Blacktown: Suburban Evolution; Jetstar Magazine

Sydney’s western suburbs are undergoing a renaissance, as bold design and arty endeavours complement the area’s family-friendly attractions. Dimity Noble spent a surprisingly great weekend in Blacktown.

Sometimes the destination is the journey

The B-52s’ hit “Love Shack” is pumping outside the entrance to the newly opened Atura Blacktown hotel as I pull into the driveway with a car full of kids. Even an hour’s drive can feel like a bit much at times, and the pop classic does much to lift my mood. The hotel’s futuristic all-white façade straddles a pocket of bushland just off the M4 freeway on the outskirts of Blacktown, a suburb I’d never previously considered a holiday destination.

But I’m soon smitten, and so far it’s all about the hotel. The foyer is an enormous, industrial-style open-plan space with bold custom lighting. Jolts of kaleidoscopic colour emerge from geometric print carpeting in the dining and lounge area, and the outdoor pool shimmers at us through a full wall of glass. Design has firmly landed in the ’burbs, thanks to the same company (AHL) who designed the QT hotels in Sydney, Port Douglas and the Gold Coast.