Greater Western Sydney
Region
From top, bottom to right:Parramatta skyline; Suburban neighbourhood inPrestons;Western Sydney Parklands;Stadium Australia;Boothtown Aqueduct;Liverpool at night
Country	Australia
State	New South Wales
Government
• State electorate	Several[a]
• Federal division	Blaxland,Chifley,Fowler,Greenway,Hughes,Lindsay,Macarthur,McMahon,Mitchell,Parramatta,Werriwa
Regions around Greater Western Sydney Greater Blue Mountains Area Hunter Region Northern Sydney Blue Mountains Greater Western Sydney Penrith, New South Wales Macarthur Southern Highlands Illawarra

Greater Western Sydney (GWS) is a largeregion of the metropolitan area ofGreater Sydney,New South Wales (NSW), Australia that generally embraces the north-west, south-west, central-west, far western and theBlue Mountains sub-regions within Sydney's metropolitan area and encompasses 11local government areas:Blacktown,Blue Mountains,Camden,Campbelltown,Cumberland,Fairfield,Hawkesbury,Liverpool,Parramatta,Penrith andWollondilly.^[1] It includesWestern Sydney, which has a number of different definitions, although the one consistently used is the region composed of tenlocal government authorities, most of which are members of theWestern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC). The NSW Government's Office of Western Sydney calls the region "Greater Western Sydney".

Radiocarbon dating suggests human activity occurred in the Sydney metropolitan areafrom around 30,000 years ago.^[2] TheDarug people lived in the area that was greater western Sydney before European settlement regarded the region as rich in food from the river and forests.^[3]Parramatta was founded in 1788, the same year as Sydney, making it the second oldest city in Australia. Opened in 1811,Parramatta Road, which navigates into the heart of greater western Sydney, is one of Sydney's oldest roads and Australia's first highway between two cities –Sydney central business district (CBD) and Parramatta, which is now the sixth largest business district in Australia.^[4] Rapid population increase after World War II saw the settlement of many ex-service men and migrants in the greater west, making it one of the most urbanised regions in the country and an area of growing national importance.^[5]

Being the third largesteconomy in Australia, behind Sydney CBD andMelbourne, the region covers 5,800 square kilometres (2,200 sq mi) and is one of the fastest growing populations in Australia, with an estimated resident population of 2,288,554 in 2017.^[1] Western Sydney has the mostmulticultural suburbs in the country with 38% of the population speaking a language other than English at home, and up to 90% in some suburbs.^[6] Containing about 9% of Australia's population and 44% of Sydney's population, the people of GWS are predominantly of a working class background, with major employment in the heavy industries and vocational trade.^[6]

Encompassing significant areas of national parks, waterways and parklands, agricultural lands, natural bushland and a range of recreational and sporting facilities, the region also largely contains remnants ofcritically endangered nativeCumberland Plain Bushland andWorld Heritage-listed areas of theBlue Mountains. TheHawkesbury andNepean River system is Sydney's firsthand water source and the mainstay of the region's agricultural and fishing industries, and is also major recreational area for the inhabitants of GWS.^[1] The heritage-listedWarragamba Dam, the primary reservoir for water supply for Sydney, is located in the greater west.^[7]

NearPenrith, numerous Aboriginal stone tools were found in Cranebrook Terraces gravel sediments dating to50,000–45,000 BP.^[8] For more than 30,000 years,Aboriginal people from theGandangara tribe have lived in theFairfield area. Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, the Penrith area was home to the Mulgoa tribe of theDharug people, who spoke theDharug language. They lived in makeshift huts calledgunyahs, hunted native animals such as kangaroos, and fished in the Nepean River. TheAuburn area was once used by Dharug people as a market place for the exchange of goods between them andDharawal people on the coast.^[9] The area that later became Campbelltown was inhabited prior toEuropean settlement by theTharawal people.^[10] The people of what is now known asCarlingford, a suburb on the eastern peripheries of the greater west, were theWallumedegal people, who practisedfire-stick farming along the northern banks of the Parramatta River, which encouraged animals tograze, thus enhancing the ease ofhunting and gathering.^[11] Most of the natives died due to introduced diseases, such assmallpox, following the arrival of theFirst Fleet, and the remainder were largely relocated to government farms and a series of settlements.

