by When you think of Sydney’s beaches, several images come to mind. Sparkly joggers. Picturesque scenes. Glamorous swimmers in glamorous swimmers.
You certainly don’t imagine Portaloo.
But that’s exactly what greets you at Penrith Beach, nicknamed “Pondi” by skeptical locals and government ministers alike.
The beach, which is located near Castlerea, just north of Penrith, was opened on December 19 to the state government.
The Minns government invested $1.7m to open the beach to residents who would normally have to drive more than an hour to any of Sydney’s famous beaches.
Before it became a new swimming spot, Penrith Beach was a quarry operated by Boral, Holcim, and Hanson. It supported many of Sydney’s housing and infrastructure projects until 2015, when regeneration work began.
As the site is a redeveloped sand and gravel quarry, much of the sand was already there, albeit cleared for recreational use.
There’s no doubt it’s needed – Penrith claimed the title of hottest place on earth in 2020, regularly registering temperatures 10C warmer than the east of the city.
Although deputy chief executive Prue Carr called the beach an “incredible swimming pool” when it opened, residents took to social media to mock what they called “Penrith Pond”.
One of the most iconic places to swim in New South Wales?
The first thing visitors to Pondi will notice is the long gravel road into a car park, organized by orange traffic cones.
The good news is that it can host up to 700 cars and is completely free – unlike many beaches around Sydney.
A short walk over the hill reveals the beach itself: a long flat stretch of sand, a muddy shore, a drop of water and green hills in the background.
It’s not quite the endless expanse of ocean or the glimmering waves that Sydney is famous for. And not somewhere “soon to be added to the list of NSW’s most iconic swimming spots”, as the government described it.
“He’s not a bystander,” says Michael Gatfel, a local father of three.
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“It’s good that he’s here, I mean I’m here and I brought my family here to relax. We needed something like this, somewhere not more than an hour away. But they could have made more of an effort.”
On the left side of the beach is a single hut. A small box of chips was $7 – relatively high, although perhaps in line with prices during the cost of living crisis.
Next to the booth are the Portaloos. Bright blue stamps on the horizon.
The changing rooms are in nearby movable places, lending the image of something half-baked to the beach.
The ground is muddy in places, a few benches and seats to eat the expensive booth food, all surrounded by a metal fence.
“They could have taken at least some of these, so it’s not like they decided to open yesterday,” says Katrina Turner, of Richmond.
“It gets really hot here and it’s disappointing to see how temporary it is.”
The beach itself
When you walk on the beach, the benefits of a space like this become clear.
It is full of families and children giggling in glee. The water still makes a perfect playground for younger children.
The beach itself is about the length of Bondi beach. But Pondi is located on the banks of the Nepean Lagoon, right next to the Nepean River, which means there are no waves on the murky water.
Penrith beach has drawn ridicule on social media, with some referring to it as a “swamp”, “pond” or “Penrith River”, but the green hills in the background are quite pleasant – and many families could do without the dangerous waves. at sea beaches in the east of the city.
“It’s a safe place for my family. I prefer this to some of the other beaches in Sydney,” says Christine Lew, who is accompanied by her two children and her parents.
“It’s not that busy or dangerous, there’s no jellyfish or rocks, it’s perfect for what it is. We travel 20 minutes to get here, it welcomes our community.”
And while the murky water makes for a stodgy shore, it’s still a refreshing swim under the beating Western Sydney sun.
A viable alternative?
When questioned about the state of the beach, a spokesperson for the NSW government said it had provided the facility where previous governments had not.
“We would welcome anyone who is skeptical about the facility to visit Penrith Beach and see for themselves.
“After 12 years of no movement on the site the Minns Government intervened and worked with Western Sydney Lakes to create a free beach for the people and families of Western Sydney.
“This beach was delivered in the first summer of the Minns Labor government after the Liberals and Nationals kept this area under lock and key for 12 years, without even rolling out a single towel.”
The beach was temporarily closed to visitors on Thursday due to water quality concerns. But it reopened on Friday morning with a spokesman saying its “latest water quality test has returned to the normal high standard”.
For many, Penrith Beach is not an alternative to Sydney’s beaches – it’s their only option, a stopgap solution that reflects the lack of access to swimming facilities across Western Sydney because there are so many of the local people accepted him.
“This is what we get,” says Garry Hughes, a local man who brought his wife and grandchildren to swim.
“It’s not much, and it says a lot about how we’re perceived, but we just needed something, somewhere to go that wasn’t a huge trip for families like ours.”
