn area was established as the first free-agricultural settlement thanks to Governor Phillip's repeated applications to the British government for free settlers, and by the end of that decade Prospect, West Pennant Hills, Baulkham Hills and Greystanes were established.J Henniker Heaton, Australian Dictionary of Dates and Men of the Time, Sydney, 1873{{cite web|url=http://www.hawkesburyhistory.org.au/stubbs/french.html|title=Reports of a possible French invasion off the Hawksbury|work=Hawkesbury Historical Society|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319110504/http://www.hawkesburyhistory.org.au/stubbs/french.html|archive-date=19 March 2012|access-date=18 December 2016}} Eighteen months after the landing of the First Fleet, an exploring party led by Captain Watkin Tench set out to further findings made by Governor Phillip where, in 1789, they discovered the broad expanse of the Nepean River and Penrith.{{Cite book|title=Penrith: The Makings of a City|last=Stacker|first=Lorraine|publisher=Halstead Press|year=2014|isbn=978-1-920831-76-9|location=Penrith City Library|pages=17–20}} Windsor Road, one of the oldest roads in Sydney, was opened in 1794.[https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20101115130400/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/110582/20101116-0004/www.rta.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/index4139.html Old Windsor Road and Windsor Road Heritage Precincts]{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, Roads and Transport Authority, Published on 16 November 2010, Retrieved on 16 July 2013 In 1795, Matthew Flinders and George Bass explored up the Georges River for about 20 miles beyond what had been previously surveyed, and reported favourably to Governor John Hunter of the land on its banks.{{gutenberg|bullet=none|no=12929|name=A Voyage to Terra Australis by Matthew Flinders}} The earliest recorded white settlement in the Fairfield district is described in William Bradley's Journal where he noted an expedition from Rose Hill to Prospect Creek to determine whether Prospect Creek led to Botany Bay.{{Australian Dictionary of Biography|last= Walsh |first= G. P. |year= 1966 |id= A010531b |title= Huon de Kerilleau, Gabriel Louis Marie (1769–1828) |access-date= 2 June 2011}}

The Battle of Parramatta, a major battle of the Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars, occurred in March 1797 where resistance leader Pemulwuy led a group of Bidjigal warriors, estimated to be at least 100, in an attack on a government farm at Toongabbie, challenging the British Army to fight.{{Cite news | newspaper = The Sun Herald | date = 16 February 2008 | url = http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2008/03/who_we_are_the_11.html | title = WHO WE ARE: The man who nearly changed everything | first = David | last = Dale | access-date = 5 January 2019 | archive-date = 23 June 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120623080301/http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2008/03/who_we_are_the_11.html | url-status = dead }} On 4 March 1804 Irish convicts rose up in Rouse Hill as one, in what was to become known as the Castle Hill convict rebellion.

{{cite book

| editor1-last = Reece

| editor1-first = Bob

| title = Irish Convicts: The Origins of Convicts Transported to Australia

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=o59IAAAAYAAJ

| year = 1989

| publisher = Department of Modern History, University College Dublin

| isbn = 9781870089340

| page = 3

| quote = The government's worst fears were borne out at Castle Hill, thirty miles[sic] north west of Sydney, in March 1804 where the predominantly Irish convict workforce employed on the government farm seized some arms and attempted to march on Parramatta [...]

}}

Governor Lachlan Macquarie and Mrs Macquarie preferred the clean air of rural Parramatta to the unsanitary and crime-ridden streets of Sydney and transformed Old Government House, Parramatta, into an elegant Palladian-style home in the English manner. Originally constructed under Governor Hunter in 1799 to reflect the economic importance of the Parramatta district, the building remains today Australia's oldest public building and was given World Heritage Listing by UNESCO in 2010.{{Cite web |url=http://www.oldgovernmenthouse.com.au/ |title=Old Government House Parramatta - About Old Government House |access-date=20 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216153403/http://www.oldgovernmenthouse.com.au/ |archive-date=16 February 2011 |url-status=dead }}

In 1803 a government stock farm was established in what was to become the Riverstone/Marsden Park area, on the basis of the abundant water supply and good grazing land there, and also in Smithfield, due to its good soil and dependable water supply. Windsor is the fourth-oldest place of British settlement on the Australian continent, where European settlers utilised the fertile river flats for agriculture. Governor Phillip Gidley King began granting land in the area to settlers in 1804 with Captain Daniel Woodriff's {{convert|1000|acre|km2}} on the banks of the river the first land grant in the area.

File:Liverpool Westfield 1.JPG]]

Liverpool Hospital was founded on a portion of land beside the Georges River, making it the second oldest hospital in Australia.Raszewski, C. et al. (2013). 'The History of Liverpool Hospital: From early settlement to 1993'. The Liverpool Historical Society, Liverpool City Library and Liverpool Health Service. Fairfield railway station was opened in 1856 and has the oldest surviving railway building in New South Wales.Sydney's Forgotten Quarry Railways Oakes, John {{ISBN|0-9757870-3-9}} pp28-37 Quarrying in the Prospect area began in the 1820s and naturalist Charles Darwin visited Prospect Hill in January 1836, to observe the geology.{{cite web|author=Darwin, C.|author-link=Charles Darwin|title=Notes on the Geology of places visited during the Voyage|page=814|work=Mindat: Prospect, New South Wales|editor=Compton, Keith|url=http://www.mindat.org/article.php/1623/%3Cl+id%3D146488%3EProspect%3C_l%3E%2C+%3Cl+id%3D66%3ENew+South+Wales%3C_l%3E }} Designed and constructed by the NSW Public Works Department, Prospect Reservoir was built as Sydney's main water supply in the 1880s. The Upper Nepean Scheme was commenced in 1880 after it was realised that the Botany Swamps scheme was insufficient to meet Sydney's water supply needs. By the latter part of the nineteenth century coarse-grained picrite, and other dolorite rock types were being extracted from William Lawson's estate on the west and north sides of Prospect Hill.

Lansvale was a popular recreational site of the early 20th century due to its waterways and meadows. During World War II, Bankstown Airport was established as a key strategic air base to support the war effort and the control of Bankstown Airport was handed to US Forces. Campbelltown was designated in the early 1960s as a satellite city by the New South Wales Planning Authority, and a regional capital for the south west of Sydney.The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Frances Pollon, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, p. 45, {{ISBN|0-207-14495-8}}. Until the 1950s, Liverpool was still a satellite town with an agricultural economy based on poultry farming and market gardening. However the urban sprawl of Sydney across the Cumberland Plain soon reached Liverpool, and it became an outer suburb of metropolitan Sydney with a strong working-class presence and manufacturing facilities.The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollon, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, p.155, {{ISBN|0-207-14495-8}} In the 1950s and 1960s, there was a large amount of suburban development both in the current suburb of Blacktown and the new suburbs that sprung up around it, which led to civic development in the town centre with the Blacktown Hospital opening in 1965.{{cite web | url=http://www.blacktown.nsw.gov.au/our-city/history/the-region/important-dates_home.cfm | title=Important dates | publisher=Blacktown City Council | access-date=16 May 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506104005/http://www.blacktown.nsw.gov.au/our-city/history/the-region/important-dates_home.cfm | archive-date=6 May 2008 }}

In the 1960s and 1970s, migration from south-east Asia as a result of the Vietnam War transformed Cabramatta into a thriving Asian community. Also in the 1970s, an influx of Middle Eastern immigrants, namely Lebanese people, settled in Lidcombe, Bankstown and the surrounding suburbs.[http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/south-west/from-the-irish-and-english-in-the-late-18th-century-to-lebanese-and-vietnamese-in-recent-years--bankstown-has-always-been-a-hub-for-migrants/news-story/bc171224ec5a3475f07c53b3659fee00 From the Irish and English in the late 18th century, to Lebanese and Vietnamese in recent years – Bankstown has always been a hub for migrants]{{cite web | url=http://www.dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/lidcombe | title=Lidcombe | work=The Dictionary of Sydney | author=Kass, T. | year=2008}} Opened in December 1985, in Eastern Creek, Wonderland Sydney was the largest amusement park in the southern hemisphere until its closure in 2004.[http://new-website.wonderlandhistory.net/content/1st-staff-news-letter-1985 'Wran Opens Wonderland']. Staff Newsletter Vol.1 No 1. (New South Wales, Australia). In 2015, the Abbott government granted 12,000 extra humanitarian visas to persecuted Christians, largely the Assyrians, in the war-torn Middle Eastern countries, which were admitted to Australia as part of its one-off humanitarian intake, with half of them primarily settling in Fairfield and also Liverpool.{{cite news|last=Dabbagh |first=Omar|title=Assyrian Australians plead for second special refugee settlement deal|url= http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/05/15/assyrian-australians-plead-second-special-refugee-settlement-deal|access-date=22 June 2017|date=15 May 2017 }}

{{see also|Geography of Sydney|Cumberland Plain Woodland}}

File:Parramatta River aerial Rosehill.jpg]]

The Greater Western Sydney region spans from Windsor in the north to Campbelltown in the south, Lidcombe and Roselands in the east, with the A3 creating the boundary between the greater west and inner West, to Penrith and the lower parts of the Blue Mountains in the far west. The 151st meridian east passes through the heart of western Sydney, namely in the suburbs of Castle Hill, Parramatta, Granville, and Revesby, with the suburbs west of those being on the eastern end of the 150th meridian, which is a line that passes through the Russian city of Magadan in the northern hemisphere.