In 1788, GovernorArthur 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.^[12] TheSydney 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 relocatefood 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 theconvicts from late 1788 to establish a small township, which became the main centre of the colony's economic life. Nevertheless, poor equipment and unfamiliarsoils and climate continued to hamper the expansion of farming from Farm Cove to Parramatta andToongabbie.

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 decadeProspect,West Pennant Hills,Baulkham Hills andGreystanes were established.^[13][14] Eighteen months after the landing of the First Fleet, an exploring party led by CaptainWatkin Tench set out to further findings made by Governor Phillip where, in 1789, they discovered the broad expanse of theNepean River andPenrith.^[15]Windsor Road, one of the oldest roads in Sydney, was opened in 1794.^[16] In 1795,Matthew Flinders andGeorge Bass explored up theGeorges River for about 20 miles beyond what had been previously surveyed, and reported favourably to GovernorJohn Hunter of the land on its banks.^[17] The earliest recordedwhite settlement in the Fairfield district is described inWilliam Bradley's Journal where he noted an expedition fromRose Hill toProspect Creek to determine whether Prospect Creek led toBotany Bay.^[18]

TheBattle of Parramatta, a major battle of theHawkesbury and Nepean Wars, occurred in March 1797 whereresistance leaderPemulwuy led a group ofBidjigal warriors, estimated to be at least 100, in an attack on a government farm at Toongabbie, challenging theBritish Army to fight.^[19] On 4 March 1804 Irish convicts rose up inRouse Hill as one, in what was to become known as theCastle Hill convict rebellion.^[20]

GovernorLachlan Macquarie and Mrs Macquarie preferred the clean air of rural Parramatta to theunsanitary and crime-ridden streets of Sydney and transformedOld Government House, Parramatta, into an elegantPalladian-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 byUNESCO in 2010.^[21]

In 1803 a government stock farm was established in what was to become theRiverstone/Marsden Park area, on the basis of the abundant water supply and good grazing land there, and also inSmithfield, due to its good soil and dependablewater supply.Windsor is the fourth-oldest place ofBritish settlement on theAustralian continent, where European settlers utilised the fertile river flats for agriculture. GovernorPhillip Gidley King began granting land in the area to settlers in 1804 with CaptainDaniel Woodriff's 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) on the banks of the river the first land grant in the area.^[15]

Liverpool Hospital was founded on a portion of land beside theGeorges River, making it the second oldest hospital in Australia.^[22]Fairfield railway station was opened in 1856 and has the oldest surviving railway building in New South Wales.^[23]Quarrying in theProspect area began in the 1820s and naturalistCharles Darwin visitedProspect Hill in January 1836, to observe the geology.^[24] Designed and constructed by theNSW Public Works Department,Prospect Reservoir was built as Sydney's main water supply in the 1880s. TheUpper Nepean Scheme was commenced in 1880 after it was realised that theBotany Swamps scheme was insufficient to meet Sydney's water supply needs. By the latter part of the nineteenth century coarse-grainedpicrite, and otherdolorite rock types were being extracted fromWilliam 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 toUS Forces. Campbelltown was designated in the early 1960s as asatellite city by the New South Wales Planning Authority, and a regional capital for the south west of Sydney.^[25] Until the 1950s, Liverpool was still a satellite town with an agricultural economy based on poultry farming andmarket gardening. However theurban sprawl of Sydney across theCumberland Plain soon reached Liverpool, and it became an outer suburb of metropolitan Sydney with a strong working-class presence and manufacturing facilities.^[26] In the 1950s and 1960s, there was a large amount of suburban development both in the current suburb ofBlacktown and the new suburbs that sprung up around it, which led to civic development in the town centre with theBlacktown Hospital opening in 1965.^[27]

