Sydney/South West

Southwestern Sydney is a large residential area to the south and west of Sydney, including the centres of Cabramatta and Liverpool. The district also covers the Canterbury-Bankstown area, but not the Macarthur suburbs.

Understand
The southwest of Sydney is mostly off the beaten tourist track. The area constitutes the main road into Sydney from Melbourne and Canberra, and cheap roadside accommodation with parking is available in motels where you can keep your car while in Sydney.

The suburbs around Cabramatta and Bankstown give some of Sydney's best access to the mix of cultures that comprise Sydney.


 * Cabramatta is a vibrant Vietnamese and Chinese community. In a suburb where Vietnamese-born residents outnumber those born in Australia, there are plenty of authentic Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese restaurants, Asian groceries and a great atmosphere with locals selling home produce on the footpaths along the shopping districts.
 * Bankstown is an interesting split of cultures, with Lebanese shops dominating the area. Try and figure out which side of the train tracks you're on. The suburb and its neighbours like Punchbowl and Lakemba are often in the news for shootings, although much of it is gang-related and don't involve passers-by.
 * Fairfield is an ethnic enclave of Assyrian Christians. Around the start of the 20th century the area had a population of 2,500 people and with fertile soils, which produced crops for distribution in Sydney. During the mid to late 1980s, an influx of Assyrians fled Iraq and settled in Fairfield, making it the most popular settlement for Assyrians, and this helped shaped the community and vibe of the commercial area.
 * Liverpool is an administrative centre of the southwest and growing business centre.

History
The traditional owners of most of the land in the area are the Cabrogal-Gandangara tribe.

Climate
The southwest of Sydney is warmer and drier than Sydney CBD in the summer because of its inland location, where temperatures may soar to 40 °C for a few days, but usually hover in the early 30s. Winter nights are particularly cooler.

Get in
The general rule of Sydney public transport applies - that the closer you remain to the city centre the greater the likelihood of public transport being an effective way of getting there. Buses and train lines thin out in both density and frequency the further out towards the southwest suburbs you head, however for the careful transport planner, you can manage to get to most destinations without a car.

By car
The M5 is the major Sydney freeway to the southwest. If you are travelling out from the city towards the southwest for a day trip you'll be moving against the peak, and can expect a quick run on the motorway. However, if you staying along the Hume Highway for some cheap accommodation to access Sydney, the M5 could be your nemesis. Travel times can easily triple during peak commute times.

If you are planning to arrive from Canberra or Melbourne and are flying out of Sydney early, and have the idea to save on accommodation by stopping overnight 20 minutes short of the airport, then take care. You may be bumper-to-bumper but it can be avoided if you're willing to pay $11 tolls.

By train
The line winds its way past Bankstown on to Cabramatta and Liverpool. It takes just under an hour to get to Liverpool from the city centre. The South Line also goes to some South West suburbs such as Padstow and Revesby.

The line goes from Schofields in North West Sydney to Cabramatta, Liverpool and Leppington.

By bus
The City Connect Bus Service is a free bus service that operates in a portion of Southwestern Sydney.


 * Brown Route: Operates on Mondays and runs between Cabramatta, Canley Vale and Canley Heights.
 * Pink Route: Operates on Wednesdays and runs between Fairfield, Fairfield West, Cabramatta West, Cabramatta and Canley Heights.
 * Orange Route: Operates on Thursdays-Fridays and runs between Fairfield, Fairfield Heights, Villawood and Carramar.
 * Blue Route: Operates on Saturdays and runs between Fairfield West, Prairiewood Leisure Centre, Fairfield Showground, Fairfield Hospital and Villawood.

See








Do

 * Campsie Food Festival
 * The Cabramatta Moon Festival is held every year on the weekend of the spring equinox (generally in September), during which the suburb welcomes over 90,000 visitors and celebrates with moon cakes, lion dances and fireworks.


 * Fairfield Showground – A multi-purpose venue popular for multicultural festivals, horse racing, carnivals, markets and club meets attracting as many as 20,000 people.
 * Fairfield Leisure Centre – The centre includes a gymnasium, aerobics studio, steam room, crèche, 25-m heated indoor swimming pool, 50-m outdoor swimming pool, baby pool, Aqua Play Water Park, and multi-purpose indoor sports court.
 * Aquatopia Water Park – features 10-m and 20-m high slides, the adventure aqua tower, a toddlers pool, Fishpipe and the Wave Rider.
 * Sydney International Equestrian Centre – Built for the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games, it is a world-class event venue set on 96 hectares of rural parkland.
 * Calmsley Hill City Farm – A farm based attraction where children and adults can enjoy a variety of exciting shows and exhibits.
 * Calmsley Hill City Farm – A farm based attraction where children and adults can enjoy a variety of exciting shows and exhibits.

Buy
The suburbs of Bankstown and Cabramatta have many Asian style shops opening onto the main streets running through the town. The centres around the station have a market feel are easily accessed from the respective stations.

Bankstown also has the large shopping mall experience, with Bankstown Central just a short distance away.

There are many stores in Cabramatta that import Vietnamese products.



Eat
The southwest of Sydney is home to a great many multicultural restaurants and while cheaper and generally better than those in the city, they can get equally busy during the weekends.

Fairfield
Top restaurants in the area include:
 * La Tratt (Italian)
 * Candelori's (Italian)
 * Montagne (French)
 * Matsuya (Japanese)

Iraqi, Assyrian, Vietnamese and Thai-based restaurants are found sporadically in the above, aforementioned streets. Assyrian and Iraqi based restaurants include foods such as kebab, pacha (boiled cow or sheep parts), bomya (okra stew) and shawarma.

Clubs
Nineveh Club and Assyrian Sports & Cultural Club are both popular ethnic clubs in Fairfield. Other clubs include:

Sleep
If you entering Sydney from the south-west (Hume Highway) you can exit from the freeway, and take the old Hume Highway for a choice of motel accommodation that should be available on standby outside of peak times. The above drinking areas are also hotels.

Go next

 * Inner West
 * Parramatta
 * Campbelltown