Swimming at Lake Parramatta

Lake Parramatta with yellow buoys floating in the water, bordered by dense green trees.

Community Day at Lake Parramatta

Join us for a day down at the lake this December and enjoy a summer swim.

Date: Saturday 13 December 2025
Time: 9:30am – 11:30am
Location: Lake Parramatta

Lake Parramatta is now open for the 2025/26 swim season with lifeguards on duty from 11am to 7pm on weekends.

Patrols increase to seven days a week from Saturday 6 December until Wednesday 28 January 2026. Schedules vary until the swim season ends on Sunday 26 April 2026.

Patrols are weekends only from Thursday 29 January 2026 until Sunday 29 March 2026. Lifeguards will return to seven days a week, 11am-6pm, for the April school holidays. The swim season will end on Sunday 26 April 2026.

About Lake Parramatta

Lake Parramatta is located in Lake Parramatta Reserve, a beautiful 73 hectare area popular with visitors who enjoy picnics, aquatic activities and bush walking.

The lake is 10.5 hectares in size and was officially re-opened for public swimming and water recreation activities in January 2015, before the Lake Parramatta Swimming Area was upgraded in 2024.

Facilities

Lake Parramatta Reserve offers a range of facilities:

designated swimming area
boat hire
non-motorised boating facilities
children’s playground
off-street car park
walking trails
public toilets
BBQs
picnic facilities
a cafe

Entrance and opening hours

Entry into Lake Parramatta Reserve is from Lackey Street via Bourke Street, North Parramatta.

Lake Parramatta provides lifeguard supervision during peak swimming periods.

Parking

Lake Parramatta Reserve has 68 car spots on site. When the car park is full, parking is available on surrounding streets just a short walk away.

Public transport

If you arrive by train, disembark at the Parramatta Interchange - you can then catch a bus from the Parramatta CBD (bus route 609). The bus stops 50m from the entrance to Lake Parramatta every hour, Monday to Saturday, and three times on Sundays.

Alternatively, buses that travel along Windsor Road and Pennant Hills Road include stops about 500m from the Lake Parramatta entrance.

To plan your journey visit Transport for NSW or call 131 500.

Important safety information

See important safety information below about swimming in Lake Parramatta.

Swimming safety tips

Never swim alone.
Know your swimming ability.
Stay within a suitable depth; the water at the Lake is over 8m deep in some areas outside the swimming enclosure.
Wear an approved, well-fitted buoyancy vest or life jacket.
Read and follow the safety advice signs around the Lake. The swimming enclosure has depth markers; the depth in this area ranges from ankle depth to 2 metres.
Do not swim outside of the designated swimming area.
Only swimming during the lifeguard patrolled hours.
Lifeguards will be patrolling the swimming enclosure during the stated hours; this is the safest time to swim.
Do not enter the water from rock areas around the Lake; the depth and what lies below the water may not be visible.
Do not swim for three days after heavy rain; there may be submerged objects that could cause serious injury or entrapment.

It is important to take care when walking on slippery or uneven surfaces around or in water. Conditions should be checked before entering the water slowly, feet first or slide into the water on your bottom. Avoid submerged obstacles, such as tree branches and rocks.

If you get in trouble in the water

Remain calm and roll onto your back - float.
Float on your back.
Call for help.
Try not to panic; relax as much as possible, this will help you to float.
Stay as still as possible, this will conserve your energy.
Breath normally.
Attract attention by raising one arm and/or calling out for help.

Avoid alcohol and drugs around water

Alcohol and drugs often contribute to drownings. They can impair judgement, encourage greater risk-taking behaviour, reduces coordination, impairs reaction time and reduces the effectiveness of CPR, should someone require it.

National Drowning Statistic Summary

Download the Royal Life Saving Drowning Report 2025 (PDF)

Here are some key statistics:

357 drowning deaths over the past 12 months, a 27% increase on the 10-year average.
The lowest rates of drowning were in children 5-14 years, but this rises sharply by ages 15-24 years.
Drowning rates were above the 10-year average for every age group over 45 years.
One third (33%) of all drowning deaths were adults aged 65 and older (118).
The highest drowning rates were in people aged 75 years and older.
43% occurred in coastal locations (154), including 82 drowning deaths (23%) at beaches.
34% at inland waterway locations (122), including 99 drowning deaths (28%) at rivers.
10% occurred in swimming pools (35 deaths), 68% of those deaths were in backyard pools.
Where country of birth was known, 33% were born overseas, consistent with the 10-year average.
Inequities persist – drowning rates double for those from the most disadvantages areas and nearly triple for regional and remote residents compared to major cities

Learn to swim

The City of Parramatta Council offers affordable swimming and water safety lessons in Parramatta. For further details, visit: Learn to Swim | City of Parramatta

For more water safety tips

Visit the Royal Life Saving Society for more information.

Learn CPR and first aid

Gain the knowledge and skills to administer first aid and CPR until medical help arrives. You may save a life.

Swimming area re-opening and improvements

Lake Parramatta’s re-opening for swimming in 2015 marked an important step in the 'Our Living River' initiative, which is co-ordinated by the Parramatta River Catchment Group (PRCG).

The PRCG includes 12 local councils, government agencies and community groups and seeks to set a range of achievable targets to bring currently unusable parts of the river and surrounding creeks back to life.

Following a 19-week construction program, Lake Parramatta’s Swimming Area was upgraded for the summer 2024/25 swimming season.

Key features of the upgrade included:

Construction of an underwater retaining wall to create a sand bed or ‘beach’ within the swimming area to make entering and exiting the water easier.
Improved water access through construction of footpaths, and other accessibility features such as handrails and traction treatments for steps.
Installation of a formal lifeguard viewing platform providing improved sightlines over the swimming area for lifeguards.
New seating, shaded areas, landscaping, and bushland regeneration.

These works were proudly funded by the NSW Government in association with Council.

The Places to Play program is part of the Open Spaces Program, a $50 million investment in public open space across three streams: Places to Play, Places to Swim, and Places to Roam.

Places to Play supports investment in nature and water play spaces to promote recreation and connection with nature for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.

For more information see Places to Play.