Silverwater

This article is about a suburb of Sydney. For suburb of the City of Lake Macquarie near Morisset, see Silverwater, New South Wales (Lake Macquarie). For the jazz/experimental album by The Necks, see Silverwater (album).

Silverwater Sydney, New South Wales
Silverwater Bridge
Population	3,162 (2011 census)
Postcode(s)	2128
Location	20 km (12 mi) west of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)	City of Parramatta
State electorate(s)	Auburn
Federal division(s)	Reid
Suburbs around Silverwater: Rydalmere Ermington Ermington Rosehill Silverwater Newington Granville Auburn Lidcombe

Silverwater is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Silverwater is located 20 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district on the southern bank of the Parramatta River within the local government area of City of Parramatta.

History

The origin of the suburb's name is unknown. It may have been a reference to the nearby Parramatta River which could have provided silver reflections of light off the water.

Commercial area

Silverwater is home to many small to medium enterprises seeking the expediency of having warehouse space and a sales area in the one industrial unit. It has companies which have successfully been operating in the area for over 50 years due to its central Sydney location. Large companies also have a presence in the area. Whilst the suburb was initially developed as a medium/heavy industrial area, it has been redeveloped into a premier light industrial/commercial district with some pockets of residential dwellings.

There are cafes and restaurants scattered throughout Silverwater, and these are generally small in size. Just south of Silverwater is Red Yard, which has numerous commercial and restaurant complexes.

Transport

The M4 Western Motorway runs along the southern border of Silverwater with entry and exit ramps to Silverwater Road. Silverwater Bridge crosses the Parramatta River north into Ermington and Rydalmere.

Silverwater is serviced by several bus services including routes to Parramatta, Strathfield, Auburn, Ryde and of course Sydney Olympic Park.

Trains do not run through Silverwater but are accessible by a short trip to Auburn.

The two-line Parramatta Light Rail project was announced in 2015. A line between Westmead and Strathfield will pass through Silverwater.

Landmarks

• Silverwater Correctional Centre sits on the Parramatta River. The complex contains Newington House and associated heritage-listed buildings. The Administrative Block, Newington Chapel and the former Superintendent's House are all listed on the Register of the National Estate.
• Silverwater is close to Olympic Park.
• Chanka memorial

Population

At the 2011 census, Silverwater recorded a population of 3,162. Of these:

• The age distribution was unusual, with a preponderance of young adults compared to the country in general, but similar to the neighbouring suburb of Rosehill. The median age was 32 years, compared to the national median of 37 years. There was a large concentration of people between 20–34 years of age; they make up 38.1% of residents (national average is 20.6%). Children aged 0–14 years made up 13.0% of the population (national average is 19.3%) and people aged 65 years and over made up only 4.2% of the population (national average is 14.0%).
• Just over half (53.5%) of residents were born in Australia; the next common countries of birth were Korea 5.8%, Lebanon 3.5%, Vietnam 3.0%, New Zealand 2.4% and Indonesia 2.1%. Only 21.2% of people spoke English at home; other languages spoken at home included Arabic 8.2%, Korean 7.3%, Turkish 2.1%, Cantonese 1.5% and Mandarin 1.5%.
• 6.3% of the work-force was unemployed, slightly above the national average of 5.6%.
• Only 14.3% of employed people travelled to work on public transport, and 69.1% by car (either as driver or as passenger).

Climate

Silverwater's has a mean annual temperature of 24.2 degrees Celsius. However, in summer, temperatures often reach above 30 degrees.

References

• The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Frances Pollen, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8

External links

• Edmund Perrin and Terry Kass (2008). "Silverwater". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 29 September 2015. [CC-By-SA]