Western Sydney Lakes
The lakes themselves are a series of 12 man-made quarries from which coarse sand and gravel has been mined since the 1880s, with large-scale mining operations occurring since the 1950s. Penrith Lakes was the largest sand and gravel quarry in Australia until the discontinuation of mining activities in 2015. Penrith Lakes is managed by the Penrith Lakes Development Corporation (PLDC) which was formed in 1980 by the three companies that operated quarries in the area that joined together and combined their land. They planned to rehabilitate the land that was quarried so it could be used for recreational purposes with the Penrith Lakes Scheme.
The area also contains the Sydney International Regatta Centre which was one of the first parts of the Penrith Lakes Scheme to be completed. The Regatta Centre was built for the Sydney Summer Olympic Games in 2000.
The lakes also contain the well-known Penrith Beach, nicknamed Pondi by the locals. It is an artificial inland beach and first opened to public in December 2023.
33°42′28″S 150°40′32″E / 33.707792°S 150.675453°E
References
- ^ "Western Sydney Lakes". Western Sydney Lakes. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ "A rich & diverse history". Western Sydney Lakes. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ "Western Sydney Lakes set for major transformation". 8 December 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ Paterson, Ian (21 September 2015). "Quarry closes as plans to build the Penrith Lakes scheme begin to take shape". Penrith Press. Retrieved 26 November 2023 – via The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Thomson, R. S.; Phillips, B. C.; Evans, L.; Golaszewski, R. (25–27 June 2014). The hydraulic challenges of turning the vision for Penrith Lakes into reality. 5th International Symposium on Hydraulic Structures. Brisbane: The University of Queensland. pp. 1–8. doi:10.14264/uql.2014.24. ISBN 978-1-74272-115-6.
- ^ "Penrith Lakes | EROS". United States Geological Survey. Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "About us". Penrith Lakes. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ^ "Regatta Centre". Penrith Lakes. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ^ "About the Sydney International Regatta Centre". Office of Sport. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ Chung, Frank (18 September 2023). "'Bondi of the west' remains off-limits to Sydney residents despite heatwave warning". news.com.au. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "Western Sydney locals flock to newly opened Penrith beach dubbed 'Pondi'". ABC News. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2025.