Blacktown South

We start our Saturdays like we mean it — a caravan of kids, a stubby esky and a plan. Back in the day we used to pop down to the Blacktown Fish Market at 1 George Street, tucked inside the Blacktown Asian Food Market, pretending seafood hoarding was an art form. Urban List used to tip us off about places like that, and about buffets we could demolish between school drop-off and the footy.

We know where to park for maximum smugness: near Westpoint, so we can swing by the shops and pretend we're only there for milk. Time Out once made us feel worldly by listing Blacktown Arts Centre and Westpoint as essential local culture — which is true, if your culture involves buying sneakers and catching an arts show between errands.

Parenting here has its own soap opera. For years the data told a clear childcare storyline: Blacktown South Children's Activities Centre Inc at 183 Flushcombe Road was approved for after-school and vacation care and, as of 2018, was rated Working Towards the NQS. Meanwhile the Catholic Early Learning Centre at 62A Orwell Street was proudly rated Exceeding the NQS as of 2021, and Aurora Early Learning Centre at 186 Flushcombe Road was sitting on an Exceeding badge from 2017. We brag about those report cards at playgroup like they're house prices.

Our small civic drama? It’s less headline-grabbing and more “where did Sydney Cebu Lechon go?” Time Out reported the Newtown-to-Blacktown move to 4 Kerry Road — the migration of roast pork caused more local rejoicing than any council grant. Urban List reminded us we live in one of Sydney’s most multicultural backyards, with a dizzying number of languages on our street — which explains why there’s always someone better at assembling IKEA furniture.

Who would hate living here? If you crave your suburb to match an Instagram filter and demand boutique croissants on every corner, you’ll find our honest markets and sprawling parkland a bit too real. Who would love it? Families who want access to childcare options, people who treat Westpoint and the fish market like community centres, and anyone who appreciates multicultural food that doesn’t require a reservation.

We’re unabashedly Western Sydney: practical, noisy, full of life, and always ready to argue about the best place for lechon. Back in the day, and still now if you ask us.