In the 1960s and 1970s, migration from south-east Asia as a result of theVietnam War transformedCabramatta into a thriving Asian community. Also in the 1970s, an influx of Middle Eastern immigrants, namelyLebanese people, settled inLidcombe,Bankstown and the surrounding suburbs.^[28][29] Opened in December 1985, inEastern Creek,Wonderland Sydney was the largestamusement park in the southern hemisphere until its closure in 2004.^[30] In 2015, theAbbott government granted 12,000 extra humanitarian visas topersecuted Christians, largely theAssyrians, 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.^[31]

The Greater Western Sydney region spans fromWindsor in the north to Campbelltown in the south,Lidcombe andRoselands in the east, with theA3 creating the boundary between the greater west andinner West, to Penrith andKatoomba in theBlue Mountains in the far west.^[1] The Greater Western Sydney region borders regions that is outside of the Greater Sydney area such as theCentral West to the west, theSouthern Highlands to the southwest, theHunter to the northwest, theCentral Coast to the northeast and theIllawarra to the southeast. The151st meridian east passes through the heart of western Sydney, namely in the suburbs ofCastle Hill,Parramatta,Granville, andRevesby, with the suburbs west of those being on the eastern end of the150th meridian, which is a line that passes through the Russian city ofMagadan in the northern hemisphere.^[1]

In 1820s, Peter Cunningham described the country west of Parramatta andLiverpool as "a fine timbered country, perfectly clear ofbush, 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 GovernorArthur 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..."^[32]

Greater western Sydney predominantly lies on theCumberland Plain and is relatively flat in contrast to the above regions. The region is situated on arain shadow, due to theHills District to the northeast, where it tends to be drier than the coast and less lush than the hilly Northern Suburbs.^[33] ThoughWetherill Park was listed byDomain 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.^[34]

Although the region is relatively flat, several elevated areas on the plain exist —Western Sydney Parklands, one of thelargest parklands in the world, and Prospect Hill, the only area in Sydney with ancientvolcanic activity, are between 120 and 140 metres (390 and 460 ft) high. Highly elevated suburbs, which typically range between 70 and 100 metres (230 and 330 ft) in height, includeLeppington andOran Park to the southwest,Pemulwuy,Cecil Hills andHorsley Park to the greater west, andGreystanes,Seven Hills andMount Druitt to the northwest.^[35]

The mainplant communities in the Greater Western Sydney region aresclerophyll grassy woodlands (i.e.savannas),^[36] dry sclerophyll forests and small pockets of wet sclerophyll forests to the northeast as one approaches theHornsby Plateau. The grassy woodlands contain eucalyptus trees which are usually in open woodlands that have sclerophyllous shrubs and sparse grass in theunderstory, reminiscent ofMediterranean forests.^[37] 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.^[38]

The endemic flora is home to a variety ofbird,insect,reptile andmammal species, which are conspicuous in urban areas.Introduced birds such as thehouse sparrow,common myna andferal pigeon are ubiquitous in the CBD areas of Sydney.^[39]Possums,bandicoots,rabbits,feral cats,lizards,snakes andfrogs may also be present in the urban environment, albeit seldom incity centres.^[40]

The Sydney area lies onTriassicshales andsandstones with low rolling hills and wide valleys in arain shadow area. Sydney sprawls over two major regions: theCumberland Plain, a relatively flat region lying to the west of Sydney Harbour, and theHornsby Plateau, a plateau north of the Harbour rising to 200 metres and dissected by steep valleys.^[41] Sydney's native plant species are predominantlyeucalyptus trees.^[42] The moderately-fertileSoils 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 lowerevaporation rate), despite the lower rainfall in that season.^[43]