In 1820s, Peter Cunningham described the country west of Parramatta and Liverpool as "a fine timbered country, perfectly clear of bush, through which you might, generally speaking, drive a gig in all directions, without any impediment in the shape of rocks, scrubs, or close forest". This confirmed earlier accounts by Governor Arthur Phillip, who suggested that the trees were "growing at a distance of some twenty to forty feet from each other, and in general entirely free from brushwood..."Kohen, J., The Impact of Fire: An Historical Perspective, in Australian Plants Online, Society for Growing Australian Plants, September 1996

File:Aerial view of Eastern Creek, Greystanes, Horsley Park, Pemulwuy, Prospect and Wetherill Park.jpg (looking west towards the Blue Mountains)]]

Greater western Sydney predominantly lies on the Cumberland Plain and is relatively flat in contrast to the above regions. The region is situated on a rain shadow, due to the Hills District to the northeast, where it tends to be drier than the coast and less lush than the hilly Northern Suburbs.Carter, Lewis, 2011. Tectonic Control of Cenozoic Deposition in the Cumberland Basin, Penrith/Hawkesbury Region, New South Wales. Bachelor of Science (Honours), School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong. [http://ro.uow.edu.au/thsci/3] Though Wetherill Park was listed by Domain as one of the five most leafiest suburbs in Sydney, in addition to being the only suburb in Western Sydney to be listed as such.{{cite web | url=https://www.domain.com.au/advice/leafy-suburbs-around-sydney/ | title= Leafy suburbs around Sydney | publisher=Domain Group|author= Emily Lawrence Gazal|date= June 15, 2015|access-date= January 5, 2025}}

Although the region is relatively flat, several elevated areas on the plain exist — Western Sydney Parklands, one of the largest parklands in the world, and Prospect Hill, the only area in Sydney with ancient volcanic activity, are between {{convert|120|and|140|m|ft}} high. Highly elevated suburbs, which typically range between {{convert|70|and|100|m|ft}} in height, include Leppington and Oran Park to the southwest, Pemulwuy, Cecil Hills and Horsley Park to the greater west, and Greystanes, Seven Hills and Mount Druitt to the northwest.{{NSW GNR|id = JPYbwptLTR|title = Cumberland|access-date = 4 August 2013}}

{{main|Ecology of Sydney}}

File:WesternSydneyParklands.jpg (Blacktown)]]

The main plant communities in the Greater Western Sydney region are sclerophyll grassy woodlands (i.e. savannas),{{cite web|url=https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedSpeciesApp/VegClass.aspx?vegclassname=Coastal+Valley+Grassy+Woodlands&habitat=C|title=Coastal Valley Grassy Woodlands |publisher=NSW Environment & Heritage |access-date=15 December 2019}} dry sclerophyll forests and small pockets of wet sclerophyll forests to the northeast as one approaches the Hornsby Plateau. The grassy woodlands contain eucalyptus trees which are usually in open woodlands that have sclerophyllous shrubs and sparse grass in the understory, reminiscent of Mediterranean forests.{{cite web|url=http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedSpeciesApp/VegFormation.aspx?formationName=Dry+sclerophyll+forests+(shrub%2Fgrass+sub-formation)|title=Dry sclerophyll forests (shrub/grass sub-formation) |publisher=NSW Environment & Heritage |access-date=15 October 2016}} It has been calculated that around 98,000 hectares of native vegetation remains in the Sydney metropolitan area, about half of what is likely to have been existing at the time of European arrival.Benson D and Howell J 1990, Taken for granted: the bushland of Sydney and its suburbs. Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst, NSW.

The endemic flora is home to a variety of bird, insect, reptile and mammal species, which are conspicuous in urban areas. Introduced birds such as the house sparrow, common myna and feral pigeon are ubiquitous in the CBD areas of Sydney.Hindwood, K. A. and McCill, A. R., 1958. The Birds of Sydney (Cumberland Plain) New South Wales. Roy. Zool. Soc. New South Wales. Possums, bandicoots, rabbits, feral cats, lizards, snakes and frogs may also be present in the urban environment, albeit seldom in city centres.Williams, J. et al. 2001. [http://www.environment.gov.au/soe/2001/publications/theme-reports/biodiversity/pubs/biodiversity.pdf Biodiversity, Australia State of the Environment Report 2001 (Theme Report)], CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Department of the Environment and Heritage, Canberra. {{ISBN|0-643-06749-3}}

{{see also|Sydney basin}}

File:Nepean River - Penrith NSW (5209641109).jpg.]]

The Sydney area lies on Triassic shales and sandstones with low rolling hills and wide valleys in a rain shadow area. Sydney sprawls over two major regions: the Cumberland Plain, a relatively flat region lying to the west of Sydney Harbour, and the Hornsby Plateau, a plateau north of the Harbour rising to 200 metres and dissected by steep valleys.[http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/bioregions/SydneyBasin-Subregions.htm Sydney Basin-Subregions] Sydney's native plant species are predominantly eucalyptus trees.{{cite web|url=http://www.agriculture.gov.au/abares/forestsaustralia/profiles/eucalypt-forest|title=Eucalypt forest|access-date=29 January 2017|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia|year=2017}} The moderately-fertile Soils in western Sydney are usually red and yellow in texture as they are rich in clay, are fine-textured and acidic. Soil moisture is relatively high through the months reaching a peak in winter (due to the lower evaporation rate), despite the lower rainfall in that season.{{cite web|url=https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/nature/RecoveringCumberlandPlainCh1-2.pdf|title=The Cumberland Plain and its vegetation|access-date=5 March 2024|publisher=New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage.}}

At a time in the past, monocline formed to the west of Sydney. The monocline is a sloping bend that raises the sandstone well above where it is expected to be seen, and this is why the whole of the visible top of the Blue Mountains is made of sandstone. Sandstone slopes in the Sydney area are on three sides: to the west the Blue Mountains, and to the north and south, the Hornsby and Woronora plateau.{{cite web|url=http://australianmuseum.net.au/the-sydney-basin|title=The Sydney Basin|date=2 June 2009|website=Australian Museum|access-date=1 November 2016}}{{cite web |url=http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspecies/MapOfTheCumberlandPlain.htm/ |title=Map of the Cumberland Plain |publisher=New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage |date=13 December 2013 |access-date=26 November 2016 }} The centre of the Sydney basin is located beneath Fairfield.{{cite web |url=http://www.amonline.net.au/geoscience/events/event-sydney-basin.htm |title=Sydney Basin – Geological Overview |publisher=Australian Museum |access-date=24 March 2008 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/minerals/geological/overview/regional/sedimentary-basins/sydbasin |title=Development of the Sydney Basin |publisher=NSW Primary Industries |access-date=24 March 2008 }} Bringelly Shale and Minchinbury Sandstone are often seen in the greater western parts of Sydney, which are part of the Wianamatta Shale group.Chris Herbert. Geology of the Sydney 1:100,000 Sheet 9130{{cite web|last=Lovering, J. F.|title=Bringelly Shale|url=http://australianmuseum.net.au/Uploads/Journals/17385/631_complete.pdf|work=Stratigraphy of' the Wianamatta Group|publisher=Australian Museum|access-date=23 August 2012}}{{cite web|title=Minchinbury Sandstone|url=http://dbforms.ga.gov.au/pls/www/geodx.strat_units.sch_full?wher=stratno=27678|work=Stratigraphic Search Geoscience Australia|publisher=Australian Government|access-date=24 October 2012}} The Prospect dolerite intrusion in Pemulwuy is the largest assemblage of igneous rock in Sydney. The oval-shaped ridge was made many millions of years ago when volcanic material from the Earth's upper mantle moved upwards and then sideways.[http://www.mindat.org/article.php/1623/%3Cl+id%3D146488%3EProspect%3C_l%3E%2C+%3Cl+id%3D66%3ENew+South+Wales%3C_l%3E Compton, K., Mindat: Prospect, New South Wales]Conybeare Morrison, Prospect Hill Conservation Management Plan, Holroyd City Council, 2005

Swamps and lagoons are existent on the floodplain of the Nepean River, one being Bents Basin, which is also a recreational area. Parramatta River drains a large area of Sydney's western suburbs.{{cite book |title=The Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage of Sydney |author=Aird, W. V |year=1961 |publisher=Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board |location=Sydney }} With 5,005,400 inhabitants (as of 2016) and an urban population density of 2037 people per square kilometre, Sydney's urban area covers {{convert|1788|km2|sqmi}},{{cite web|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs%40.nsf/mediareleasesbyCatalogue/28F51C010D29BFC9CA2575A0002126CC?OpenDocument|title=Sydney population hits 5 million|work=Australian Bureau of Statistics|date=30 March 2017|access-date=5 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728200642/http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs%40.nsf/mediareleasesbyCatalogue/28F51C010D29BFC9CA2575A0002126CC?OpenDocument|archive-date=28 July 2017|url-status=dead}} comprising 35% of Sydney and is constantly growing.{{Census 2006 AUS|id=105|name=Sydney (Statistical Division)|access-date=28 February 2008}} The south and southwest of Sydney is drained by the Georges River, flowing north from its source near Appin, towards Liverpool and then turning east towards Botany Bay. Minor waterways draining Sydney's western suburbs include South Creek and Eastern Creek, flowing into the Hawkesbury, and Prospect Creek draining into the Georges River. Cowan Creek and Berowra Creek run north from the Upper North Shore to the Hawkesbury river.{{cite web|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|date=2014|url=http://stat.abs.gov.au/itt/r.jsp?RegionSummary®ion=1GSYD&dataset=ABS_NRP9_ASGS&geoconcept=REGION&datasetASGS=ABS_NRP9_ASGS&datasetLGA=ABS_NRP9_LGA®ionLGA=REGION®ionASGS=REGION|title=Greater Sydney: region data summary|access-date=12 July 2014}}

{{Further|Climate of Sydney}}

Western Sydney experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa) with the annual temperatures having an average maximum of {{convert|23|C}} and a minimum of {{convert|12|C}}, making the region a few degrees warmer than the Sydney CBD. Maximum summer temperatures average at around {{convert|27|to|31|C}} and winter temperatures are mild, averaging at around {{convert|16|to|20|C}}, depending on the location. Autumn and spring are the transitional seasons, with spring showing a larger variation than autumn in terms of temperatures.

