Penrith, city in southeastern Australia, in the state of New South Wales, on the outskirts of greater Sydney. Penrith is about 57 km (about 35 mi) west of central Sydney and lies at 30 m (98 ft) above sea level on the Nepean River, a tributary of the Hawkesbury River. Penrith covers 407 sq km (157 sq mi). The city has a mix of residential, industrial, agricultural, and rugged bushland areas. Industries include optical and pharmaceutical products, clothing manufacture, and quarrying. Penrith also has horse and cattle stud farms, as well as fruit and dairy farms. It is an important tourist site for visitors traveling to and from the nearby Blue Mountains. A paddle boat cruises the Nepean Gorge, and the New South Wales Fire Service's Museum of Fire is located in Penrith. Penrith is prone to bushfire. The city is linked to Sydney by the Great Western Highway and a rail line.
Before Europeans settled the region, the area around Penrith was home to the Dharuk Aborigines and was known as Mooroo Murak. Artifacts dating to 47,000 years ago have been identified in the district. In 1815 when the Blue Mountains Road reached Penrith, a courthouse and jail were also built. Penrith's first European name was Evan, but in 1818 Governor Lachlan Macquarie renamed it after the town of Penrith in Cumbria, in England's Lake District. Penrith was first linked by railway to Sydney in 1863. The line was electrified in 1955. Population (1991) 152,650.