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 Woronoraplateau.^[44][45] The centre of theSydney basin is located beneathFairfield.^[46][47]Bringelly Shale andMinchinbury Sandstone are often seen in the greater western parts of Sydney, which are part of theWianamatta Shale group.^[48][49][50] TheProspect dolerite intrusion inPemulwuy is the largest assemblage ofigneous rock in Sydney. The oval-shaped ridge was made many millions of years ago whenvolcanic material from the Earth'supper mantle moved upwards and then sideways.^[51][52]

Swamps andlagoons are existent on the floodplain of theNepean River, one beingBents Basin, which is also a recreational area.Parramatta River drains a large area of Sydney's western suburbs.^[53] With 5,005,400 inhabitants (as of 2016) and an urban population density of 2037 people per square kilometre, Sydney's urban area covers 1,788 square kilometres (690 sq mi),^[54] comprising 35% of Sydney and is constantly growing.^[55] The south and southwest of Sydney is drained by theGeorges River, flowing north from its source near Appin, towardsLiverpool and then turning east towardsBotany Bay. Minor waterways draining Sydney's western suburbs includeSouth Creek andEastern Creek, flowing into the Hawkesbury, andProspect Creek draining into the Georges River.Cowan Creek andBerowra Creek run north from theUpper North Shore to the Hawkesbury river.^[56]

Western Sydney experiences ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification:Cfa) with the annual temperatures having an average maximum of 23 °C (73 °F) and a minimum of 12 °C (54 °F), making the region a few degrees warmer than theSydney CBD. Maximum summer temperatures average at around 27 to 31 °C (81 to 88 °F) and winter temperatures are mild, averaging at around 16 to 20 °C (61 to 68 °F), 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.^[57] 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), althougheast coast lows can bring large amounts ofrainfall, especially in June.^[58] Most suburbs in the west have an annualprecipitation that averages at around 700 to 900 mm (28 to 35 in), in contrast to Sydney CBD's 1,217 mm (48 in).^[59]

Sydney usually experiences aföhn effect that originates from theGreat Dividing Range, where the lifting of winds on the windward side of theBlue Mountains forces the air to gradually warm up and lose moisture as the winds descend into the Sydney basin.^[60] They may exacerbate fire danger in the warm months, although they usually tend to occur between late winter and early spring whenwesterly cold fronts become more frequent and would therefore beblocked 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.^[61] It should be worth noting thatRichmond features the greatest temperature range ever recorded in Australia; −8.3 °C (17.1 °F) to 47.8 °C (118.0 °F).^[62]

Summer

Western Sydney is much warmer than Sydney city in summer. During this time, daytime temperatures can be 5 °C (9 °F) warmer than the city (in extreme cases the West can even be10 °C (18 °F) hotter). This is becausesea breezes in the City do not penetrate the inland areas. Northwesterlies occasionally bring hot winds from thedesert that raise temperatures as high as 40 °C (104 °F). Thoughsoutherly busters may still end the hot conditions. The humidity in the summer is usually in the comfortable range, though some days can be slightlyhumid (due to the ocean proximity) or verydry (due to the heat from thedesert).

Autumn

In early autumn, hot days are possible, with temperatures above 37 °C (99 °F) possible in March, but quite rare. April is cooler, with days above 30 °C (86 °F) happening on average only 1.1 times during the month. Days cooler than 20 °C (68 °F) occur more regularly leading into May. In May, days are usually mild, ranging from 17 to 24 °C (63 to 75 °F), but can get quite cold, with maximums of 17 °C (63 °F) or lower starting to occur. Average minimums fall throughout the season, with the first night below 10 °C (50 °F) 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 26 °C (79 °F), which is unknown in June and July. Winter daytime average around between 15 and 20 °C (59 and 68 °F) and sometimes below 15 °C (59 °F) during the daytime can occur. Winter nights average 6.9 °C (44.4 °F), although a few nights per year see temperatures fall below 2 °C (36 °F), mostly in July. Nights reaching below 0 °C (32 °F) more often occur in the far-western suburbs, such asCampbelltown,Camden, Penrith and Richmond.^[63] 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 andfrost is not uncommon in some areas, especially those in the far west such asPenrith andRichmond.

