Cycleways in the Western Suburbs

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What better way to spend a couple of hours on a sunny Autumn Sydney day than on the seat of your bike. The warm breeze blows through your helmeted hair and your senses are awakened by the sights and smells of nature.

A favourite ride is a loop via Prospect Canal to Bicentennial Park crossing Parramatta River via the Ryde bridge. We then head home via Meadowbank along the northern side of the Parramatta River to Parramata and through the park.

The Prospect Canal cycleway winds through a corridor of Cumberland Plain bushland the proximity of suburbs such as Pemulwuy and Greystanes ensure you will be rarely alone. You will come across other cyclists, runners and people walking dogs. Interesting sights along this section of the trip are the historic Boothtown aqueduct and the pipehead site at Guildford.



Head north along the shared path rail trail towards the M4 at Parramatta. The path then travels under and beside the M4 past industrial sections of Auburn. We enter the Olympic Park precinct near Duck Creek.





Taking care in in the highly pedestrian trafficked areas of Olympic Park and Bicentennial Park, we continue on towards Rhodes and over the Ryde bridge. Shepherds Bay is a good place to take a break as there are toilets and water bubblers as well as a great view of the river, traffic and where we have ridden.



The Parramatta Valley Cycleway is a scenic shared path along the river and over sections of mangrove and wetlands boardwalks. We head back to Parramatta along mostly shared offroad paths, but there are some small sections on quiet weekend roads.



The section of the ride through the UWS campus and on the Baludarri Wetland path is quite interesting and the Parramatta skyline beckons with the promise of coffee. We refuel in one of the great cafes before the last 10km leg to home.



You can decide to ride the whole loop or take the kids for a picnic in one of the parks with their bikes. The ride covers diverse and scenic parts of western Sydney. If you take your time you will learn a lot about the history, industry and nature of this area.

#child_friendly
#cycling
#family
#free
#fun_things_to_do
#meadowbank
#outdoor
#parramatta
#prospect
#west
%wnsydney