Westmead is a suburb in Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Westmead is located 26 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government areas of City of Parramatta and Cumberland Council and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region.

Geography

thumb|Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children|left

Westmead is bounded by the Parramatta River, Toongabbie Creek and Finlayson Creek in the north. On the east it is bounded by Parramatta Park, the former location of the Parramatta Golf Club where now the Parramatta Aquatic Centre is located, Amos Street and Good Street. The southern boundary is the Great Western Highway. The western boundary is Bridge Road, the railway line and Finlayson Creek.

History

The Dharug people are the traditional custodians of the land in the area now known as Westmead.

Captain Cook claimed the east coast of Australia for Britain in 1770. The first fleet arrived at Sydney Harbour on 26 January 1788 and a colony was declared on 7 February 1788. An exploration party was led by Governor Arthur Phillip in April 1788 travelling along Parramatta River, deciding on Parramatta as the next town. An outpost was established by November 1788 in Parramatta, which later spread to the nearby area of what is known today as Westmead. This region includes parts of land in the District of Parramatta, Blacktown & Baulkham Hills Shires and forms the major part of the Cumberland LGA. The Wentworthville East and Darcyville estates are not included in this area, most of these estate parts belonging what is now Parramatta LGA. including:

  • 2, 4, 6, and 8 Bridge Road: Essington
  • 1 Amos Street: ‘Allengreen’ – Federation Residence
  • 15 Austral Avenue: ‘Ruberay’ – Inter-War Bungalow
  • 17 Austral Avenue: ‘Warungle’ – Inter-War Bungalow
  • 19 Austral Avenue: ‘Chalfont’ – Inter-War Bungalow
  • 2 Drew Street: Late Victorian Cottage
  • 24 Good Street: ‘The Firs’ – Victorian Gothic Residence
  • 43 Hassall Street: Westmead Progress Association Hall

Health

Health is the major employer in the area, with large public hospitals for both adults and children, a mental health hospital, a private hospital and three medical research facilities spanning basic, genetic and molecular science for both adults and children. A community foundation supports fundraising and awareness activities of Westmead.

  • CareFlight, an adult medical retrieval service
  • Children's Medical Research Institute
  • Cumberland Hospital, a psychiatric hospital
  • NETS, an intensive care service for neonates
  • The Children's Hospital at Westmead (also called the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children or Sydney Children's Hospital Network, Westmead)
  • Westmead Centre for Oral Health
  • Westmead Hospital, a major University of Sydney teaching hospital, which was opened in November 1978
  • Westmead Medical Research Foundation
  • Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research
  • A new Integrated Mental Health Complex is planned for 2026 opening which will be the largest in NSW. Patients from Cumberland Hospital will be relocated to here.

Education

  • The University of Sydney Westmead campus is home to around 2,000 students who are conducting study, research or clinical placements at Westmead, and close to 1,000 staff members and affiliates.
  • Western Sydney University (WSU).
  • WSU College, Westmead Campus.
  • Westmead Public School was established in 1917, when an Infants' School opened in a rented Church of England hall in April of that year. By 1919 the present site was acquired, and the first purpose-built school building was opened in May 1920. In 1923 the building was extended to provide accommodation for Primary students. Within two years the growing local population created demand for additional accommodation for Primary students. At the present day Westmead Public School is one of the best primary schools in NSW, with high academic, sporting and art achievements. It schools over 900 children and has many professional teachers and staff.
  • The Catherine McAuley Catholic High School is an all Girls school located on the same campus as Parramatta Marist High School
  • Parramatta Marist High School is the oldest Catholic school in Australia, established in 1820.
  • Sacred Heart Primary School
  • Westmead Christian Grammar School (formerly Essington Christian Academy) was established at the site of Essington House in 1983. It provides a Christian Education for students from Kindergarten through to Year 6.

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Image: Westmead Deskford House 1.JPG|Deskford House

Image: Westmead St Vincents 1.JPG|UWS College, Westmead Campus

Image: Westmead St Vincents 2.JPG|UWS College St Vincents Building

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Transport

Westmead railway station is on the T1 North Shore & Western Line, T5 Cumberland Line, and the Blue Mountains Line of the Sydney Trains network. The railway station also operates as the terminus station for the L4 Westmead & Carlingford line of the Sydney Light Rail network, which opened in 20 December 2024. Future Parramatta Light Rail services will operate to Sydney Olympic Park, and future Sydney Metro West services will serve Westmead as the terminus.

The Western railway line from Parramatta to Blacktown was built through the suburb in 1861. A railway station at Westmead was opened in April 1893 after a successful petition by local residents.

A bus transitway, the North-West T-way, services Westmead from both Parramatta and The Hills District.

On the day of the , 44.5% of employed people travelled to work on public transport and 40.2% by car (either as driver or as passenger). This is in comparison to the most recent statistics from the when New South Wales was under lockdown restrictions during a wave of the COVID-19 pandemic; these statistics are as follows, 11.1% travelled to work via public transport, 26.4% drove to work (either as a driver or passenger) and 45.8% of employed people worked at home.

Demographics

At the , the suburb of Westmead recorded a population of 16,555. Of these: