As Penrith residents swelter in soaring heat this week, one question is on everyone’s lips: when is Pondi opening again?
Penrith will reach a maximum of 39 degrees today with 40 predicted tomorrow.
And yet there’s no official date for Penrith Beach’s re-opening.
That’s despite summer being less than a week away.
Penrith Beach (Pondi) is a sanctuary for residents during hot weather, with the next nearest beach roughly 60 kms away in Bondi.
Last summer, the local swimming oasis attracted more than 200,000 people between December 19 and April 25, most of which were from the Penrith and Blacktown LGA’s.
A spokesperson from the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure assured us Pondi will be back for another swim season in December.
“The much-anticipated re-opening of the free beach will be ready in time for the school holidays with further details, including operating times, to be announced soon,” the spokesperson said.
It seems extraordinary that despite months of planning, a firm date can’t be provided to sweltering locals.
The Department said safety and accessibility is top priority.
“Trained lifeguards will be on duty to patrol the beach daily, along with water quality monitoring and first aid services offered to visitors,” the spokesperson explained.
“The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure is continuing to finalise amenities available at the beach.”
The Weekender understands that an ongoing delay between the State Government and Western Sydney Lakes reaching an agreement over the future planning of the site is contributing to the delay in opening the beach.
Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue is calling for the local waterway to open now, describing hot weather as the region’s silent killer.
“It’s time to make Pondi permanent and look to transform the former 2000 ha quarry into a recreational destination for generations of western Sydney residents to enjoy,” Dialogue CEO Adam Leto said.
“Heat kills more people in Australia than any other natural disaster, and western Sydney is hit hardest by the severe impacts of extreme heat.”
Emu Plains father of two, Adam, says having free facilities like Pondi to beat the heat are vital.
“The problem is, we want to go outdoors and do outdoorsy things,” Adam said.
“Keeping them [kids] indoors and keeping them locked in with the aircon and devices all the time is not an ideal thing, so having those sorts of facilities and being out and about is key for us.”
Blaxland locals Wayne and Mary were surprised to hear Pondi isn’t already open.
“There’s a homeless guy up the road up the road that we know that comes to Mama Lana’s – they’re the ones that aren’t coping, they need somewhere to get out of the heat,” Mary said.
The Weekender spoke to local father Ken, who was sitting in the shade on High Street eating dipping dots with his daughter, Summer.
He said an affordable place to swim would be beneficial.
“Water parks… They’re supposed to have one out at Blacktown but that’s quite expensive. It would be nice if there was something a bit more affordable,” Ken said.
For now, if you can’t spare a two-hour round trip to Bondi, keep those blinds closed and aircons pumping.
Ally Hall
Ally Hall joined the Weekender in 2024, and focuses on entertainment and community stories. She is a graduate of the University of South Australia.