Parramatta: A City of Connections
Parramatta is connected to the rest of Australia via its excellent transport links but also its diverse community, and business networks. By locating in Parramatta, SBS would have easy access to move in and out of the area with ease, as well as close connections with residents, visitors and businesses.
Parramatta is connected to the rest of Australia via its excellent transport links but also its diverse community, and business networks. By locating in Parramatta, SBS would have easy access to move in and out of the area with ease, as well as close connections with residents, visitors and businesses.
Parramatta is considered by many to be the geographic centre of Sydney making it an ideal location for a multicultural broadcaster.
With its nationally significant heritage locations and the many stories that accompany those sites, Parramatta is unique. This highlights its connectedness to Australia as a whole.
At the business event to launch Parramatta’s advocacy campaign to attract SBS, former Director of News at the ABC, Gaven Morris (now with Bastion) said “if public institutions, cultural institutions, and media are to speak and connect with all Australians, they need to genuinely be part of all parts of Australia.”
Having headquarters in Parramatta will open the door to Greater Sydney's five million plus population, all of whom will be within 30 minutes travel time to the Parramatta CBD by 2030. Many roads and metro lines lead to Parramatta, making it a destination to live, work, study and visit.
Currently, over 2.3 million people are within a 45-minute trip via car or public transport to Parramatta. Within the next 40 years, almost half of the population of Greater Sydney will live west of Parramatta making it a true Sydney gateway.
Gaven Morris also pointed to the environmental benefits of locating SBS further west saying, “If we could stop all of those camera vehicles and helicopters travelling 40 kilometres every time they need to do a story, we could reduce carbon emissions.”
Transport connections
The area is well connected with a range of public transport options, active transport alternatives, and an extensive road network. As part of its growth as an accessible place to work, the new light rail will open in 2023, and the Metro West is also under construction.
Parramatta Station is the fourth busiest in Sydney and the busiest in Western Sydney. Parramatta Station connects to locations all around metro Sydney via three metropolitan lines, as well as the Blue Mountains and Central Coast/Newcastle lines. It’s a 30-minute ride from Sydney’s Town Hall to Parramatta. Plus, there are stations at nearby Harris Park and Westmead providing additional connections.
Due to open in 2023, the Parramatta Light Rail will transform the way workers, residents and visitors move around the Parramatta area. It’s estimated by 2026 around 28,000 people will use the Parramatta Light Rail every day.
The Metro West that is currently under construction will double Parramatta’s rail capacity and decrease travel times.
Parramatta will be a central interchange point to the new Western Sydney Airport opening in 2026, and a potential fast rail hub connecting Newcastle and Wollongong.
Parramatta is also well-serviced by major road connections.
Innovation and creativity
Former Director of News at the ABC, Gaven Morris also stressed the connections to innovation and creativity.
“You can't tell a story of what's going on in our education sector or our health sector or, the innovation sector or the creativity sector without taking it from a Western Sydney perspective.”
Late last year the Engineering Innovation Hub, a joint venture between Western Sydney University (WSU) and UNSW Sydney, the first of its kind in Australia opened in Parramatta. The Engineering Innovation Hub features education, commercial, retail and co-working facilities. The building has been specifically designed to promote knowledge sharing and to create connections between universities, industry and the community.
In the creativity space, Parramatta has the fifth largest creative industries workforce in NSW, growing by 34.1 per cent in the past five years.
Connect to the natural environment
Another key area of connection is the natural environment that SBS workers will be able to access to cover stories and to enjoy in their breaks. They can connect to the natural environment, as well as the built heritage of surrounding areas like Parramatta Park and Parramatta North and find stories about the area’s past.
There are over 350 parks and reserves in Parramatta.
Parramatta Park's 85 hectares of open space with grasslands, mature trees, gardens and river frontage, features popular cycleways, walking paths, and historic buildings. The Park provides the Parramatta community a chance to exercise or relax outdoors, free from crowds.
Another popular walk for CBD workers is the Parramatta River walk to reconnect with nature during a work break while learning about the area’s history.
At the geographic heart of Greater Sydney, Parramatta is a connected city with excellent transport links, connections to the environment, plus business, education and innovation networks.
