As seen on Sydney Weekender

The Orchard is truly the ultimate family-friendly destination, promising fun and delicious memories for everyone! 

Laughin\' Boy and Rusty Penny recently stole the spotlight on Sydney Weekender. If you missed it, here\'s your chance to catch up!  

Lizzy Lovette, the Eating Out presenter, left Penrith impressed and not hungry. Shane from Laughin\' Boy showcased their signature dishes like the deep dish pancake and \"Cluck Norris burger\" at their riverside location.  

Meanwhile, Rusty Penny wowed with a variety of beers and delicious BBQ smoked options.

Father’s Day is that one time of year when you can really spoil dad! And spoiling her dad is Olivia Coggan who treats her father and Sydney Weekender presenter, Darren Coggan, to a ‘meat fest’ in the west!

First stop is Brisket Boys, located in Penrith’s hottest new precinct Manufactor. Brisket Boys specialise in Texan-style BBQ which uses ‘low and slow’ cooking methods, over a period between 12- 14 hours, in a specialty oven imported from America. The menu includes beef brisket, pork belly, hot wings and more. There’s also a range of American-inspired sides including coleslaw, potato salad and mac ‘n’ cheese to add to your plate for an elevated BBQ experience.

Right next door to Brisket Boys is the Drink West Brewery, owned by local sporting legends Tyson Pedro, Tai Tuivasa and Nathan Cleary. Here they brew 8 different beers, on site, with a focus on appealing to the western suburbs palette. Aside from their best-selling lager, there’s also an Oat Cream XPA and the Hibiscus Lime Gose.

For her final destination, on her Fathers Day meat fest, Olivia takes Darren to Osso Steak and Ribs Restaurant, located within Penrith Panthers. This high-end steakhouse has a ‘gate-to-plate’ philosophy and uses mostly local suppliers wherever possible. Stand-out dishes include the Butcher’s Board, with pork and beef short ribs, crumbed lamb cutlets, New York strip, eye fillet and more. For steak lovers, don’t go past the Tomahawk Steak, with a marble score of 4, and creamy mashed potato.

If your dad loves his barbecue, it’s his day to put the tongs down, and let others do all the work!

This week Teigan heads west for an adrenaline-charged day at Luddenham Raceway! Set on more than 100 acres of rolling hills, the Motorsports complex features a 1.4km race car and motorcycle circuit, two go-kart tracks and its very own paintball park!

Track Days are perfect to find out what you and your car are made of. The Raceway features a purposely-built circuit with challenging elevation changes and plenty of technical corners to push you and your car to the limits, develop your confidence and enhance your driving ability, all in a fun, safe and controlled environment. No outside licensing is required – a valid Australian driver’s licence is all you need!

If you’re not old enough for a licence yet – or you’re just looking for another way to burn rubber, Go-Karting at Luddenham is incredible and is sure to bring out your competitive side.

And if your combative compulsions are still not quenched, Luddenham Raceway is also home to five state of the art paintball fields, featuring inflatable barriers in the Tournament Field, abandoned buses and train carriages in The Lost City, and an ex-military chopper at Base Camp!

Many of us haven’t picked up a paintbrush since childhood. If you’re keen to
unleash your ‘inner picasso’, Penrith’s Pinot and Picasso is where you can do
just that. Pinot and Picasso is a cool, creative space where they provide a
qualified art teacher, and all the materials and guidance to help you create
your own bespoke masterpiece. All you need to do is bring yourself, and a
crew, as well as your own drinks and snacks, and you can sip and paint your
way through a fun workshop. Whether you’re a single, a hens, work or other
group, this is the ultimate creative bonding session. And with some great
Christmas themed paintings to recreate, it’s also a fantastic Christmas gift for
yourself, or a loved one!

