What's different about Parramatta
Sydney's second CBD
Parramatta is about 24 km west of the city, with the Parramatta River running through its centre. Only 7.7% of homes in the suburb were separate houses in 2021, and 5.7% were townhouses or terraces.
Hot when the breeze stalls
Parramatta's record is 47.0 degrees, set on 4 January 2020. Temperatures climb especially when sea breezes don't push inland on hot spring and summer days. The climate table gives a January mean maximum of 28.6 degrees.
Cooler nights than the CBD
July's mean minimum is 6.3 degrees in the Parramatta table, against 8.9 at Observatory Hill. A split that cools a bedroom in summer will be heating it on winter nights too.
Zone 6, with the west
The ABCB's climate zone map shades the City of Parramatta as zone 6, mild temperate, the same band as Penrith and Blacktown rather than the eastern suburbs.
Heritage in the middle of it all
Old Government House in Parramatta Park is the oldest surviving Government House in Australia, and St John's Cathedral and Lennox Bridge are among many heritage-listed sites. On or near a listed building, talk to the council before anything goes on an outside wall.
Who has to say yes in a Parramatta apartment?
If you rent, it's the owner's decision. Put the request to the agent in writing and let the owner deal with strata.
If you own, NSW strata rules class a new reverse cycle air conditioner as a minor renovation. That means a majority of the votes cast at a strata meeting, or the committee's approval where a by-law allows it. If the outdoor unit or pipes would change the building's outside, it can become a major renovation needing a special resolution.
Either way, the noise rules matter in a tower. NSW's Noise Control Regulation 2026 restricts when a home air conditioner can run if it's heard inside a neighbour's home, so the outdoor unit's spot is worth thinking about. See noise and neighbours.
Ask before a split goes into your apartment
- Does the building have a by-law or a set spot for outdoor units, such as a plant deck or balcony?
- Can the outdoor unit sit where it gets air around it, rather than in an enclosed corner?
- Where will the condensate drain run, and where will it empty?
- Does the unit need its own circuit, and who's doing the electrical work?
- What are the sound power levels on the energy label, for the strata proposal?
What we'd do
Our take for Parramatta
We'd get the strata manager's answer in writing first, then have one installer look at the balcony, the wall and the switchboard before choosing a model. We'd pick an inverter split sized for the room rather than the biggest one that fits, because Rinnai says an oversized unit short cycles and dries the air less. And we'd want an installer who fits splits in apartment buildings every week. Licence-checked local installers who do that work will see the job you send us, and only the one who takes it gets your details. If none near Parramatta takes it within 48 hours, installers elsewhere in NSW may then see it as well.