Rainfall is almost evenly spread throughout the year, although the first few months tend to be wetter, namely February through to April.Bannerman SA and Hazelton PA (1990) Soil Landscapes of the Penrith 1:100 000 Sheet Soil Conservation Service of NSW, Sydney and the accompanying map by Hazelton PA, Bannerman SM and Tille PJ (1989) The months from July through to December tend to be drier (late winter through to early summers). Thunderstorms are common in late summer and early autumn. Winters are pleasantly cool and relatively sunny (especially August), although east coast lows can bring large amounts of rainfall, especially in June.{{cite web|title=About East Coast Lows|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/nsw/sevwx/facts/ecl.shtml|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|access-date=6 April 2013}} Most suburbs in the west have an annual precipitation that averages at around {{convert|700|to|900|mm|in|0|abbr=on}}, in contrast to Sydney CBD's {{convert|1217|mm|in|0|abbr=on}}.{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyliberal.com.au/story/1217189/sydney-to-be-spared-worst-of-giant-heat-wave/|title=Sydney heatwave|publisher=Daily Liberal|year=2013|access-date=4 February 2014}}

Sydney usually experiences a föhn effect that originates from the Great Dividing Range, where the lifting of winds on the windward side of the Blue Mountains forces the air to gradually warm up and lose moisture as the winds descend into the Sydney basin.Sharples, J.J. Mills, G.A., McRae, R.H.D., Weber, R.O. (2010) Elevated fire danger conditions associated with foehn-like winds in southeastern Australia. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology. They may exacerbate fire danger in the warm months, although they usually tend to occur between late winter and early spring when westerly cold fronts become more frequent and would therefore be blocked by the ranges – This phenomenon thereby permits the late winter and early spring period to feature the highest amount of clear days in the year.Sharples, J.J. (2009) An overview of mountain meteorological effects relevant to fire behaviour and bushfire risk. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 18, 737-754. It should be worth noting that Richmond features the greatest temperature range ever recorded in Australia; {{convert|-8.3|C}} to {{convert|47.8|C}}.[http://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/national-location-information/dimensions/climatic-extremes Climatic Extremes] by Geoscience Australia from the Australian Government

;Summer

Western Sydney is much warmer than Sydney city in summer. During this time, daytime temperatures can be {{convert|5|C-change|0}} warmer than the city (in extreme cases the West can even be microclimate). This is because sea breezes in the City do not penetrate the inland areas. Northwesterlies occasionally bring hot winds from the desert that raise temperatures as high as {{convert|40|C}}. Though southerly busters may still end the hot conditions. The humidity in the summer is usually in the comfortable range, though some days can be slightly humid (due to the ocean proximity) or very dry (due to the heat from the desert).

File:Pond in Auburn Botanic Garden.jpg in winter]]

;Autumn

In early autumn, hot days are possible, with temperatures above {{convert|37|C}} possible in March, but quite rare. April is cooler, with days above {{convert|30|C}} happening on average only 1.1 times during the month. Days cooler than {{convert|20|C}} occur more regularly leading into May. In May, days are usually mild, ranging from {{convert|17|to|24|C}}, but can get quite cold, with maximums of {{convert|17|C}} or lower starting to occur. Average minimums fall throughout the season, with the first night below {{convert|10|C}} often occurring in April.

;Winter

Winter temperatures often show a higher variation in late winter than early winter, with a day in August rarely reaching above {{convert|27|C}}, which is unknown in June and July. Winter daytime average around between {{convert|15|and|20|C}}. Winter nights average {{convert|6.9|C}}, although a few nights per year see temperatures fall below {{convert|2|C}}, mostly in July. Nights reaching below {{convert|0|C}} more often occur in the far-western suburbs, such as Campbelltown, Camden, Penrith and Richmond.{{Cite web|title = Climate statistics for Australian locations|url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_066124_All.shtml|website = www.bom.gov.au|access-date = 3 February 2016}} These low temperatures often occur when the night sky is clear and the ground can radiate heat back into the atmosphere. Winter nights, though, are typically a few degrees cooler and frost is not uncommon in some areas, especially those in the far west such as Penrith and Richmond.

;Spring

Spring temperatures are highly variable, with temperatures fluctuating quite often. September will normally see 1 day reaching above {{convert|30|C}}, and extremely rare, above {{convert|35|C}}. Cool days in September can occur, occasionally failing to reach {{convert|15|C}}. October and November show high variability, where hot north-westerlies can cause temperatures to rise above {{convert|35|C}}, and even above {{convert|40|C}} in November, while cool days below {{convert|20|C}} are also quite common. The average minimum temperature increases throughout the season, September can still have nights falling below {{convert|5|C}}. October and November occasionally have nights falling below {{convert|10|C}}.

{{Weather box

|location = Parramatta

|collapsed = Yes

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan record high C = 45.5

|Feb record high C = 41.9

|Mar record high C = 40.5

|Apr record high C = 37.0

|May record high C = 29.2

|Jun record high C = 25.5

|Jul record high C = 25.9

|Aug record high C = 30.6

|Sep record high C = 35.4

|Oct record high C = 40.1

|Nov record high C = 42.7

|Dec record high C = 43.9

|year record high C = 45.5

|Jan high C = 28.4

|Feb high C = 27.8

|Mar high C = 26.2

|Apr high C = 23.8

|May high C = 20.5

|Jun high C = 17.8

|Jul high C = 17.3

|Aug high C = 19.0

|Sep high C = 21.6

|Oct high C = 23.9

|Nov high C = 25.4

|Dec high C = 27.4

|year high C = 23.3

|Jan low C = 17.5

|Feb low C = 17.6

|Mar low C = 15.8

|Apr low C = 12.8

|May low C = 9.9

|Jun low C = 7.5

|Jul low C = 6.2

|Aug low C = 7.1

|Sep low C = 9.3

|Oct low C = 11.9

|Nov low C = 14.0

|Dec low C = 16.2

|year low C = 12.2

|Jan record low C = 10.1

|Feb record low C = 9.2

|Mar record low C = 6.8

|Apr record low C = 4.0

|May record low C = 1.4

|Jun record low C = 0.8

|Jul record low C = -1.0

|Aug record low C = 0.7

|Sep record low C = 0.7

|Oct record low C = 3.6

|Nov record low C = 4.0

|Dec record low C = 7.7

|year record low C = -1.0

|Jan precipitation mm = 102.3

|Feb precipitation mm = 126.0

|Mar precipitation mm = 109.0

|Apr precipitation mm = 89.8

|May precipitation mm = 72.4

|Jun precipitation mm = 86.2

|Jul precipitation mm = 46.8

|Aug precipitation mm = 54.4

|Sep precipitation mm = 53.9

|Oct precipitation mm = 69.1

|Nov precipitation mm = 85.2

|Dec precipitation mm = 70.9

|year precipitation mm = 965.6

|Jan precipitation days = 12.0

|Feb precipitation days = 12.1

|Mar precipitation days = 12.5

|Apr precipitation days = 9.2

|May precipitation days = 9.9

|Jun precipitation days = 10.5

|Jul precipitation days = 8.2

|Aug precipitation days = 7.9

|Sep precipitation days = 8.0

|Oct precipitation days = 10.3

|Nov precipitation days = 11.6

|Dec precipitation days = 10.3

|year precipitation days = 122.5

|source 1 = {{cite web

| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_066124_All.shtml| title = Climate statistics: PARRAMATTA NORTH (MASONS DRIVE)| publisher =Bureau of Meteorology|access-date=13 April 2013}}

|date=April 2013

}}

{{Weather box

|collapsed= yes

|location = Bankstown Airport

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan record high C = 44.8

|Feb record high C = 43.3

|Mar record high C = 41.6

|Apr record high C = 36.9

|May record high C = 28.5

|Jun record high C = 25.4

|Jul record high C = 26.7

|Aug record high C = 30.2

|Sep record high C = 35.6

|Oct record high C = 39.7

|Nov record high C = 43.1

|Dec record high C = 43.6

|year record high C = 44.8

|Jan high C = 28.2

|Feb high C = 27.8

|Mar high C = 26.2

|Apr high C = 23.7

|May high C = 20.4

|Jun high C = 17.7

|Jul high C = 17.2

|Aug high C = 18.9

|Sep high C = 21.5

|Oct high C = 23.7

|Nov high C = 25.1

|Dec high C = 27.3

|year high C = 23.1

|Jan low C = 18.1

|Feb low C = 18.1

|Mar low C = 16.2

|Apr low C = 12.7

|May low C = 9.6

|Jun low C = 6.6

|Jul low C = 5.1

|Aug low C = 6.0

|Sep low C = 8.7

|Oct low C = 11.8

|Nov low C = 14.3

|Dec low C = 16.6

|year low C = 12.0

|Jan record low C = 10.4

|Feb record low C = 10.0

|Mar record low C = 7.8

|Apr record low C = 2.4

|May record low C = 1.3

|Jun record low C = -1.9

|Jul record low C = -4.0

|Aug record low C = -0.7

|Sep record low C = 0.0

|Oct record low C = 4.4

|Nov record low C = 6.8

|Dec record low C = 6.3

|year record low C = -4.0

|Jan precipitation mm = 90.3

|Feb precipitation mm = 106.4

|Mar precipitation mm = 97.7

|Apr precipitation mm = 83.2

|May precipitation mm = 71.1

|Jun precipitation mm = 73.1

|Jul precipitation mm = 44.6

|Aug precipitation mm = 49.1

|Sep precipitation mm = 44.7

|Oct precipitation mm = 62.1

|Nov precipitation mm = 77.2

|Dec precipitation mm = 67.2

|year precipitation mm = 867.0

|Jan precipitation days =11.1

|Feb precipitation days = 10.9

|Mar precipitation days =11.3

|Apr precipitation days = 8.8

|May precipitation days = 9.8

|Jun precipitation days =9.3

|Jul precipitation days = 8.0

|Aug precipitation days = 7.3

|Sep precipitation days = 7.7

|Oct precipitation days = 9.5

|Nov precipitation days = 11.0

|Dec precipitation days = 9.8

|year precipitation days = 114.5

|source 1 = {{cite web

| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_066137_All.shtml | title = Monthly climate statistics | publisher = Bureau of Meteorology |date=20 July 2011|access-date=22 July 2011}}