There is even more to celebrate, in Penrith, with the opening of Chechos, the
suburb’s first contemporary Mexican restaurant. Swathed in neon and pink,
Chechos exudes the colours and the vibe of this great nation. While you can
still order a classic soft taco- featuring beef brisket, pulled pork, or fish- this
exciting menu includes other fan favorite dishes such as Patatas Bravas- a
mound of fried potatoes topped with a moreish creamy, chipotle sauce-
Charcoal Corn Ribs, Kingfish Ceviche and a beautifully colourful Mango and
Orange Salad. The cocktails are also next level, with one of the best classic
margies around, and over twenty high quality tequilas to choose from!

If lockdown has had you climbing the walls then we know just where to head. Tru Ninja in Penrith is an indoor obstacle course packed with all sorts challenges for all ages. It’ll test your strength, your agility, build your confidence and is heaps and heaps of fun to do.

Little kids can join a Mini-Ninja session, where they can safely learn how to negotiate obstacles big and small, or just jump into the foam pit. Bigger kids can take part in a Ninja Academy session, led by a trainer, where they can learn all the skills they need to tackle the bigger parts of the course.

And if you’re an aspiring TV Ninja, you can go head to head on the full-sized Ninja course, complete with an 11 foot warped wall to finish.

If you’d need to wind down afterwards, why not take in a section of the Great River Walk along the Hawkesbury-Nepean. It’s a great spot for families, romance or just walking the dog.

And if you’re travelling with your beastie bestie, you can stay at the Quest Apartment Hotel Penrith, a stunning collection of one and two bedroom apartments that are pet friendly for dogs under 20kgs.

Bring the Ninjas, bring the dog and have a great weekend in Penrith.

On the banks of the Nepean River, in Emu Plains, stands one of the region’s most historic homesteads- Emu Hall. Built back in the 1800’s, within these beautifully restored walls lies not one, not two, but three exciting reasons to visit.

When it comes to dining, this venue quite literally has it all! For those after breakfast, brunch, coffee, or a crazy shake, XS Espresso is a cafe where excess is found all over this menu. Choose from a range of delicious, stacked pancakes and waffles, as well as a range of savoury breakfasts. And for those with a sweet tooth, don’t leave without trying one of their insta-worthy crazy XS Fave shakes- including the you won’t be disappointed!

For those seeking a more formal dining experience, Emu Dining offers both indoor dining, and outdoor dining options, overlooking the river. The menu here is laden with seafood and meat dishes, from seafood platters to steak. There’s also a fantastic wine list, to compliment each dish.

And to top off this brilliant dining concept, there’s even a bar, with cocktails created by dedicated mixologists, including the ‘Who Knew the Emu’ in a custom-made emu glass, and a range of exciting bar snacks from calamari to sweet potato chips!

If you love action and adventure, you’ll find plenty of it in Penrith. Sydney Weekender sent our resident iron-woman, Candice Warner, to iFLY– Sydney’s Indoor Skydiving centre. This is the closest thing to actual skydiving, with participants experiencing zero gravity in an indoor tunnel that replicates the sky-diving experience. Following an orientation and instruction, with an experienced instructor, participants then gear up, before entering the high-powered tunnel for the experience of a lifetime. Once you get a handle on the basics, your instructor might take you on a thrilling tandem ride, to the very top of the tunnel! Age and disability is no barrier to flyers, as kids as young as three, and people as old as one hundred, have taken the plunge at iFLY.

In Penrith, you’ll find action in the air, and on the water! Candice heads to Cables Wake Park– the only wakeboarding park in the whole country that has two FULL sized cables systems, operating in opposite directions. Candice teams up with the ‘Queen of Wakeboarding’ and co-owner of Cables Wake Park, Courtney Angus, for a private wakeboarding lesson. There is plenty of grassy space, to watch all the action on the water, as well as a cafe for all your food and beverage needs. For those who are keen to fully immerse themselves in the sport of wakeboarding, you can even stay onsite at the Cables Lodge, and enjoy wakeboarding camps, and then kick back post-wakeboarding, in the communal lounge and games area.