Merrylands, New South Wales

Merrylands is a suburb in western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Merrylands is located 25 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Holroyd. Part of the suburb (east of the railway line) is located in the local government area of the City of Parramatta.

History
Merrylands was named after the former English home of Arthur Todd Holroyd (1806–1887), who acquired land in this area in 1855. The adjoining suburb of Holroyd was named after him in the early 1990s.

Merrylands, covers 2 local government areas, with the railway being the boundary between Parramatta City Council (eastern side of railway) and Holroyd City Council (western side of the railway), also named after Arthur Todd Holroyd.

Commercial area
Merrylands has a commercial area around Merrylands railway station. Stockland Merrylands Mall is a shopping centre with supermarkets, discount department stores and specialty shops.

Transport
The Merrylands railway station is serviced by the Airport, Inner West & South Line and the Cumberland Line of the Sydney Trains network. There is limited parking for commuters. It is on the bus route from Liverpool to Parramatta. Main transport corridors of Woodville Rd (Parramatta-Hume Hwy, Western Motorway M4 (Mountains to the sea). Other main roads include Coleman St (to Westmead Hospital), Hawkesview Rd (rail overbridge to Woodville Rd), Neil St (rail overbridge to Woodville Rd), Pitt St (to Parramatta), Lois St and Excelsior St (to Granville).

Churches
There are a number of churches in Merrylands, including Merrylands East Presbyterian Church, St Margaret Marys Catholic Church, Merrylands Anglican Church, Merrylands Baptist Church, Merrylands Uniting Church, Merrylands Presbyterian Church and an Evangelical church. There is also a Heritage Catholic Micro-Cathedral in honour of Saint Raphael the Arch-Angel on the corner of Warwick Road and Merrylands Road, which was not only the first and only Church in Merrylands but also one of the most uniquely designed in Western Sydney being a conventional-modern-neo-Gothic design.

Central Gardens
With an entry Merrylands Road and Paton Street along the Cumberland Highway this nature reserve has kangaroos, emus, birdlife and waterfalls around the lake. Pinnaroo (Paton Street) and Yarrabee (Merrylands Road) can be hired for the day from Holroyd Council for a fee. Access is by road or bus from Merrylands Station and is enroute of the Liverpool to the Parramatta Transitway.

Ted Burge Reserve
Bounded by Centenary Road, Hollywood, Richmond and Fairmount Streets. Is used as a sporting field for cricket, soccer, softball and netball.

Merrylands Park
On the corner of Merrylands Road and Burnett Street this complex has sporting fields, tennis courts, barbecue areas and a swim centre which has several outdoor pools and a grassed areas with a barbecue.

Granville Park
Bounded by Merrylands Road (east of the railway line), Claremont Street, Montrose Avenue and Woodville Road the park is approximately 13.2ha in area. McDonalds has a restaurant on the corner of the park with access from Merrylands Road and Woodville Road. It has several sporting fields, a barbecue area, basketball court, cricket and nets, and playground equipment. When the circuses arrive they stay here. During WWII Granville Park was used as US Naval Base Hospital No 10.

Cycleways
Several main cycle routes pass through Merrylands and surrounding suburbs and linking up to Liverpool, Penrith and Sydney Harbour. M4 has an exit in Crown Street, Parramatta for Parrmatta, Merrylands and Holroyd access.

Climate
Merrylands has a temperate climate, with hot summers and mild winters. The average summer temperature is 27.7°C and the average winter temperature is 18.0°C. The highest temperature recorded in the Merrylands area was 45.5°C on January 18, 2013. The coldest temperature recorded was -1.0°C on July 27, 1986. The average yearly rainfall is 830.5mm.

Demographics
Slightly over half of Merrylands' population are foreign-born, with Lebanon being the highest of any single country (8.45%) and 49.3% of residents being born in Australia. Merrylands is made up of a large community with people from Italian, Lebanese, African and Assyrian background, with the majority being of Christian faith. According to the 2006 Census, the most common languages spoken at home in Merrylands were English (36.2%), Arabic (19.6%), Turkish (3.0%), Mandarin (2.9%) and Cantonese (2.9%).

Notable residents
Some of the current and former residents of Merrylands include:
 * Betty Cuthbert - Athlete. Born in Merrylands.
 * Liam Fulton - Professional rugby league player. Resides in Merrylands.
 * Rick Springfield - Singer, musician and actor. Born in Merrylands.
 * Matthew Gardiner - Trade Unionist. Raised in Merrylands
 * Paul Nakad - Musician and actor. Resides in Merrylands.