}}

{{Weather box

|collapsed= yes

|location = Prospect Reservoir

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan record high C = 44.7

|Feb record high C = 42.5

|Mar record high C = 39.5

|Apr record high C = 37.1

|May record high C = 29.4

|Jun record high C = 25.6

|Jul record high C = 26.5

|Aug record high C = 29.4

|Sep record high C = 35.0

|Oct record high C = 39.0

|Nov record high C = 42.0

|Dec record high C = 42.7

|year record high C = 44.7

|Jan high C = 28.4

|Feb high C = 27.9

|Mar high C = 26.3

|Apr high C = 23.6

|May high C = 20.3

|Jun high C = 17.3

|Jul high C = 16.8

|Aug high C = 18.7

|Sep high C = 21.3

|Oct high C = 23.7

|Nov high C = 25.3

|Dec high C = 27.5

|year high C = 23.1

|Jan low C = 17.6

|Feb low C = 17.7

|Mar low C = 16.1

|Apr low C = 13.0

|May low C =10.0

|Jun low C = 7.4

|Jul low C = 6.1

|Aug low C = 6.8

|Sep low C = 9.4

|Oct low C = 12.1

|Nov low C = 14.2

|Dec low C = 16.4

|year low C = 12.2

|Jan record low C = 10.0

|Feb record low C = 10.8

|Mar record low C = 7.9

|Apr record low C = 3.6

|May record low C = 1.2

|Jun record low C = -0.8

|Jul record low C = -0.6

|Aug record low C = -0.5

|Sep record low C = 2.6

|Oct record low C = 4.5

|Nov record low C = 6.8

|Dec record low C = 7.8

|year record low C = -0.8

|Jan precipitation mm = 93.7

|Feb precipitation mm = 96.0

|Mar precipitation mm = 95.6

|Apr precipitation mm = 74.1

|May precipitation mm = 72.0

|Jun precipitation mm = 74.9

|Jul precipitation mm = 57.0

|Aug precipitation mm = 50.3

|Sep precipitation mm = 47.1

|Oct precipitation mm = 59.4

|Nov precipitation mm = 72.4

|Dec precipitation mm = 75.2

|year precipitation mm = 868.1

|Jan precipitation days = 10.7

|Feb precipitation days = 10.6

|Mar precipitation days = 10.9

|Apr precipitation days = 9.3

|May precipitation days = 9.0

|Jun precipitation days = 9.4

|Jul precipitation days = 7.8

|Aug precipitation days = 8.0

|Sep precipitation days = 8.5

|Oct precipitation days = 9.4

|Nov precipitation days = 9.5

|Dec precipitation days = 9.9

|year precipitation days = 113.0

|source 1 = {{cite web

| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_067019_All.shtml

| publisher = Bureau of Meteorology |title = Climate statistics for Prospect Reservoir |access-date = 21 July 2011|date=July 2011}}

}}

{{Weather box

|location = Richmond

|collapsed = Yes

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan record high C = 47.8

|Feb record high C = 43.7

|Mar record high C = 41.9

|Apr record high C = 38.2

|May record high C = 30.0

|Jun record high C = 26.8

|Jul record high C = 27.6

|Aug record high C = 32.8

|Sep record high C = 35.9

|Oct record high C = 40.4

|Nov record high C = 43.6

|Dec record high C = 43.7

|year record high C = 47.8

|Jan high C = 30.0

|Feb high C = 29.1

|Mar high C = 26.8

|Apr high C = 23.9

|May high C = 20.6

|Jun high C = 17.9

|Jul high C = 17.4

|Aug high C = 19.7

|Sep high C = 22.7

|Oct high C = 25.0

|Nov high C = 26.7

|Dec high C = 28.5

|year high C = 24.0

|Jan low C = 17.6

|Feb low C = 17.7

|Mar low C = 15.6

|Apr low C = 11.4

|May low C = 7.6

|Jun low C = 4.9

|Jul low C = 3.6

|Aug low C = 4.4

|Sep low C = 8.0

|Oct low C = 11.0

|Nov low C = 14.1

|Dec low C = 16.0

|year low C = 11.0

|Jan record low C = 8.9

|Feb record low C = 6.4

|Mar record low C = 3.9

|Apr record low C = -0.4

|May record low C = -2.4

|Jun record low C = -6.7

|Jul record low C = -8.3

|Aug record low C = -4.0

|Sep record low C = -1.4

|Oct record low C = 1.7

|Nov record low C = 3.7

|Dec record low C = 5.0

|year record low C = -8.3

|Jan precipitation mm = 78.5

|Feb precipitation mm = 125.8

|Mar precipitation mm = 74.2

|Apr precipitation mm = 48.9

|May precipitation mm = 52.4

|Jun precipitation mm = 48.0

|Jul precipitation mm = 31.2

|Aug precipitation mm = 30.7

|Sep precipitation mm = 49.7

|Oct precipitation mm = 52.8

|Nov precipitation mm = 83.5

|Dec precipitation mm = 61.6

|year precipitation mm = 738.5

|source 1 = {{cite web

| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_067105_All.shtml| title = Climate Statistics: Richmond RAAF (1993–present)| publisher = Bureau of Meteorology|access-date=13 April 2013}} (averages and records)

|source 2 = {{cite web

| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_067033_All.shtml| title = Climate Statistics: Richmond RAAF (1928–1994)| publisher = Bureau of Meteorology|access-date=13 April 2013}} (records only)

|date=August 2010

}}

{{Weather box

|location = Camden Airport

|collapsed = Yes

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|Jan record high C = 46.4

|Feb record high C = 43.2

|Mar record high C = 41.0

|Apr record high C = 38.5

|May record high C = 27.5

|Jun record high C = 24.9

|Jul record high C = 25.4

|Aug record high C = 30.2

|Sep record high C = 36.0

|Oct record high C = 40.5

|Nov record high C = 42.6

|Dec record high C = 43.1

|year record high C = 46.4

|Jan high C = 29.5

|Feb high C = 28.6

|Mar high C = 26.7

|Apr high C = 23.8

|May high C = 20.5

|Jun high C = 17.7

|Jul high C = 17.2

|Aug high C = 19.0

|Sep high C = 21.9

|Oct high C = 24.1

|Nov high C = 26.1

|Dec high C = 28.4

|year high C = 23.6

|Jan low C = 16.8

|Feb low C = 16.8

|Mar low C = 14.8

|Apr low C = 11.0

|May low C = 7.0

|Jun low C = 4.5

|Jul low C = 3.0

|Aug low C = 3.8

|Sep low C = 6.7

|Oct low C = 9.9

|Nov low C = 12.9

|Dec low C = 15.1

|year low C = 10.2

|Jan record low C = 7.9

|Feb record low C = 7.2

|Mar record low C = 5.9

|Apr record low C = -0.7

|May record low C = -2.2

|Jun record low C = -5.4

|Jul record low C = -6.0

|Aug record low C = -4.0

|Sep record low C = -1.8

|Oct record low C = 1.3

|Nov record low C = 3.8

|Dec record low C = 5.7

|year record low C = -6.0

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 77.9

|Feb precipitation mm = 100.9

|Mar precipitation mm = 85.8

|Apr precipitation mm = 66.9

|May precipitation mm = 57.4

|Jun precipitation mm = 59.0

|Jul precipitation mm = 38.7

|Aug precipitation mm = 42.4

|Sep precipitation mm = 39.6

|Oct precipitation mm = 65.3

|Nov precipitation mm = 77.0

|Dec precipitation mm = 54.9

|year precipitation mm = 767.3

|Jan precipitation days = 10.1

|Feb precipitation days = 10.9

|Mar precipitation days = 10.3

|Apr precipitation days = 9.2

|May precipitation days = 8.7

|Jun precipitation days = 8.7

|Jul precipitation days = 8.1

|Aug precipitation days = 7.6

|Sep precipitation days = 7.9

|Oct precipitation days = 9.8

|Nov precipitation days = 10.6

|Dec precipitation days = 9.0

|year precipitation days = 110.9

|unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm

|humidity colour = green

|Jan humidity = 49

|Feb humidity = 52

|Mar humidity = 52

|Apr humidity = 52

|May humidity = 52

|Jun humidity = 53

|Jul humidity = 50

|Aug humidity = 43

|Sep humidity = 44

|Oct humidity = 47

|Nov humidity = 50

|Dec humidity = 46

|year humidity = 49

|source 1 ={{cite web

| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_068192_All.shtml | title = Climate statistics for Camden Airport AWS | publisher = Bureau of Meteorology |access-date = 15 April 2013}}

