A very good Friday spent in Parramatta
At the desk behind me, bureau chief Anthony Segaert is finalising a project exploring an intensifying war about who gets to speak for western Sydney – particularly as the region's economic, cultural and political power skyrockets.
Next to him, reporter Ellie Busby is writing a story about 14 amateur sleuths spending a huge amount of time trying to get to the bottom of one of Sydney's favourite urban legends: the Blue Mountains Panther.
From the desk next to me, reporter Mostafa Rachwani recently published this great first look at the Parramatta Eels' new $70 million Centre of Excellence, the world's largest rugby league facility.
Our fabulous little office here above the $3.5 billion Parramatta Square urban renewal project has a view that encapsulates why the Herald has established a dedicated reporting team in the geographic heart of Sydney.
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As I type, I can see the new Powerhouse Parramatta (the largest cultural investment in Sydney since the Opera House) rising from the riverbank, and can look down into a huge hole in the ground which will eventually become one of the stations on the Metro West rail line. A little further along, I can see the terrific CommBank Stadium, a real boost for sport in the heart of Parramatta since its opening in 2019. And all around us are new apartment buildings, filled with families and young professionals who are part of a boom that will see the population of the City of Parramatta and its 22 surrounding suburbs climb from 516,000 to 892,000 by 2041.
Anthony, who heads up the new Parramatta bureau, joined the Herald in 2022 and jumped at the chance to move from our North Sydney headquarters. Like Ellie and Mostafa, he's bursting with ideas and energy about how to make sure our coverage truly reflects everything going on in this exciting part of Sydney.
I thought I'd ask him a few questions about Parramatta. Enjoy!
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