Spring

Spring temperatures are highly variable, with temperatures fluctuating quite often. September will normally see 1 day reaching above 30 °C (86 °F), and extremely rare, above 35 °C (95 °F). Cool days in September can occur, occasionally failing to reach 15 °C (59 °F). October and November show high variability, where hot north-westerlies can cause temperatures to rise above 35 °C (95 °F), and even above 40 °C (104 °F) in November, while cool days below 20 °C (68 °F) are also quite common. The average minimum temperature increases throughout the season, September can still have nights falling below 5 °C (41 °F). October and November occasionally have nights falling below 10 °C (50 °F).

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 asFairfield, Bankstown andCanley 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, thePhilippines andVietnam. Furthermore, GWS also has moreIndigenous Australian residents than either South Australia or Victoria, making it the largestindigenous community in Australia.^[1] These are some of the largest population groups of Australia's non-English speakers found in Western Sydney:^[71]

• 62% ofAssyrian Neo-Aramaic speakers
• 50% ofAkan speakers
• 48% ofLao speakers
• 45% ofArabic speakers
• 43% ofKurdish speakers
• 37% ofTongan speakers
• 34% ofSamoan speakers
• 33% ofHindi speakers
• 29% ofVietnamese
• 28% ofFilipino/Tagalog speakers
• 28% ofTamil speakers
• 27% ofMaltese speakers

Western Sydney is the most religious andsocially conservative region in Sydney. Previously, the districts ofKu-ring-gai Council,Hornsby Shire andThe 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.^[72]

According to the Bureau of Statistics, areas with the highest percentage of Christians were found in the western andsouth-western suburbs such as,Bossley Park (85%),Grasmere (82.3%),Theresa Park (81.1%),Abbotsbury (81%) andHorsley Park (79.6%), with the most popular denominations beingCatholic andAnglican, respectively. The suburbs east of those, in theCity of Canterbury-Bankstown andCamden Council, had a high amount of Islamic adherents, such asLakemba (59.2%),South Granville (49%) andOld Guildford (45.9%).^[73]

Buddhism was the common response in the suburbs ofCabramatta,Canley Vale andCanley Heights, with 43.0%, 37.1% and 38.4% adhering to it, respectively.^[74] InHarris Park, to the northwest, Hinduism was the common religion with 44.8% of its inhabitants practicing it.^[75]Westmead (40.8%),Parramatta (28.5%) andRosehill (24.0%) also had Hinduism as the most common faith.^[76]

• 
  Auburn Gallipoli Mosque
• 
  St Patrick's Cathedral
• 
  Assyrian Church of the East inGreenfield Park
• 
  Buddhist temple inBonnyrigg
• 
  Arabic Baptist Church inOld Guildford
• 
  St Mary's Anglican Church inGuildford

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.^[6] The region's population is projected to reach 3 million by 2036.^[1] The more recent suburban developments tend to be less leafy than more established Sydney neighbourhoods.^[77]

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. WhileSydney CBD and theInner West mostly consist offederation-era homes, the west usually features larger modern homes, which are predominantly found in the outer, newer suburbs, starting from theCity of Fairfield andBlacktown and includingStanhope Gardens,Kellyville Ridge, andBella Vista to the northwest,Bossley Park,Abbotsbury, andCecil Hills to the west, andHoxton Park,Harrington Park, andOran Park to the southwest.^[78]

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 strongautomobile dependency with consequent effects onair quality, health,quality of life and household budgets.^[1]

TheDepartment of Planning and Infrastructure Metropolitan Strategy for Sydney divides Greater Western Sydney into three sub-regions:^[79]

Western Sydney as defined by the WSROC region covers 5,800 square kilometres (2,200 sq mi) and had an estimated resident population as at 30 June 2008 of 1,665,673.^[83] The region comprises the areas administered by theBlacktown 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 thePenrith 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 theMacarthur Region (also referred to asSouth-western Sydney). As well as the ten councils listed above, the GWS region includesCamden Council,Campbelltown City Council andWollondilly Shire Council.