|date=April 2013

}}

{{Weather box

|location = Holsworthy Control Range

|collapsed = Yes

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan record high C = 45.7

|Feb record high C = 41.7

|Mar record high C = 38.5

|Apr record high C = 33.6

|May record high C = 27.7

|Jun record high C = 24.9

|Jul record high C = 24.8

|Aug record high C = 28.9

|Sep record high C = 35.0

|Oct record high C = 37.1

|Nov record high C = 42.0

|Dec record high C = 42.0

|year record high C = 45.7

|Jan high C = 29.1

|Feb high C = 28.3

|Mar high C = 26.3

|Apr high C = 23.5

|May high C = 20.5

|Jun high C = 17.8

|Jul high C = 17.3

|Aug high C = 19.1

|Sep high C = 22.3

|Oct high C = 24.1

|Nov high C = 25.5

|Dec high C = 27.4

|year high C = 23.4

|Jan low C = 17.5

|Feb low C = 17.5

|Mar low C = 15.5

|Apr low C = 12.1

|May low C = 8.1

|Jun low C = 6.2

|Jul low C = 4.9

|Aug low C = 5.4

|Sep low C = 8.4

|Oct low C = 10.8

|Nov low C = 13.8

|Dec low C = 15.7

|year low C = 11.3

|Jan record low C = 9.2

|Feb record low C = 10.8

|Mar record low C = 6.6

|Apr record low C = 2.8

|May record low C = -2.0

|Jun record low C = -2.6

|Jul record low C = -4.0

|Aug record low C = -2.0

|Sep record low C = 0.8

|Oct record low C = 3.7

|Nov record low C = 5.0

|Dec record low C = 7.0

|year record low C = -4.0

|Jan precipitation mm = 59.5

|Feb precipitation mm = 113.7

|Mar precipitation mm = 67.4

|Apr precipitation mm = 54.8

|May precipitation mm = 53.8

|Jun precipitation mm = 69.1

|Jul precipitation mm = 43.1

|Aug precipitation mm = 37.6

|Sep precipitation mm = 32.6

|Oct precipitation mm = 52.2

|Nov precipitation mm = 73.7

|Dec precipitation mm = 56.6

|year precipitation mm = 709.4

|Jan precipitation days = 8.7

|Feb precipitation days = 10.3

|Mar precipitation days = 11.1

|Apr precipitation days = 11.2

|May precipitation days = 10.0

|Jun precipitation days = 10.6

|Jul precipitation days = 10.1

|Aug precipitation days = 7.4

|Sep precipitation days = 7.5

|Oct precipitation days = 9.5

|Nov precipitation days = 11.9

|Dec precipitation days = 10.5

|year precipitation days = 118.8

|unit precipitation days = 0.1mm

|humidity colour=green

|Jan humidity = 50

|Feb humidity = 56

|Mar humidity = 55

|Apr humidity = 53

|May humidity = 52

|Jun humidity = 53

|Jul humidity = 49

|Aug humidity = 44

|Sep humidity = 43

|Oct humidity = 48

|Nov humidity = 51

|Dec humidity = 50

|year humidity = 50

|source 1 = {{cite web

| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_067117_All.shtml| publisher = Bureau of Meteorology |title = Climate statistics for Holsworthy Control Range |access-date = 10 November 2013}}

|date=November 2013

}}

File:Cabramatta Pai Lau Gate in Freedom Plaza.jpg]]

The residents of GWS come from more than 170 countries and speak over 100 different languages and 12% of them, namely the newcomers, do not speak English very well. Cabramatta is made up of 87.7% of people from non-English speaking backgrounds, the highest anywhere in Australia (excluding remote indigenous communities). Other Western Sydney suburbs, such as Fairfield, Bankstown and Canley Vale, are also over 80%.

Although many of these communities are Australian-born (including Arabic speakers, with about 50% born therein), Western Sydney still is the main centre of Australian migration, with 60% of new arrivals settling in greater western Sydney in between 2006 and 2011, with the majority coming from India, China, Iraq, the Philippines and Vietnam. Furthermore, GWS also has more Indigenous Australian residents than either South Australia or Victoria, making it the largest indigenous community in Australia. These are some of the largest population groups of Australia's non-English speakers found in Western Sydney:[https://blog.id.com.au/2015/population/demographic-trends/western-sydney-diverse-and-growing-rapidly/ Western Sydney profile – a region of diversity and growth]

• 62% of Assyrian Neo-Aramaic speakers
• 50% of Akan speakers
• 48% of Lao speakers
• 45% of Arabic speakers
• 43% of Kurdish speakers
• 37% of Tongan speakers
• 34% of Samoan speakers
• 33% of Hindi speakers
• 29% of Vietnamese
• 28% of Filipino/Tagalog speakers
• 28% of Tamil speakers
• 27% of Maltese speakers

Western Sydney is the most religious and socially conservative region in Sydney. Previously, the districts of Ku-ring-gai, Hornsby Shire and The Hills Shire in the north were the most religious areas in Sydney, and were formerly known as being part of Sydney's "bible belt". Today however, the western suburbs have become Sydney's so-called believer belt, with a high proportion of believers found in a band of suburbs that span the cities of Liverpool, Fairfield, Cumberland and Canterbury-Bankstown.[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-07/religion-in-australia-is-unlike-anywhere-else-in-the-world/11652442?nw=0 How we worship] by Emily Clark from ABC News, 7 November 2019

According to the Bureau of Statistics, areas with the highest percentage of Christians were found in the western and south-western suburbs such as, Bossley Park (85%), Grasmere (82.3%), Theresa Park (81.1%), Abbotsbury (81%) and Horsley Park (79.6%), with the most popular denominations being Catholic and Anglican, respectively. The suburbs east of those, in the City of Canterbury-Bankstown and Camden Council, had a high amount of Islamic adherents, such as Lakemba (59.2%), South Granville (49%) and Old Guildford (45.9%).[https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/census-2016-sydneys-bible-belt-is-losing-the-faith-20171004-gyuecs.html Census 2016: Sydney's Bible belt is losing the faith] by Matt Wade from the Sydney Morning Herald, October 4, 2017

Buddhism was the common response in the suburbs of Cabramatta, Canley Vale and Canley Heights, with 43.0%, 37.1% and 38.4% adhering to it, respectively.{{Census 2016 AUS|id=SSC10740|name=Cabramatta (State Suburb)|accessdate=27 June 2016|quick=on}} In Harris Park, to the northwest, Hinduism was the common religion with 44.8% of its inhabitants practicing it.{{Census 2016 AUS|id=SSC11860|name=Harris Park (State Suburb)|accessdate=21 December 2017|quick=on}} Westmead (40.8%), Parramatta (28.5%) and Rosehill (24.0%) also had Hinduism as the most common faith.{{Census 2016 AUS|id=SSC13156|name=Parramatta (State Suburb)|accessdate=27 June 2016|quick=on|map=yes}}

File:Auburn Gallipoli Mosque.JPG|Auburn Gallipoli Mosque

File:(1)St Patricks Cathedral Parramatta-1.jpg|St Patrick's Cathedral

Saint Hurmizd cathedral.jpg|Assyrian Church of the East in Greenfield Park

File:Bonnyrigg Buddhist temple.jpg|Buddhist temple in Bonnyrigg

OldGuildfordChurch.jpg|Arabic Baptist Church in Old Guildford

Guildford St Marys Anglican Church.JPG|St Mary's Anglican Church in Guildford

The region's major city centre is Parramatta, and the rest of the LGAs are growing immensely when it comes population, economic opportunity and environmental diversity. In the early 2010s, urban development has occurred in places like Camden, Campbelltown and Penrith, while Parramatta and Blacktown have grown rapidly. The GWS region overall grew at 2.1% in 2014 and 1.6% p.a. for the past decade. The South-West, such as, Leppington, spanning Liverpool, Camden and Campbelltown councils, had higher number of families. The region's population is projected to reach 3 million by 2036. The more recent suburban developments tend to be less leafy than more established Sydney neighbourhoods.[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-21/western-sydney-heatwave-alleviated-by-tree-cover/11721698 These two Western Sydney streets are completely different temperatures — here's why] By Mridula Amin from ABC News. Retrieved 28 November 2020

Home to around 1 in every 11 Australians, the 2 million inhabitants of GWS live in 743,940 dwellings with an average household size of 3.02. While Sydney CBD and the Inner West mostly consist of federation-era homes, the west usually features larger modern homes, which are predominantly found in the outer, newer suburbs, starting from the City of Fairfield and Blacktown and including Stanhope Gardens, Kellyville Ridge, and Bella Vista to the northwest, Bossley Park, Abbotsbury, and Cecil Hills to the west, and Hoxton Park, Harrington Park, and Oran Park to the southwest.{{cite web|publisher=Charles Sturt University|date=2014|url=http://hsc.csu.edu.au/geography/urban/urban/4370/sydney_culture.htm|title=Sydney's culture of place|access-date=26 July 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025075259/http://hsc.csu.edu.au/geography/urban/urban/4370/sydney_culture.htm|archive-date=25 October 2014}}

High school retention rates for years 7 to 12 are the lowest in the Sydney metropolitan area, recording 69.5% compared to 95.2% in Northern Sydney. In 2009, twice as many people in GWS aged 15 or older hadn't attended school at all compared to the rest of Sydney and NSW. The region has strong automobile dependency with consequent effects on air quality, health, quality of life and household budgets.

