Blacktown

Outdoor adventure & animals

Visit Sydney Zoo, the state's newest zoo, to meet animals from all over the world, including lions, tigers, sharks and elephants. You can also cuddle a koala, meet little penguins and hand-feed kangaroos at Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park, home to native Australian animals. Although you might want to keep your distance from Ngukurr, a saltwater crocodile.

Lions, Sydney Zoo

For outdoor fun, explore cycling tracks in beautiful parklands such as the Chang Lai Yuan Chinese Gardens. Enjoy Aboriginal cultural experiences at Muru Mittigar Aboriginal Cultural and Education Centre, which includes bush tucker tours, and learning how to throw a boomerang and play the didgeridoo.

Chang Lai Yuan Chinese Gardens, Doonside

For thrills & fun

If you’re a thrill-seeker, head to Eastern Creek. The Sydney Motorsport Park is the place to test your driving skills on four different race circuits, while the Sydney Dragway showcases champion racers that can get up to 500km per hour. Enjoy a slower pace zooming around the Sydney Premier Karting Park in a hired go-kart.

Raging Waters Sydney, Prospect near Blacktown

For more sports action, the Blacktown International Sportspark, a former Olympic venue, is a mega-complex that offers football, softball, athletics, cricket and AFL fields. It's also the home ground for baseball team the Sydney Blue Sox and soccer team the Western Sydney Wanderers.

You can happily spend a fun-filled day in Blacktown exploring its many attractions, from seeing a movie at the Blacktown Skyline Drive In to discovering colonial heritage at Rouse Hill Estate. Exhaust the kids at the Blacktown Aquatic Centre or on some of the world's tallest water rides at Raging Waters Sydney. There’s also a fantastic arts scene and exciting events calendar.

Rouse Hill Estate, Rouse Hill

Eat & drink

Enjoy a melting pot of cuisines, including traditional Burmese food at Sun's Burmese Kitchen and African delights at Gursha Ethiopian Restaurant, where you can try injera bread, a sour pancake that your meal is served in. There’s also BT Korean barbecue, Radhe Chatpata House for vegetarian Indian and Blacktown Chopsticks for traditional Chinese food.

Skyline Drive-In, Blacktown

Getting there

It's easy to get to Blacktown from Sydney’s city centre. The drive is only 30min from the Sydney Harbour Bridge or 40min by train from Central Station.