With more than 240,000 local businesses which generated more than $95 billiongross regional product in 2009, Western Sydney is a diverse area when it comes tosocio-economics, with the two largest industries in the region beingmanufacturing andconstruction.^[6] Of the 544,000 jobs situated in the GWS, 75% of those who live in the region also work there.^[1] TheSmithfield–Wetherill Park Industrial Estate is the largestindustrial 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.^[84][85]

While overall a lowerincome area for Sydney, with families who are dependent onchildcare as both parents work, and higher than averageunemployment and lower than averagesalary levels, Western Sydney has some exceedinglyhigh income suburbs nonetheless. Namely, the suburb ofThe Ponds, in the City of Blacktown, which is the most highly advantaged suburb in NSW on theSEIFA index of advantage-disadvantage, ahead of suburbs on theNorth Shore, such asSt Ives andAvalon.^[6]

Other affluent suburbs in western Sydney, ranging fromupper middle class toupper 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 andSpring Farm, among others.^[6]

Lower middle class andworking class neighbourhoods are mainly concentrated near the heart of the central business district areas ofFairfield,Mount Druitt,Guildford,Cabramatta,Merrylands,Rosehill,Granville,Canley Vale andAuburn.^[86]Yennora is known to be the most poorest suburb of western Sydney overall, where the median personal income is just $19,000, followed byLandsdowne,Blairmount,Wiley Park,Campsie,Roselands,Carramar,Villawood andPunchbowl.^[87] Furthmore,Claymore in the southwest was listed as one of the most socially disadvantaged areas in New South Wales.^[88] Nonetheless, the rest of the GWS region is generally made up of amiddle class population, with such even found in both affluent and low income suburbs.^[1]

Due to Parramatta's emergence as "Sydney's second CBD",livability in the surrounding western suburbs has been advancing, withHarris Park being 63rd most liveable area byDomain 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 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of the Sydney CBD, which included areas with high construction activity such asBaulkham Hills, Castle Hill, Liverpool and Blacktown, which has become Sydney's most popular area for home buyers, with more sales than any other suburb.^[89]

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".^[90] WithWestern Sydney Airport opening in the mid 2020s, Penrith is slated to become another CBD, with the airport creating 35,000 jobs by 2035.^[91]

Agriculture is mainly concentrated in the outskirts of the Greater Western Sydney area, such as in suburbs ofKemps Creek,Mount Vernon,Mulgoa,Bringelly,Silverdale,Orchard Hills,Luddenham andHorsley Park, among others, which lie in acountryside adjacent to the footsteps of the Blue Mountains westwards of these country plains.^[92]Abbotsbury,Cecil Hills andGlenmore Park were farms through until the 1980s when it was decided to redevelop them for housing. The area around the site ofRegentville has remained largely rural, if hemmed in somewhat by the modern residential suburbs ofJamisontown and Glenmore Park.^[93] In the 1870s, the areas that were to becomeVillawood,Yennora andCarramar became significant vineyard locations due to the relatively richalluvial soil from nearby creeks.^[94]

In the 1800s,John Blaxland built an original woodenweir at "Grove Farm" (now known asWallacia) for a sandstoneflour mill and additionalbrewery. The land was also used forwheat farming until 1861 when wheatrust infected the entire crop.^[92] The rural regions were chiefly one ofdairying andgrazing 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 asguest houses. Today, the rural areas include a number oforchards andvineyards in themeadows.Vegetable farming andfruit picking are common activities.^[95]

Railway lines in Greater Western Sydney include theMain Western railway line,Main Southern railway line,Bankstown railway line,Richmond railway line,Main Suburban railway line,East Hills railway line andOld Main South railway line, connecting the region to central Sydney. The region is also served by severalbus operators. Sydney Metro'sSydney Metro West andWestern Sydney Airport Metro projects are currently under construction in the region.