The Department of Planning and Infrastructure Metropolitan Strategy for Sydney divides Greater Western Sydney into three sub-regions:{{cite book|url=http://strategies.planning.nsw.gov.au/Portals/0/Documents/8_Draft_Metro_Subregions_Intro.pdf|title= PLAN FOR GROWING SYDNEY|work=Metropolitan Strategy for Sydney|date=March 2014|access-date=9 February 2018|publisher=Department of Planning and Infrastructure (New South Wales)|isbn=978-0-7313-3570-1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150301055638/http://www.strategy.planning.nsw.gov.au/sydney/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/02/A-Plan-For-Growing-Sydney_2015_updated_20Feb_.pdf|archive-date=1 March 2015}}

Western Sydney as defined by the WSROC region covers {{convert|5800|km2}} and had an estimated resident population as at 30 June 2008 of 1,665,673.{{cite web |url=http://profile.id.com.au/Default.aspx?id=303 |title=Home – WSROC Region |publisher=Profile.id.com.au |access-date=23 November 2013 |archive-date=12 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912051823/http://profile.id.com.au/Default.aspx?id=303 |url-status=dead }} The region comprises the areas administered by the Blacktown City Council, Blue Mountains City Council, City of Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland Council, Fairfield City Council, Hawkesbury City Council, Hills Shire Council, Liverpool City Council, City of Parramatta Council, and the Penrith City Council.

Western Sydney is also sometimes used to refer to the whole Greater Western Sydney region, which is the combination of Western Sydney as defined above and the Macarthur Region (also referred to as South-western Sydney). As well as the ten councils listed above, the GWS region includes Camden Council, Campbelltown City Council and Wollondilly Shire Council.

With more than 240,000 local businesses which generated more than $95 billion gross regional product in 2009, Western Sydney is a diverse area when it comes to socio-economics, with the two largest industries in the region being manufacturing and construction. Of the 544,000 jobs situated in the GWS, 75% of those who live in the region also work there. The Smithfield–Wetherill Park Industrial Estate is the largest industrial estate in the southern hemisphere and is the centre of manufacturing and distribution in GWS. Lying strategically between the major population growth zones in the north-west and south-west of Sydney, it contains more than 1,000 manufacturing, wholesale, transport and service firms which employ more than 20,000 persons.[http://www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/info/20038/snapshot_of_fairfield_city/261/smithfield-wetherill_park Smithfield-Wetherill Park][https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/south-west/dont-forget-the-southern-hemispheres-largest-industrial-zone/news-story/479f600dcc096d0325ad60fab0372f99 Don't forget the Southern Hemisphere's Largest Industrial Zone] by Marie Hogg and Simon Benson, Fairfield Advance, 13 November 2015

File:Yennora from the air.jpg industrial zone, showing Pine Road and the Hume Building Products warehouses]]

While overall a lower income area for Sydney, with families who are dependent on childcare as both parents work, and higher than average unemployment and lower than average salary levels, Western Sydney has some exceedingly high income suburbs nonetheless. Namely, the suburb of The Ponds, in the City of Blacktown, which is the most highly advantaged suburb in NSW on the SEIFA index of advantage-disadvantage, ahead of suburbs on the North Shore, such as St Ives and Avalon.

Other affluent suburbs in western Sydney, ranging from upper middle class to upper class neighbourhoods, include, Acacia Gardens, Bella Vista, Castle Hill, Cherrybrook, Pemulwuy, Rouse Hill, Schofields, Edmondson Park, Beaumont Hills, Glenmore Park, Cecil Hills, Elizabeth Hills, Middleton Grange, Carnes Hill, Oran Park, Leppington and Spring Farm, among others.

Lower middle class and working class neighbourhoods are mainly concentrated near the heart of the central business district areas of Fairfield, Mount Druitt, Guildford, Cabramatta, Merrylands, Rosehill, Granville, Canley Vale and Auburn.[https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sydneys-rich-and-poor-the-rising-crisis-in-our-suburbs-20150508-ggwvh1.html Sydney's rich and poor: the rising crisis in our suburbs] by The Daily Telegraph Yennora is known to be the most poorest suburb of western Sydney overall, where the median personal income is just $19,000, followed by Landsdowne, Blairmount, Wiley Park, Campsie, Roselands, Carramar, Villawood and Punchbowl.[https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/true-stories/the-stark-difference-between-sydneys-richest-and-poorest-suburbs/news-story/a16455b9912cf257100a9029303f208c The stark difference between Sydney's richest and poorest suburbs] by News.com.au Furthmore, Claymore in the southwest was listed as one of the most socially disadvantaged areas in New South Wales.{{cite news|last1=Taylor|first1=Josie|last2=Branley|first2=Alison|title=Dropping Off The Edge: Select suburbs stuck in cycle of disadvantage with little being done to help, report shows|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-20/dropping-off-the-edge-disadvantage-entrenched-in-certain-suburbs/6631580|access-date=25 July 2015|agency=ABC News}} Nonetheless, the rest of the GWS region is generally made up of a middle class population, with such even found in both affluent and low income suburbs.

Due to Parramatta's emergence as "Sydney's second CBD", livability in the surrounding western suburbs has been advancing, with Harris Park being 63rd most liveable area by Domain Group, followed by Parramatta at 110 and Rosehill at 187. Further to the west, Penrith warranted a spot in the top 200 suburbs of the 555 on the list. Seven of the top ten suburbs for home purchasers were more than {{convert|20|km|mi}} west of the Sydney CBD, which included areas with high construction activity such as Baulkham Hills, Castle Hill, Liverpool and Blacktown, which has become Sydney's most popular area for home buyers, with more sales than any other suburb.[https://www.domain.com.au/news/the-most-liveable-suburbs-in-sydneys-west-20160721-gqasqr-282142/ The most liveable suburbs in Sydney's west] by Jennifer Duke, 2 August 2016

This is mainly due to the immense cultural activities and high affordability in the region, and also the development of new restaurants, high-rise apartments, telecommunications, local employment, retail and education. Regarding this, Allworth Homes director Stephen Thompson states, "While the outskirts of Sydney were once considered undesirable, improved infrastructure coupled with soaring house prices has meant many property seekers are looking further afield for their homes, including high-income earners".[https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/sydney-nsw/blacktown-and-other-western-suburbs-top-sydneys-most-popular-areas-to-buy-property/news-story/833b4d055906f7c3991482d42a2a0f71 Blacktown and other western suburbs top Sydney's most popular areas to buy property] by News.com.au, 21 February 2018 With Western Sydney Airport opening in the mid 2020s, Penrith is slated to become another CBD, with the airport creating 35,000 jobs by 2035.{{cite press release|author1=Truss, Warren|author-link1=Warren Truss|title=Western Sydney Airport to Deliver Jobs and Infrastructure|url=http://www.minister.infrastructure.gov.au/wt/releases/2014/April/wt056_2014.aspx|work=Ministry for Inreastructure and Regional Development|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia|access-date=15 April 2014|author2=Abbott, Tony|author-link2=Tony Abbott|archive-date=16 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416210638/http://www.minister.infrastructure.gov.au/wt/releases/2014/April/wt056_2014.aspx|url-status=dead}}

File:Luddenham (New South Wales) - Adams Road.JPG]]

Agriculture is mainly concentrated in the outskirts of the Greater Western Sydney area, such as in suburbs of Kemps Creek, Mount Vernon, Mulgoa, Bringelly, Silverdale, Orchard Hills, Luddenham and Horsley Park, among others, which lie in a countryside adjacent to the footsteps of the Blue Mountains westwards of these country plains.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16639398 |title=NEWINGTON FARM. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=5 April 1930 |access-date=30 April 2012 |page=9 |via=National Library of Australia}} Abbotsbury, Cecil Hills and Glenmore Park were farms through until the 1980s when it was decided to redevelop them for housing. The area around the site of Regentville has remained largely rural, if hemmed in somewhat by the modern residential suburbs of Jamisontown and Glenmore Park.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15485524 |title=An old family |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=21 March 1914 |access-date=16 September 2011 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}

In the 1800s, John Blaxland built an original wooden weir at "Grove Farm" (now known as Wallacia) for a sandstone flour mill and additional brewery. The land was also used for wheat farming until 1861 when wheat rust infected the entire crop. The rural regions were chiefly one of dairying and grazing during the 19th century, but in the early 20th century – because of its rural atmosphere and proximity to Sydney – tourism developed as people opened their homes as guest houses. Today, the rural areas include a number of orchards and vineyards in the meadows. Vegetable farming and fruit picking are common activities.{{cite web|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|date=2003|url= http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/735A104E4E83C6E2CA256CF40001D92A/$File/20160_2001.pdf|title=Census of population and housing: selected characteristics for urban centres, Australia|access-date=5 October 2014}}

File:Light Horse Interchange (aerial view).jpg is the largest in the southern hemisphere.{{cite web|url=http://www.westlinkm7.com.au/cmsAdmin/uploads/Fact_Sheet_Light_Horse_Interchange.pdf|title=Fact Sheet – Light Horse Interchange|publisher=Westlink Motorway Limited|date=May 2006|access-date=20 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233919/http://www.westlinkm7.com.au/cmsAdmin/uploads/Fact_Sheet_Light_Horse_Interchange.pdf|archive-date=3 March 2016|url-status=dead}}]] Railway lines in Greater Western Sydney include the Main Western railway line, Main Southern railway line, Bankstown railway line, Richmond railway line, Main Suburban railway line, East Hills railway line and Old Main South railway line, connecting the region to central Sydney. The region is also served by several bus operators. Sydney Metro's Sydney Metro West and Western Sydney Airport Metro projects are currently under construction in the region.

