Penrith, New South Wales

Encyclopedia : P : PE : PEN : Penrith, New South Wales

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

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

Contents

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

Geography & climate

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

The climate is temperate, similar to Sydney although usually a few degrees warmer. Average Temperatures: Summer 16^°- 30^° / Winter 3^°- 17^° (Celsius). Median yearly rainfall is 821.6 millimetres.

Demographics

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

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

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

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

Sporting & Recreation

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

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

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

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

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

Sister cities

Fujieda, Shizuoka, Japan

Famous locations & tourist attractions

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

External links

[Penrith Local Suburb Profiles]

Suburbs of the City of Penrith | Western Sydney | Sydney

List of Sydney suburbs

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