City Attractors
Get to know the real Parramatta, a place to work and play.
Parramatta boasts quirky street-stalls, the convenience of Westfield, multicultural fine-dining, a vibrant night-life, year-round arts festivals, beautiful parks, sporting complexes and easy access.
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Shopping
browse specialty stores for unexpected bargains and Westfield shopping centre for variety and convenience |
Food & wine
fine dining cuisine from across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and North America |
Nightlife
traditional pubs, cocktail bars, nightclubs, theatres, live gigs and major sporting events |
Art & culture
artists, writers, actors, musicians, dancers and historians are supported and celebrated in Parramatta |
Outdoors, fitness & sports
caters for most sporting interests, including tennis, football, rugby, athletics, swimming and golf |
Transport
easily accessible by train, bus, ferry and cycling, as well as several important roads and motorways |
Sustainable Transport
Sustainability means meeting today’s needs without compromising the needs of future generations. Parramatta City is committed to sustainable transport today and in the future.
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ARTS & CULTURE
Artists, writers, actors, musicians, dancers and historians are supported and celebrated in Parramatta, and the river and city centre are home to cultural festivals throughout the year.
Theatre
A mix of contemporary theatre, classic performance, comedy, dance and opera is found at the Riverside Theatres on the banks of the Parramatta River. The Theatres are also home to the Big Laugh comedy festival and the Big Notes music program, as well as resident dance troupe Dance Action. During the Sydney Festival in January, many events are held at Riverside Theatres.
riversideparramatta.com.au
Festivals
Annual events include the Sydney Writers Festival and Home Word: Writing Western Sydney. Meanwhile, the Heritage Centre on Church Street offers a changing program of historic exhibitions focused on Parramatta and its people.
Creative Arts
The Parramatta Artist Studios provide a space for emerging artists to develop their talents and sell their wares.
Parramatta Artist Studios
Parramatta River is host to a number of creative festivals each year. The Riverbeats festival is held beside the river, as is the Loy Krathong festival, a creative celebration of the life-enhancing role of the river.
In October, Good Living hosts the Festival of the Olive, featuring cooking demonstrations, product tastings, music and dance.
Riverbeats
Loy Krathong
During the Chinese New Year in February, the streets come alive with street performers, stalls and displays, and on each Foundation Day, the landing of Arthur Phillip in 1788 is re-enacted. The city is also a focal point during national celebrations on Australia Day, New Years Eve and Christmas.
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NIGHT LIFE
Parramatta truly wakes up after dark. Head out on any given night to join the locals at the city’s many traditional pubs, cocktail bars, nightclubs, theatres, live gigs and major sporting events.
The latest additions to Parramatta’s night scene are The Corporate, The Bank and the Bavarian Beer Café, popular for mid-week after-work drinks, and the racing crowd when the horses are in.
At the river end of Church Street, stage and music-lovers head to the Riverside Theatres for a live performance or to one of the two comedy clubs in the city, while food lovers take their time at Eat Street.
At the other end of town, the Greater Union Cinema complex offers 11 screens, three Gold Class cinemas and a G-Max auditorium.
The Roxy Hotel was once described by the Sydney Morning Herald as the best-looking nightclub in Sydney, and brings the big names to Parramatta (on the night of the Herald review, Pete Murray was playing).
Meanwhile, major events, rock concerts and international sporting meets are a 10-minute taxi-ride away at ANZ Stadium, and for footy-lovers, the regular Parramatta Eels home game stadium is just five minutes’ walk from Church Street.
- The Corporate
- The Bank
- The Bavarian Beer Café bavarianbiercafe.com.au
- Greater Union Cinema Complex greaterunion.com.au
- Roxy theroxy.com.au
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FOOD & WINE
Parramatta is a multicultural city, and this is reflected in its exceptional food. The region boasts fine dining cuisine from across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and North America.
Eat Street
At the northern end of Church and Phillip Streets, ‘Eat Street’ offers high-end Italian, Greek, Cyprian, Japanese, Sri Lankan and modern Australian cuisine. The area is popular with both the business and social dining sets.
Asian Precinct
The so-called ‘Asian precinct’ is at the southern end of Church Street, and it has all the flavours and spices of the Orient: Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Thai and Japanese cuisine abound, and it’s the place to go for karaoke, yum cha and teppanyaki.
Inner City
Right at the city centre, you’ll find clusters of small eateries, cafes, noodle houses and salad bars that cater to the ever-expanding business lunch crowd.
The Suburbs
Parramatta’s outer suburbs of Granville, Guildford and Harris Park serve up Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine that is second to none, as well as a range of gourmet produce and delicatessens, including fabulous Lebanese pastries.
Dining Guide Link
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OUTDOOR,HEALTH & FITNESS
Parramatta’s open layout, river and 62-hectare park draw people outdoors most of the year. It also boasts state-of-art training facilities, sporting complexes and swimming pools.
Parramatta is a sports lover’s paradise. It caters for most sporting interests, including tennis, football, rugby, athletics, swimming and golf. The CBD supports a number of big gyms and training rooms, alongside yoga, pilates, tai chi and body-building facilities.
Spectator sports
If you’re more of a spectator, take in Parramatta Stadium to watch Eels home games (one of the oldest NRL teams in the competition), Rosehill Gardens for year-round thoroughbred racing and the glamorous Golden Slipper Carnival, and Granville Raceway for sprint-car and dirt-bike championships.
parramattastadium.com.au
http://www.parraleagues.com.au
theslipper.com.au
parramattacityraceway.com.au
The 62-hectare Parramatta Park is moments from the CBD, and offers city-based cyclists and joggers uninterrupted pathways through scenic parklands and river foreshore. The cycleway connects to Homebush, Ryde, Liverpool and Auburn.