The M4 Western Motorway[http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadprojects/projects/alpha_numeric/documents/factsheets/implementation_factsheet.pdf Alpha Numeric Implementation Factsheet], Roads and Maritime Services. Retrieved 28 May 2013[http://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/Freeways/M4/m4.htm Western Motorway (M4)] Ozroads: the Australian Roads Website. Retrieved on 29 August 2008.{{Self-published source|date=December 2013}} is a prominent dual carriageway motorway in western Sydney, that stretches from {{NSWcity|North Strathfield}} in the east, where it connects with the Great Western Highway/Parramatta Road as the A4 to {{NSWcity|Glenbrook}} in west. It continues as the Great Western Highway as the A32, passing the southern fringe of the Parramatta central business district, moving due west across western metropolitan Sydney to Penrith, north of the central business district, crossing the Nepean River via the 1867 Victoria Bridge.{{cite web |url=http://www.m4motorway.com.au |publisher=Statewide Roads |title=M4 Motorway Website |access-date=29 August 2008 }}

Cumberland Highway links the Pacific Highway (A1/B83) and Pacific Motorway (M1) at Pearces Corner, Wahroonga in the northeast with the Hume Highway (A22/A28) at Liverpool in the southwest.{{cite web |url=http://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/Highways/Cumberland/cumberland.htm |title=Cumberland Highway |work=Ozroads |access-date=23 October 2016 }}{{Self-published source|date=October 2016}}

The M5 Motorway is the primary route from {{NSWcity|Liverpool}} to the Sydney CBD, with its terminus being in the south of an interchange near Prestons where the M5 meets the Westlink M7 and the M31 Hume Motorway.{{cite web |url=http://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/RouteNumbering/Metroads/5/metroad5.htm |title=Metroad 5 |work=Ozroads |access-date=10 June 2013 }}

The A6 is a major arterial road that provides a link from the northern and western suburbs to the centre western suburbs – Bankstown and the Princes Highway at {{NSWcity|Heathcote}}, via Lidcombe and Bankstown.{{cite web|title=A GUIDE TO SYDNEY'S TOLL ROADS|url=http://www.mynrma.com.au/images/Motoring-PDF/SydneysTollRoads.pdf|publisher=NRMA Motoring and Services|access-date=14 March 2012}}

Henry Lawson Drive was conceived of as a scenic drive to follow the north bank of the Georges River in Sydney's southwest.{{cite web |url=http://www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au/Calls-for-improvements-to-Henry-Lawson-Drive/default.aspx |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110320144109/http://www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au/Calls-for-improvements-to-Henry-Lawson-Drive/default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 March 2011 |title=Calls to improve Henry Lawson Drive |publisher=Bankstown City Council }}

The Light Horse Interchange is a motorway interchange located in Eastern Creek at the junction of the M4 Western Motorway and the Westlink M7 that was opened to traffic in December 2005 due to the population boom in Sydney's western suburbs.{{cite web|url=http://www.abigroup.com.au/ProjectDetail.aspx?PageID=79&ProjectID=70|title=Westlink M7 Motorway|publisher=Abigroup|access-date=24 April 2013}}

Greater Western Sydney local government authorities agree on the broad definition of greater western Sydney, but divide the region based on the regional organisations of councils. The Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) includes the local government areas of Blacktown, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Cumberland, Liverpool, Parramatta and Penrith.{{cite web|url=https://www.wsroc.com.au/about-wsroc/wsroc-member-councils|title=WSROC member councils|publisher=Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils|year=2016|access-date=9 February 2018}} The Macarthur Regional Organisation of Councils (MACROC) includes the local government areas of Camden, Campbelltown and Wollondilly. In government administration, the region has a Minister for Western Sydney, currently held by the Hon. David Elliott, MP.{{cite web|url=http://www.macroc.nsw.gov.au/|title=Macarthur Region|publisher=MACROC|year=2008|access-date=13 June 2013}}

Western Sydney is home to a large number of marginal electorates at both a state and federal level. Western Sydney includes, or partially includes, the NSW Electoral Districts of Penrith, Londonderry, Badgerys Creek, Camden, Macquarie Fields, Leppington, Campbelltown, Liverpool, Cabramatta, Fairfield, Prospect, Bankstown, Granville, Parramatta, Winston Hills, Kellyville, Castle Hill, Riverstone, Mount Druitt, Blacktown, Holsworthy, Auburn, Hawkesbury.

Western Sydney is considered a particularly crucial region in federal politics,{{cite news |url=http://australianconservative.com/2013/03/labor-redefines-meaning-of-regional-spending-to-suit-western-sydney-campaign/ |title=Labor redefines meaning of "regional" spending to suit Western Sydney campaign |work=Australian Conservative |date=8 March 2013 |access-date=20 May 2016 |author=Joyce, Barnaby |author-link=Barnaby Joyce }} and the region's social conservativism from its Christian and Muslim communities has been credited with forming policy on migration and the treatment of asylum seekers by both major political parties.{{cite news |url=http://newmatilda.com/2013/03/05/theres-something-about-western-sydney |title=There's Something About Western Sydney |work=New Matilda |date=5 March 2013 |access-date=21 May 2016 |author=Eltham, Ben }} Western Sydney voted 'no' in high margins in the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey held in 2017. 12 of the 17 divisions that voted 'no' nationally were from Western Sydney. Despite this, Western Sydney is largely dominated by Labor, while the conservative Christian Democrats draw much of their support from the large and devout Arab Christian and Assyrian populations. Western Sydney can therefore be described as an economically left-wing but very socially conservative region, at least compared to the other regions of Sydney.

The city is also served by several local radio stations, including those from Sydney.

FM stations, Community:

• SWR Triple 9 (Blacktown) – 99.9 kHz
• Vintage FM (Penrith) – 87.6 kHz
• 2GLF (Liverpool, Fairfield) – 89.3 kHz
• 2BACR (Bankstown) – 100.9 MHz
• Alive 90.5 (Parramatta, Hills, Holroyd) – 90.5 MHz
• 2MCR (Macarthur)

FM stations, Commercial:

• WSFM 101.7 – 101.7 MHz
• Edge 96.1 – 96.1 MHz
• C91.3 (Campbelltown) – 91.3 MHz

Television:

Greater Western Sydney is also served by five Sydney television networks, three commercial and two national services:

• Nine Network
• Network 10
• Seven Network
• ABC TV
• SBS

The region hosts many professional sporting teams in a wide range of codes. The National Rugby League has four teams based in the region; the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Parramatta Eels, Penrith Panthers and Wests Tigers. The region acts as the namesake of the Australian Football League's Greater Western Sydney Giants Australian rules football club. The A-League's Western Sydney Wanderers association football club is also based in this region of Sydney. The region also hosts Macarthur FC of the A-League. Greater Sydney Rams now represent the region in the National Rugby Championship. The Sydney Thunder play at the Big Bash League (cricket). Other sporting teams include:

• Baseball: Sydney Blue Sox
• Ice hockey: Western Sydney Ice Dogs
• Netball: Greater Western Sydney Giants

The Sydney Olympic Park was built for the 2000 Olympic Games, and has hosted the NRL Grand Final, the Sydney 500 auto race and the Sydney International tennis tournament.

Previously the region was represented in Australia's professional Basketball league the NBL, by the West Sydney Razorbacks. While the Razorbacks folded, the Sydney Kings who typically played at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, an eastern Sydney venue, have since moved to the Sydney Superdome at Sydney Olympic Park and market towards the whole metropolitan area of Sydney.

Major education facilities include:

• Western Sydney University, a multi-campus university that is ranked in the top 300 in the world in the 2021 THE World University Rankings and 18th in Australia in 2021.{{cite web|date=26 September 2020|title=THE World University Rankings 2021|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2021/world-ranking#!/page/0/length/-1/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats|publisher=Times Higher Education}}
• TAFE NSW campuses across Western Sydney (including OTEN) and South Western Sydney
• University of Sydney – Camden and Westmead Campus
• Australian College of Physical Education

It contains many primary and secondary schools.

;West

File:Sydney Motorsport Park Pitlane and Race Control.JPG]]

• Raging Waters Sydney in Prospect, in the City of Blacktown, a water park operated by Palace Entertainment.{{cite web|title=Water theme park planned for Sydney|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/11/3009081.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100913172339/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/11/3009081.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 September 2010|publisher=ABC News|access-date=11 September 2010|date=11 September 2010}}
• Auburn Botanic Gardens, a botanical garden situated in Auburn.{{cite web|url=http://www.chah.gov.au/chabg/bg-dir/auburn-nsw.html|title=Auburn Botanical Gardens|work=chah.gov.au|access-date=4 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091006140058/http://www.chah.gov.au/chabg/bg-dir/auburn-nsw.html|archive-date=6 October 2009|url-status=dead}}
• Central Gardens Nature Reserve in Merrylands West.{{cite web|title=Nature reserves: Central Gardens|url=http://www.holroyd.nsw.gov.au/your-facilities/nature-reserves/|work=Your facilities|publisher=Holroyd City Council|access-date=19 September 2014}}
• Sydney Olympic Park, a suburb created to host the 2000 Summer Olympics
• Sydney Motorsport Park, a motorsport circuit located in Eastern Creek.{{cite web | url=http://www.sydneymotorsportpark.com.au/visitor-information#howToGetHere | title=Visitor Information – How to Get Here | publisher=Sydney Motorsport Park | access-date=21 February 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130410070447/http://www.sydneymotorsportpark.com.au/visitor-information#howToGetHere | archive-date=10 April 2013 }}
• Boothtown Aqueduct in Greystanes, a 19th-century water bridge that is listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register as a site of State significance{{cite NSW SHR|1770036|Boothtown Aqueduct Aqueduct Valve House No 1 & 2|access-date=27 March 2018}}
• The Blue Mountains, which is situated on the outskirts of greater western Sydney.
• Western Sydney Parklands, a major urban parkland which features many attractions such as picnic areas and lookouts, Calmsley Hill Farm, Blacktown Olympic Park, Eastern Creek Raceway, the more recently opened zoo, Sydney Zoo, and most notably, the Nurragingy Reserve.
• Western Sydney Regional Park, a major precinct in the above parkland, located in Abbotsbury
• Fairfield Showground, a multi-purpose indoor-outdoor venue situated in Prairiewood.
• Bents Basin, a protected nature reserve, a state park and a swimming hole near Wallacia
• Prospect Nature Reserve, a large recreational area that features a potable water supply and storage reservoir.
• Lower Prospect Canal Reserve, a heritage-listed former farm and public water supply canal and now bushy corridor and nature reserve stretching 7.7 kilometres (4.8 mi).
• Linnwood, Guildford, a heritage-listed former residence, school, local history museum and children's home and now historical society located in Guildford.
• Auburn Gallipoli Mosque, an Ottoman-style mosque in Auburn.

