Greening the Great West Walk

The Great West Walk is a 65 km urban trail that stretches from Parramatta Park to the base of the Blue Mountains on the lands of the Darug nation. The walk mapped by The Walking Volunteers – a group of experienced walkers creating a network of significant walking routes in Sydney – and is located on land in the Parramatta, Blacktown and Penrith local government areas.

Increasing canopy cover along the walk

In 2021, the department partnered with Blacktown, Penrith and Parramatta councils, Greening Australia and Landcare NSW, to plant more than 26,000 trees along the walk, making Western Sydney a cooler and greener place for local residents and everyone to enjoy all year around.

In May 2022, we committed to planting a further 2,000 trees and associated works to make the Great West Walk even more beautiful and enjoyable for users, local communities and visitors to Western Sydney.

Planting will occur at various tree planting locations along the walk to help:

increase urban tree canopy and green cover through innovative planting practices
reduce temperatures along the Great West Walk and mitigate the urban heat island effect
improve walkability and accessibility for all users of the walk
enhance biodiversity and restore local ecology.

Overview of funded projects

100 Trees for 100 Years of Rotary – Penrith City Council. Planting of 100 mature trees at Ironbark Reserve to celebrate the centenary of Rotary. Number of trees: 100. Project completed October 2021.
Tregear Reserve – Blacktown City Council. Planting of 3,200 trees in Tregear Reserve and the large grassy corridor running north and south. Completion date: July 2024.
Breakfast Creek – Blacktown City Council. In partnership with Greening Australia, 6,500 trees at Breakfast Creek near Marayong Reserve, providing increased amenity to local residents and shade for users of the walk and nearby sports grounds.
Toongabbie Creek – Parramatta City Council. Significant weed removal and regenerative planting of 7,600 trees at seven locations along Toongabbie Creek. Number of trees: 7600 trees. Project completed January 2023.
Toongabbie Creek – Parramatta City Council. A partnership with Landcare NSW to plant 8,000 trees at Toongabbie Creek (including Arrunga and Backhousier). Number of trees: up to 8,000 trees. Project completed June 2021.
The continuation of a ‘green legacy corridor’ extending on the 2021 Great West Walk project, including planting 500 trees within Harvey Park and the Breakfast Creek corridor. Estimated number of trees: 500. Estimated Completion date: December 2023.
A proposal to create a 'bush food trail' with 4 rest areas along the walk with edible fruit trees and mulberry tree groves for people to interact with. Estimated number of trees: 140. Estimated completion date: May 2024.
Rest areas close to the 5 km and 10 km points of the Great West Walk. The works will consist of planting approximately 1,410 trees, signage detailing and seating upgrades at Yana Yirabana Reserve and Sue Savage Reserve. Estimated number of trees: 1,410.
Preparing four locations along Toongabbie Creek to plant 1,400 trees. Works include bush regeneration, weed clearing, tree planting. This work is a continuation of the 7,600 trees planted under the 2021 Great West Walk project. Number of trees: 1,400.
An innovative planting project to improve soil quality and prepare tree beds for planting through the planting of a wildflower meadow at Grey Gums Oval, Cranebrook. Number of trees: 78. Project completed in May 2022.

Feasibility study

In May 2020, the department commissioned Gallagher Studio, to identify and prioritise potential tree-planting locations along the Great West Walk.

The process involved:

mapping, research, analysis, and consultation
examining the walk, in relation to its environmental, climatic, and social context.
The research revealed large portions of the walk have very low tree canopy cover (less than 20%) making parts of the walk 8-11 degrees warmer than other parts of Sydney.

The Greening the Great West Walk feasibility study (PDF, 1.9 MB) has helped inform the selection of final tree-planting sites and projects to green the Great West Walk.

Read the feasibility study

More information

For more information about Greening the Great West Walk, you can contact the team on [email protected]