They’ve finally done it. They’ve found a way to make me talk about growing up in Penrith. Usually I keep these cards close to my vest.
I’ll only ever mention being from Penrith if it comes up in conversation, when I bring it up in conversation, about 15 seconds into any conversation. But this week I have been asked a question that gave me pause: what is the pop-cultural impact of Penrith? Unlike Nathan Cleary, Goya was never on the verge of a four-peat. Credit: Getty Images My first instinct was to say that sport is our art.
There is nothing the Prado museum can offer that is not equally matched by our rugby league academy, the Penrith Centre of Excellence. Particularly as Goya was never once on the verge of a four-peat. We are the proud home of the Australian men’s cricket captain and two gold medallists who also happen to be sisters, Jess and Noemie Fox, who have together completely justified why we still have a whitewater rafting facility.
For culinary delights you could experience fine dining from a bevy of Red Roosters, an Outback Steakhouse or a knock-off South African equivalent of Outback Steakhouse that was in the same car park as the original. I washed dishes there for some time and, from what I could tell from the back, the food was about as appealing as a South African accent. Then, what of culture? Well, growing up, that answer was simple.
There’s a performing arts centre named after the great Dame Joan Sutherland, who set foot in Penrith at least once. This wonderful building isn’t just a place for the Goths of Penrith to seek shade on the 40-degree days, but also a cultural hub where I personally have seen such enriching acts as a stage adaptation of The Wedding Singer , which was fine. George Miller and his Mad Max: Fury Road crew filming at Penrith Lakes.
Credit: Jasin Boland Of course, there was the World of Entertainment, Panthers Penrith Leagues Club itself, featuring the finest in live entertainment from hypnotists, puppeteers whose puppets said very rude things indeed, and the occasional Eagles or Fleetwood Mac covers band. But Penrith has changed, man. We have a beach now.
Or at least we had a beach for a few months at the end of last year and might have a beach again a few months from now. Penrith has gone Hollywood, featuring in Mad Max: Fury Road , and what says ‘city on the rise’ more than being used as a realistic location for a post-apocalyptic wasteland. It might not be the last, either, if the plans of massive film studios coming to Penrith become a reality.
For me, though, the exciting part of Penrith is no longer the circus coming to town. It’s the work the people here are starting to produce. Western Sydney has long been the sleeping giant of the Australian arts scene, and now it is beginning to awaken.
Marikit Santiago, recipient of the 2024 La Prairie Art Award, with her paintings A Seat at the Table (Magulang) and A Seat at the Table (Kapatid). Credit: Kate Geraghty When I was starting comedy I would travel for hours on the train to find a spot to do five-minute gigs. Now, our acts can perform at venues around the city and up the mountains.
They can grow an audience online. This year the La Prairie Art Award was won by western Sydney artist Marikit Santiago, who produces stunning portraits of family life that represent the beauty and diversity of this place. Films like Here Out West show western Sydney writers telling western Sydney stories with tenderness, complexity and a thoughtfulness that was often sadly missing in depictions of the city.
They’re also reaching out to the rest of the country. This month the Art Gallery of NSW was taken over by the creative collective Hotter Out West, including acts like Zion Garcia, who proudly spruiks his western Sydney background. In just over a month the inaugural Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival kicks off, bringing some of the best writers from the area on stage with their peers from around the country to show off what western Sydney has to offer.
So, what is the pop-cultural impact of Penrith? It’s too soon to tell. But just wait and see, because the future belongs to us. What do you think the best suburb in Sydney is for pop culture? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
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