Parramatta, NSW 2150

Parramatta is Greater Western Sydney's primary commercial centre and is widely regarded as Sydney's second CBD, sitting about 24 km west of the Sydney CBD on the Parramatta River. Established by the British in 1788, it is Australia's second-oldest city and today pairs Georgian heritage such as World Heritage-listed Old Government House with a rapidly densifying high-rise core. It suits buyers who want an urban, high-density, public-transport-oriented lifestyle west of the harbour city, with Domain describing it as 'the beating heart of western Sydney' and a hub for education, entertainment, culture and art.

At a Glance

Transport

Parramatta railway station is a major interchange on the Main Western line, served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore & Western, T2 Leppington & Inner West and T5 Cumberland lines plus NSW TrainLink intercity and regional services. The Parramatta Light Rail L4 Westmead & Carlingford Line opened on 20 December 2024, running 12 km and 16 stops between Westmead and Carlingford via the Parramatta CBD, Camellia and CommBank Stadium, with Stage 2 planning towards Sydney Olympic Park under way. Sydney Metro West is under construction with an underground Parramatta metro station planned on the block bounded by George, Macquarie, Church and Smith streets, targeting an opening in 2032. A Sydney Ferries wharf is the western terminus of Parramatta River ferry services, and a large bus interchange sits beside the rail station.

Schools

Arthur Phillip High School is a large co-educational public high school on Macquarie Street, established 1960 (enrolment about 1,462 in 2023), redeveloped as a landmark vertical high-rise school. Parramatta High School is a co-educational public high school in the suburb (NSW Dept of Education official site, 2026). Our Lady of Mercy College is an independent Catholic girls' school on Victoria Road, founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1889. Parramatta Public School is a government K-6 primary school in the suburb.

Universities

Western Sydney University has a major presence in the Parramatta CBD: the Parramatta City campus precinct (Peter Shergold Building at 1 Parramatta Square, 169 Macquarie Street, plus the Engineering Innovation Hub at 6 Hassall Street), with its Parramatta South and North campuses nearby on Victoria Road.

Shopping & Amenities

Westfield Parramatta is the suburb's major shopping centre, connected to the station/bus interchange. Civic and cultural amenities cluster at Parramatta Square and PHIVE, including the new Powerhouse Parramatta museum opening 7 November 2026, described as the largest cultural development in Australia since the Sydney Opera House (Powerhouse, 2026; Ausleisure). Riverside Theatres, Western Sydney's premier performing arts centre on the riverbank, anchors the Church Street restaurant and alfresco dining precinct. Healthcare is centred on the adjacent Westmead Health Precinct, including Westmead Hospital, a 975-bed tertiary referral and level 1 trauma hospital about 10 minutes from Parramatta, plus the Parramatta Community Health Centre on the old Parramatta Hospital site.

Parks & Outdoors

Parramatta Park surrounds World Heritage-listed Old Government House and offers 55+ hectares of landscaped parkland, playing fields and riverside walks. Known as the 'River City', Parramatta's Parramatta River foreshore features playgrounds, picnic areas and increasingly popular pathways through the CBD. CommBank Stadium (about 30,000 capacity) hosts Parramatta Eels NRL and Western Sydney Wanderers A-League matches plus concerts.

Property Market

The median house price in Parramatta was around ~$1.1M (mid-2026). See our full Sydney property price map for how the suburb compares across the city. Parramatta's housing stock is dominated by high-rise apartments around the CBD and station: roughly 71% of households rent, with 3-bedroom houses around a $1.225m median and 2-bedroom units around $642.5k per Domain's last-12-months sales data. Demand is driven by the suburb's role as Sydney's second CBD, its transport connections and office/education jobs, with construction reshaping the skyline to add residential towers near transport.

New Developments

Powerhouse Parramatta museum opens 7 November 2026 on the Parramatta River as one of the world's most significant new museum projects (Powerhouse, 2026). Parramatta Square is a multi-billion-dollar civic precinct transformation centred on PHIVE, Western Sydney University's city campus and NSW Government workplace hubs. 8 Phillip Street, a 65-storey mixed-use tower by Coronation Property with QT Parramatta hotel, topped out in late 2025 (Woods Bagot, Oct 2025). Parramatta Light Rail Stage 1 (L4, opened 20 Dec 2024) is operating, with Stage 2 planning/bridge construction toward Sydney Olympic Park under way. Sydney Metro West is under construction, targeting 2032 opening, and will add an underground Parramatta metro station.

Jobs & Local Economy

Parramatta Square is the largest single government workplace in the southern hemisphere, bringing together around 10,000 public servants across multiple NSW Government departments and agencies. The adjacent Westmead Health Precinct - including Westmead Hospital, the Children's Hospital at Westmead and Western Sydney Local Health District - is one of the largest health, education and research campuses in Australia and a major employer. Western Sydney University's Parramatta campuses anchor the education sector (WSU), while the ABC opened a new broadcast facility in Parramatta in 2024. CommBank Stadium and the visitor economy add events, hospitality and entertainment jobs (Austadiums).

Nearby Suburbs

Westmead, Harris Park, Granville, Clyde, North Parramatta, Northmead, Rydalmere, Mays Hill, Constitution Hill, Oatlands

Sources & method

Researched 4 September 2026 from named public sources — census and government records, transport authorities, council and planning documents — plus published sales data. Where sources disagree on a figure, the guide says so rather than picking one.

Sources cited in this guide:

• Wikipedia — Parramatta
• Wikipedia — Parramatta Light Rail
• Wikipedia — Sydney Metro West
• Wikipedia — Arthur Phillip High School
• Wikipedia — Westfield Parramatta

Corrections are welcome — if something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will fix it.

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