Penrith Lakes, also known as Western Sydney Lakes, [1] is an area located in the suburb of Castlereagh near Penrith in the Western Sydney Region. It features lakes and parklands as well as recreational facilities. [2]
The lakes themselves are a series of 12 man-made quarries from which coarse sand and gravel has been mined since the 1880s, [3] with large-scale mining operations occurring since the 1950s. [4] Penrith Lakes was the largest sand and gravel quarry in Australia [5] until the discontinuation of mining activities in 2015. [3] Penrith Lakes is managed by the Penrith Lakes Development Corporation (PLDC) which was formed in 1980 by the three companies that operated quarries in the area that joined together and combined their land. They planned to rehabilitate the land that was quarried so it could be used for recreational purposes with the Penrith Lakes Scheme. [3] [6]
The area also contains the Sydney International Regatta Centre which was one of the first parts of the Penrith Lakes Scheme to be completed. The Regatta Centre was one of the event locations used during the Sydney Summer Olympic Games in 2000. [7]
Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally on Earth as a result of sedimentary and erosive geological processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone.
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to manage their safety risks and reduce their environmental impact.
Placer mining is the mining of stream bed (alluvial) deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment.
A gravel pit is an open-pit mine for the extraction of gravel. Gravel pits often lie in river valleys where the water table is high, so they may naturally fill with water to form ponds or lakes. Old, abandoned gravel pits are normally used either as nature reserves, or as amenity areas for water sports, landfills and walking. In Germany former gravel or sand pits that have filled up with water are known as Baggersee and popular for recreational use. In addition, many gravel pits in the United Kingdom have been stocked with freshwater fish such as the common carp to create coarse fishing locations. Gravel and sand are mined for concrete, construction aggregate and other industrial mineral uses.
Penrith is a town in New South Wales, Australia, located in Greater Western Sydney, 55 kilometres (31 mi) west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Nepean River, on the outskirts of the Cumberland Plain. Its elevation is 32 metres (105 ft).
Cranebrook is a suburb of Greater Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and is located 50 km radially WNW of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith. Cranebrook is part of the Greater Western Sydney region.
Bents Basin is a protected nature reserve and state park near Wallacia, New South Wales, Australia in the Sydney metropolitan area. The lake basin, which formed at the efflux of the Nepean River from the Hawkesbury Sandstone gorge, is a popular swimming hole with a camping area and an education centre used by local school groups. Also featuring a large woodland area and native wildlife, the reserve is the only picnic area along the Nepean River and it is one of the most popular water-based picnic parks in Greater Western Sydney.
Maroota is a suburb to the north-west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Maroota is located 49 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of The Hills Shire and Hornsby Shire.
Berkshire Park is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It covers 19.3 square kilometres (7.5 sq mi) within the local government area of City of Penrith. The suburb has a diverse range of activity, including a pet cemetery, correctional facility, nature reserve, waste management centre and a racehorse education centre.
Chipping Norton is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Chipping Norton is 27 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Liverpool and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region.
The Penrith Whitewater Stadium is located near Sydney, Australia. It is an artificial whitewater sporting facility which hosted the canoe/kayak slalom events at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The facility is part of the Penrith Lakes Scheme, which is converting open-pit sand and gravel mines into lakes for recreation. It is close to Cranebrook and is adjacent to the Sydney International Regatta Centre. These lakes are not filled via the Nepean River, but are filled via rain water and ground water. The operation of the facility aerates the water and improves water quality in the flat water rowing and canoeing course.
Werrington Lake in Werrington, New South Wales, Australia, is a man made lake, developed in the early 1980s as a solution to help relieve flooding of the Werrington Creek. It is located within Werrington Lake Reserve on the border between the suburbs of Werrington and Werrington County.
Construction aggregate, or simply aggregate, is a broad category of coarse- to medium-grained particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregates are the most mined materials in the world. Aggregates are a component of composite materials such as concrete and asphalt; the aggregate serves as reinforcement to add strength to the overall composite material. Due to the relatively high hydraulic conductivity value as compared to most soils, aggregates are widely used in drainage applications such as foundation and French drains, septic drain fields, retaining wall drains, and roadside edge drains. Aggregates are also used as base material under foundations, roads, and railroads. In other words, aggregates are used as a stable foundation or road/rail base with predictable, uniform properties, or as a low-cost extender that binds with more expensive cement or asphalt to form concrete. Although most kinds of aggregate require a form of binding agent, there are types of self-binding aggregate which do not require any form of binding agent.
Jugiong is a locality and town on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River near its confluence with Jugiong Creek. in the Hilltops Council Local Government area, New South Wales, Australia. It is situated just off the Hume Highway, by road, about 30 kilometres southwest from Bookham and 40 kilometres northeast from Gundagai.
The Sydney International Regatta Centre (SIRC), located in Penrith, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, is a rowing and canoe sprint venue built for the 2000 Summer Olympics. It is now a popular sporting venue, with the Head of the River Regatta held annually.
A gold dredge is a placer mining machine that extracts gold from sand, gravel, and dirt using water and mechanical methods.
Wemmer Pan is a lake and recreational area in Johannesburg, South Africa. It's located to the south of the city centre, in the suburb of La Rochelle.
Penrith Cricket Club is a cricket club based in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. They are also known as the Panthers, and play in the Sydney Grade Cricket competition. Penrith are currently under the guidance of Andrew Lamb.
Digging, also referred to as excavation, is the process of using some implement such as claws, hands, manual tools or heavy equipment, to remove material from a solid surface, usually soil, sand or rock on the surface of Earth. Digging is actually the combination of two processes, the first being the breaking or cutting of the surface, and the second being the removal and relocation of the material found there. In a simple digging situation, this may be accomplished in a single motion, with the digging implement being used to break the surface and immediately fling the material away from the hole or other structure being dug.
Caddens is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales in Australia. It is a new masterplanned residential neighborhood located 48 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith featuring views of the scenic Blue Mountains. The suburb's postcode is 2747.