Your CommBank Stadium, Parramatta Game Day Guide

1 day ago

2 min read

Heading to CommBank Stadium for finals footy? Get there early. The best way to the game is through Parramatta. The NRL Finals are coming to CommBank Stadium in Parramatta, and this is the perfect excuse to explore Western Sydney’s foodie hub properly. Our advice? Don’t drive straight to the stadium, fight for a park and disappear again after 80 minutes. Come early. Eat somewhere good. Walk the river. Take the long way in. Download The WEST Journal App to take this itinerary straight to your phone and explore everything Parramatta has to offer.

Parramatta Square
CommBank Stadium

START IN THE PARRAMATTA SQUARE

Coming by train? Step out into Parramatta Square and start from there. This part of the city has changed enormously - public art, restaurants, bars and the city skyline all sitting within a few minutes of the station.

You could rush through it, but don’t. Grab a coffee. Look around. Then start walking north.

Parramatta Square

EAT BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE DOES

Your next move is Eat Street.

Church Street has long been one of Parramatta’s best reasons to arrive hungry, with restaurants spilling out towards the river and enough choice to keep just about everyone happy. Our game-day rule: eat early.

Pick a table before the pre-game crowd arrives and settle in. ALEX&Co is one WEST has visited before, but the point here isn’t necessarily where you eat. It’s that you stop. Lunch first. Footy second. There’s plenty of time.

ALEX&Co Restaurant
Eat Street
Eat Street

FOLLOW THE RIVER

From Eat Street, forget the quickest route. Head towards Parramatta River instead. Walk past Riverside Theatres, cross around Lennox Bridge and follow the river west towards the stadium.

This is one of our favourite parts of Parramatta. The CBD starts to disappear behind you, the path opens up and CommBank Stadium slowly comes into view. On game day, you won’t need directions. Just follow the jerseys.

TAKE A DETOUR THROUGH THE PARK

You can see the stadium. That doesn’t mean you need to rush there.

If you’ve arrived early enough, swing through Parramatta Park before heading to the gates. It’s one of those rare parts of Sydney where a major stadium, a CBD, the river and acres of green space all sit almost on top of each other.

Walk it. Find some shade. Let the kids run around. Then, when the crowd starts moving, move with it.

Parramatta Park
Parramatta River
Parramatta Park

THEN, FOOTY.

This is what you came for. CommBank Stadium. Finals footy.

By this point you’ve eaten, walked half of Parramatta and avoided spending an hour sitting in traffic immediately outside the stadium. All that’s left is the game.

WALK IT OFF

Final siren. Now resist the urge to head straight home. Follow the crowd back along the river and into Parramatta. You’ve got one more stop. Rivareno Gelato has featured in our Parramatta travels before and makes a very convincing case for the post-game walk back through the CBD.

Win? Gelato.

Lose? Definitely gelato.