;Northwest

File:(1)Old Government House 010.jpg in Parramatta is a World Heritage Site.{{cite news|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1306|publisher=UNESCO's World Heritage|title=Australian Convict Sites}}>]]

• Featherdale Wildlife Park, an Australian zoo in Doonside, near Blacktown.{{cite web|url=http://blacktown-advocate.whereilive.com.au/lifestyle/story/featherdale-beats-opera-house-to-claim-major-tourism-award/ | title=Featherdale beats Opera House to claim major tourism award |date= 23 November 2009 | author=O'Maley, Christine |work=Blacktown Advocate|access-date=18 March 2012}}
• Westfield Parramatta, Parramatta.[http://westfield.com/corporate/property-portfolio/australia/ Westfield Group – Westfield Property Portfolio] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912095506/http://westfield.com/corporate//property-portfolio/australia/ |date=12 September 2009 }}
• Old Government House, a historic house museum and tourist spot in Parramatta, was included in the Australian National Heritage List.{{cite news |url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/world-heritage-committee-approves-australian-convict-sites-as-places-of-importance/story-e6freon6-1225899640286 |author1=Chalmers, Emma |author2=Martin, Saray |date=1 August 2010 |title=World Heritage Committee approves Australian Convict Sites as places of importance |work=The Courier–Mail |location=Australia |access-date=17 April 2018}} Moreover, the house is Australia's oldest surviving public building.{{cite web|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/national/old-government-house/index.html|title=National Heritage Places – Old Government House and Government Domain, Parramatta|first=Department of the Environment and|last=Energy|date=17 April 2018|website=www.environment.gov.au}}
• Prospect Hill, a historically significant ridge in the west, listed on the NSW State Heritage Register.[http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=5051526 Prospect Hill | NSW Environment & Heritage]
• Lake Parramatta, a man-made reservoir, a swimming spot and a recreational area located in North Parramatta.
• Balaka Falls, a natural waterfall in Carlingford
• Neoblie, a heritage-listed former residence at Great Western Highway in Mount Druitt.{{cite NSW SHR|5045552|Neoblie|hr=00245|fn=S90/05369, HC 32868|access-date=18 May 2018}}
• The Manse, a heritage-listed former residence and now community museum also in Mount Druitt.{{cite NSW SHR|5045548|The Manse|hr=00206|fn=S90/06151 & HC 32130|access-date=18 May 2018}}
• Hunting Lodge, Rouse Hill, a heritage-listed colonial era hunting lodge located at The Water Lane.{{cite NSW SHR|5045575|Hunting Lodge (former)|hr=00632|fn=S90/03128, HC 33384|access-date=18 May 2018}}
• Royal Oak Inn, Rouse Hill, a heritage-listed hotel located on Windsor Road.{{cite NSW SHR|5045488|Royal Oak Inn (former)|hr=00698|fn=S90/03075|access-date=18 May 2018}}
• Elizabeth Farm, an historic estate located in Rosehill.
• Comfort Lodge, heritage-listed former residence and boarding house in Rosehill.{{cite NSW SHR|5051410|Comfort Lodge|hr=00283|fn=S90/04884 & HC 33024|access-date=18 May 2018}}
• Elizabeth Farm Reserve, a heritage-listed public reserve on former farmland also in Rosehill.{{cite NSW SHR|5045136|Public Reserve associated with Elizabeth Farm|hr=00285|fn=HC 32163|access-date=18 May 2018}}
• Rosehill Gardens Racecourse
• Granville Town Hall{{cite NSW SHR|5054689|Granville Town Hall|hr=01679|fn=S91/02127|access-date=18 May 2018}}
• Crest Theatre{{cite NSW SHR|5053520|Crest Theatre|hr=01664|fn=H03/00113|access-date=18 May 2018}}
• Camden{{cite NSW SHR|5051408|Camden|hr=00250|fn=S90/05436 & HC 32804|access-date=18 May 2018}}
• Goldfinders Inn, a heritage-listed former inn, guesthouse, general store and post office and now residence at Kurrajong.{{cite NSW SHR|5055947|Goldfinders Inn Group|hr=01978|fn=13/12348, EF14/21318|access-date=18 May 2018}}

;Southwest

File:Macarthur square kellicar precinct.jpg, one of the largest shopping complexes in Sydney]]

• Cecil Hills Farm, a heritage-listed residence in Cecil Hills.
• Chipping Norton Lake, an important recreational area for Liverpool City council and Fairfield City Council.
• Georges River National Park
• Macarthur Square, a shopping complex in Campbelltown.Herron Todd White Property Advisors: [http://www.htw.com.au/pages/info_centre/review/MR%20Feb%202004.pdf The Month in Review] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820135143/http://www.htw.com.au/pages/info_centre/review/MR%20Feb%202004.pdf |date=20 August 2006 }}, 1 February 2004.
• The Bland Oak in Carramar, one of the oldest and largest trees in Sydney.{{cite web |last=Boulous |first=Chris |title=Nothing Bland about our Oak tree |work=Fairfield City Champion |publisher=FAIRFAX REGIONAL MEDIA |date=20 April 2018 |url=https://www.fairfieldchampion.com.au/story/5354072/nothing-bland-about-our-oak-tree/#slide=2 |access-date=29 August 2018 |archive-date=29 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829105943/https://www.fairfieldchampion.com.au/story/5354072/nothing-bland-about-our-oak-tree/#slide=2 |url-status=dead }}
• Lansdowne Bridge, a heritage-listed road bridge that carries the Hume Highway across the Prospect Creek at Lansvale.
• Oran Park (homestead), a heritage-listed former golf course, private residence and golf clubhouse and now private residence in Oran Park.
• Raby, Catherine Field, a heritage-listed former sheep farm and cattle farm and now private residence located in Catherine Field.
• Horningsea Park, a heritage-listed homestead in Horningsea Park

Image:Wentworthville Presbyterian Church.JPG|Presbyterian Church Wentworthville

Image:ParramattaTownHallfixedperspective.jpg|Parramatta Town Hall

Image:Prospect Reservoir Sunset.jpg|Prospect Reservoir

Image:Bicentennial_Park_5.JPG|Bicentennial Park at Sydney Olympic Park

Image:Bankstownreservoir.jpg|Bankstown Reservoir

File:MerrylandsWestNSWgardens.jpg|Central Gardens Nature Reserve

File:Greystaneswaterbridge.jpg|Boothtown Aqueduct

File:ProspectPemulwuypine.jpg|Prospect Hill Laccolith (Monterey Pine forest)

File:Blandoaktree.jpg|The Bland Oak tree

File:WilliamLawsonDr.jpg|Entrance to Prospect Reservoir recreational area

File:Zengardengate.jpg|Auburn Botanic Gardens

File:Bentsbasin.jpg|Rocky rapids of Bents Basin

• Cumberland Plain
• Darug people
• Westie
• Regions of New South Wales
• Regions of Sydney
• Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils
• Local government areas of New South Wales
• Geography of Sydney

{{reflist}}

{{notelist}}

• [http://www.westernsydney.edu.au/cws Centre for Western Sydney]
• [http://profile.id.com.au/cws Centre for Western Sydney's statistical service]
• [http://profile.id.com.au/Default.aspx?id=303 Western Sydney demographic profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912051823/http://profile.id.com.au/Default.aspx?id=303 |date=12 September 2009 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090531160225/http://www.westernsydney.nsw.gov.au/ NSW Government's Office of Western Sydney]
• [http://www.wsroc.com.au Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC)]
• [http://profile.id.com.au/Default.aspx?id=303 WSROC Regional Profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912051823/http://profile.id.com.au/Default.aspx?id=303 |date=12 September 2009 }}
• [http://www.macroc.nsw.gov.au Macarthur Regional Organisation of Councils (MACROC)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190614204013/http://www.macroc.nsw.gov.au/ |date=14 June 2019 }}
• [http://www.sydney.com/destinations/sydney/sydney-west/ SYDNEY.com – Sydney-West]
• {{cite web | url = http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/western_sydney | title = Western Sydney | access-date = 29 September 2015 | author = Gabrielle Gwyther | date = 2008 | work=Dictionary of Sydney}} [CC-By-SA]
• [http://www.westernsydney.edu.au/cws Centre for Western Sydney at Western Sydney University]

{{Sydney regions}}

{{New South Wales}}

{{Local Government Areas of New South Wales}}

{{coord missing|New South Wales}}

Category:Regions of Sydney

Category:Regions of New South Wales