Penrith

Highlights

Adrenaline & adventure

You’ll find adrenaline-pumping activities everywhere you look in Penrith. Go skydiving without having to get in a plane at iFLY Downunder, fly through the air with a water jet-powered backpack from Jetpack Adventures and hug the corners on a high-speed go-kart track at Luddenham Raceway, where you can also challenge your friends to a game of paintball.

iFLY Downunder, Penrith

For more fun on the water, tackle the whitewater rafting and kayaking course at Penrith Whitewater Stadium or learn how to wakeboard at Cables Wake Park. If you’re after a more relaxed pace, go kayaking, fishing and stand-up paddleboarding on the Nepean River, or follow the 8km Great River Walk for scenic views and wildlife sightings.

Kayaking down the Nepean River, Penrith - Sydney West

Kayaking, Nepean River

Arts & culture

Experience the rich history and thriving arts scene of this cultural hub, with its street art murals, galleries, museums and heritage walks. Art is all around you in Penrith, from oversize portraits of local heroes like Mick Fanning painted on walls to the 1,600-work collection of the Penrith Regional Gallery.

Visit the world-class Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre and be captivated by theatre, opera, comedy and music. As one of the oldest European settlements in the state, learn about Penrith’s colonial history on the 11km Penrith Heritage Walk or the 50km Penrith Heritage Drive. For something a little different, admire antique firefighting memorabilia at the Museum of Fire and letterpress printing machinery at the Museum of Printing.

Family enjoying a visit to the Museum of Fire in Penrith, Sydney West

Museum of Fire, Penrith

Eat & drink

You’ll find a smorgasbord of restaurants and cafes in Penrith. When it comes to brunch, you’re spoilt for choice with The Union, Henri Marc, High Street Depot and Café at Lewers, located in the garden of the regional gallery. For a side of history with your coffee, head to Percy Plunkett, a cafe set in a quaint house built in 1866 and surrounded by gardens.

For dinner, Naked Flame serves mouth-watering woodfired pizzas and Theo's Rooftop Bar offers open-air dining and views all the way to the Blue Mountains. Craving epic burgers? Drop into Burger Head or High Street Social.

Dessert dish served at Henri Marc cafe, Penrith

Henri Marc, Penrith

Enjoy a seafood feast at CJ’s Crab Shack at Penrith Panthers. Sample small-batch craft beers at Rusty Penny Brewing or a glass of red at the tucked-away laneway wine bar Allan Grammar, then settle in for cocktails at speakeasy-style small bar Mr Watkins, named after the colonial officer who discovered the Nepean River. Appreciate the beauty of the river on a paddlewheeler lunch or dinner cruise.