Golf
Serious golf enthusiasts enjoy the 18-hole golf championship courses at Oatlands and Ryde-Parramatta, or public courses at Woodville and Muirfield. There’s even a Putt-Putt course at Ermington for the true beginners.
Golfing Link
Cycling and Jogging
Parramatta has a wide variety of walking trails, with a network of paths connecting the CBD to heritage sites, lakes and nature reserves, many with picnic areas, barbeque facilities and play equipment.
Cycling Link
Walking Link
Swimming Pools Link
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TRANSPORT
Parramatta is closer than you think. It is the geographic CBD of Sydney, and is easily accessible by train, bus, ferry and cycling, as well as several important roads and motorways.
Car Parking
Parking in Parramatta is generally easy to find, as most spaces are controlled by meters. In fact, Parramatta has more than 7000 metered parking spaces on and off the street. Tariffs and times vary depending on the location, but all street parking is free on Sundays. Find off-street parking in Parramatta
Cycles
Parramatta City Council encourages cycling as a healthy and environmentally-friendly way to get to work. The Council works beside the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) to build safe bicycle routes in and around the city. For example:
The Parramatta Valley Cycleway starts at Morrisan Bay Park in Ryde, via quiet streets and river foreshore, to the Parramatta CBD or Sydney Olympic Park via the Silverwater Bridge
The two Transit-ways to the north-west and Liverpool include shared pedestrian and cycle paths to Liverpool via Wetherall Park and to Rouse Hill adjacent Old Windsor Road
Link to Cycleways page
Road
The M4 Motorway Viaduct route links Auburn, Granville, Holroyd and the Parramatta CBD via Good Street or Mays Hill
The Parramatta-to-Liverpool Rail Trail runs parallel to the railway line through Merrylands, Yennora and Fairfield to Liverpool
Trains
Parramatta is a major stop on the CityRail North Shore, Western and Blue Mountains lines.
Buses
Sydney Buses and private companies operate an extensive network of services throughout Parramatta from the Parramatta Transport Interchange at the railway station on Argyle Street.
Ferries
Ferries run up the Parramatta River from Sydney Harbour, and are one of the most delightful ways to get to work.
Car Parking
Sustainable transport
The Go Get car-sharing scheme is available in Parramatta, and a free CBD shuttle-bus service will shortly be introduced.
Transport and Parking
Road RTA Travel time information
Trains services
Ferry services
Cycling to Parramatta!
Secure bike lockers are available for rental through Bicycle NSW (02) 9283 5200 and are located at the Charles Street RiverCat Wharf and at Parramatta Railway Station.
Alternative Transport Options
Go Get Car Scheme
Planned Shuttle Bus
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SHOPPING
Parramatta’s city streets are full of surprising specialty stores, quirky finds and unexpected bargains, while the Westfield shopping centre puts variety and convenience at your fingertips.
A stroll through Parramatta’s street-shopping precinct can reveal any number of discoveries. From hobby shops to music stores, boutique art supplies to scuba warehouses and audio equipment to bridal emporiums, the Parramatta CBD is a colourful, eclectic place to take in with good friends, comfortable shoes and a sense of adventure.
But if you know what you want and just need the easiest, most convenient way to get it, Westfield at the southern end of Church Street has everything you need.
The shopping centre boasts 500 retail stores set over six levels, stocking everything from leather goods to furniture, jewellery, eyewear, surf goods, sporting goods, electrical products, fashion and books.
Flagship stores in Westfield include David Jones, Myer, Target, K-Mart, Coles, Woolworths, Freedom, Toys R Us, Kookai, Oroton, Marcs, Country Road, Witchery, General Pants and Cue.
And of course, Parramatta is famous as the home of ‘Auto Alley’, the five kilometre strip of the Great Western Highway that is a Mecca for car-buyers. Dealerships along Auto Alley include Trivett’s, Saab, Volkswagen and Holden.
Westfield Parramatta, visit westfield.com/parramatta or phone 02 8892 5200
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SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT
Sustainability means meeting today’s needs without compromising the needs of future generations. Parramatta City is committed to sustainable transport today and in the future.
The Parramatta City Council has produced a Transport Access Guide (TAG), a concise presentation of how to reach a venue using low-energy forms of transport, available online. It shows walking and cycling routes, the ‘Loop’ shuttle bus and public transport.
Free city bus
A free city bus, called the ‘Loop’, runs every 10 minutes from the Transport Interchange at Darcy Street. It enables workers, visitors and residents to travel around the city easily by public transport.
Walking Parramatta
Much of Parramatta is within a five-minute walk of the Transport Interchange. The Rivercat Wharf, Justice Precinct, Riverside Theatres and restaurants are all within 10 minutes’ walk.
Ride to work
Parramatta City Council encourages cycling to work as a healthy and environmentally-friendly mode of transport. Cycle parking and secure bicycle lockers are available throughout the city.
Car share
The Parramatta city centre has two convenient car-share locations in the city centre. One pod is at Civic Place near the railway station, and the other is at the heart of the central business district at Lennox Bridge.
Bus, rail & ferry
Parramatta has an extensive network of Sydney Buses and private buses. CityRail offers a large range of leisure and tourist train tickets. Ferries operate between Parramatta and Circular Quay.
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