TheM4 Western Motorway^[97][98] is a prominentdual carriagewaymotorway in western Sydney, that stretches fromNorth Strathfield in the east, where it connects with theGreat Western Highway/Parramatta Road as theA4 toGlenbrook 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 1867Victoria Bridge.^[99]

Cumberland Highway links thePacific Highway (A1/B83) andPacific Motorway (M1) at Pearces Corner,Wahroonga in the northeast with theHume Highway (A22/A28) atLiverpool in the southwest.^[100]

TheM5 Motorway is the primary route fromLiverpool to theSydney CBD, with its terminus being in the south of an interchange nearPrestons where the M5 meets theWestlink M7 and the M31Hume Motorway.^[101]

TheA6 is a major arterial road that provides a link from the northern and western suburbs to the centre western suburbs –Bankstown and thePrinces Highway atHeathcote, viaLidcombe andBankstown.^[102]

Henry Lawson Drive was conceived of as a scenic drive to follow the north bank of theGeorges River in Sydney's southwest.^[103]

TheLight Horse Interchange is a motorwayinterchange 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.^[104]

Greater Western Sydney local government authorities agree on the broad definition of greater western Sydney, but divide the region based on theregional organisations of councils. TheWestern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) includes the local government areas ofBlacktown,Fairfield,Hawkesbury,Cumberland,Liverpool,Parramatta andPenrith.^[105] TheMacarthur Regional Organisation of Councils (MACROC) includes the local government areas of Camden, Campbelltown and Wollondilly.^[106]

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 ofPenrith,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,^[107] and the region'ssocial conservativism from its Christian and Muslim communities has been credited with forming policy on migration and the treatment ofasylum seekers by both major political parties.^[108] Western Sydney voted 'no' in high margins in theAustralian 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 byLabor, while the conservativeChristian Democrats draw much of their support from the large and devoutArab Christian and Assyrian populations. Western Sydney can therefore be described as an economicallyleft-wing but very sociallyconservative 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. TheNational Rugby League has four teams based in the region; theCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs,Parramatta Eels,Penrith Panthers andWests Tigers. TheSouth Sydney Rabbitohs also play their home games in the region. The region acts as the namesake of theAustralian Football League'sGreater Western Sydney Giants Australian rules football club. TheA-League'sWestern Sydney Wanderers association football club is also based in this region of Sydney. The region also hostsMacarthur FC of the A-League.Greater Sydney Rams now represent the region in theNational Rugby Championship. TheSydney Thunder play at theBig Bash League (cricket). Other sporting teams include:

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

TheSydney Olympic Park was built for the2000 Olympic Games, and has hosted theNRL Grand Final, theSydney 500 auto race and theSydney International tennis tournament.

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

Major education facilities include:

• Western Sydney University, a multi-campusuniversity that is ranked in the top 300 in the world in the 2021THE World University Rankings and 18th in Australia in 2021.^[109]
• TAFE NSW campuses across Western Sydney (includingOTEN) and South Western Sydney
• University of Sydney – Camden and Westmead Campus
• Australian College of Physical Education

It contains manyprimary and secondary schools.

West

• Raging Waters Sydney inProspect, in theCity of Blacktown, awater park operated byPalace Entertainment.^[110]
• Auburn Botanic Gardens, a botanical garden situated inAuburn.^[111]
• Central Gardens Nature Reserve inMerrylands West.^[112]
• Sydney Olympic Park, a suburb created to host the2000 Summer Olympics
• Sydney Motorsport Park, amotorsportcircuit located inEastern Creek.^[113]
• Boothtown Aqueduct inGreystanes, a 19th-century water bridge that is listed on theNew South Wales State Heritage Register as a site of State significance^[114]
• TheBlue Mountains, which is situated on the outskirts of greater western Sydney.
• Western Sydney Parklands, a major urbanparkland 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, theNurragingy Reserve.
• Western Sydney Regional Park, a major precinct in the above parkland, located in Abbotsbury
• Fairfield Showground, a multi-purpose indoor-outdoor venue situated inPrairiewood.
• Bents Basin, a protected nature reserve, a state park and aswimming hole nearWallacia
• Prospect Nature Reserve, a large recreational area that features a potablewater 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 inGuildford.
• Auburn Gallipoli Mosque, anOttoman-style mosque in Auburn.

Northwest

• Featherdale Wildlife Park, an Australian zoo inDoonside, nearBlacktown.^[116]
• Westfield Parramatta, Parramatta.^[117]
• Old Government House, ahistoric house museum andtourist spot in Parramatta, was included in theAustralian National Heritage List.^[118] Moreover, the house is Australia's oldest surviving public building.^[119]
• Prospect Hill, a historically significant ridge in the west, listed on theNSW State Heritage Register.^[120]
• Lake Parramatta, a man-made reservoir, a swimming spot and a recreational area located inNorth Parramatta.
• Balaka Falls, a naturalwaterfall inCarlingford
• Neoblie, a heritage-listed former residence atGreat Western Highway inMount Druitt.^[121]
• The Manse, a heritage-listed former residence and nowcommunity museum also in Mount Druitt.^[122]
• Hunting Lodge, Rouse Hill, a heritage-listedcolonial era hunting lodge located at The Water Lane.^[123]
• Royal Oak Inn, Rouse Hill, a heritage-listed hotel located onWindsor Road.^[124]
• Elizabeth Farm, an historicestate located inRosehill.
• Comfort Lodge, heritage-listed former residence and boarding house in Rosehill.^[125]
• Elizabeth Farm Reserve, a heritage-listed public reserve on former farmland also in Rosehill.^[126]
• Rosehill Gardens Racecourse
• Granville Town Hall^[127]
• Crest Theatre^[128]
• Camden^[129]
• Goldfinders Inn, a heritage-listed former inn, guesthouse, general store and post office and now residence atKurrajong.^[130]

Southwest

• Cecil Hills Farm, a heritage-listed residence inCecil 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.^[131]
• TheBland Oak inCarramar, one of the oldest and largest trees in Sydney.^[132]
• Lansdowne Bridge, a heritage-listed road bridge that carries theHume Highway across theProspect Creek atLansvale.
• Oran Park (homestead), a heritage-listed formergolf course, private residence and golf clubhouse and now private residence inOran Park.
• Raby, Catherine Field, a heritage-listed former sheep farm and cattle farm and now private residence located inCatherine Field.
• Horningsea Park, a heritage-listed homestead inHorningsea Park

• 
  Presbyterian ChurchWentworthville
• 
  Parramatta Town Hall
• 
  Prospect Reservoir
• 
  Bicentennial Park atSydney Olympic Park
• 
  Bankstown Reservoir
• 
  Central Gardens Nature Reserve
• 
  Boothtown Aqueduct
• 
  Prospect HillLaccolith (Monterey Pine forest)
• 
  TheBland Oak tree
• 
  Entrance to Prospect Reservoir recreational area
• 
  Auburn Botanic Gardens
• 
  Rocky rapids ofBents 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

• Centre for Western Sydney
• Centre for Western Sydney's statistical service
• Western Sydney demographic profileArchived 12 September 2009 at theWayback Machine
• NSW Government's Office of Western Sydney
• Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC)
  • WSROC Regional ProfileArchived 12 September 2009 at theWayback Machine
• Macarthur Regional Organisation of Councils (MACROC)Archived 14 June 2019 at theWayback Machine
• SYDNEY.com – Sydney-West
• Gabrielle Gwyther (2008)."Western Sydney".Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved29 September 2015. [CC-By-SA]
• Centre for Western Sydney at Western Sydney University

• Regions of Sydney
• Regions of New South Wales

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