Parramatta. Testing time on Monday

Monday next will test the interest of commuters to travel on the River Express ferry service between Parramatta and Circular Quay. The first ferries leave Parramatta at 7.00am and 8.0am, with the last at 5.00pm. 6.00pm, 7.00pm and 7.30pm. Ferries leave Circular Quay for Parramatta at approximately the same times. The trip takes 55 minutes. “The NSW Government has invested $4 million a year, over the next two years, to deliver this new service for commuters in Parramatta," said Premier Nathan Rees. The new timetable can be downloaded at www.131500.com.au

Parramatta. Women racegoers fill the vacuum

A University of Western Sydney researcher said the big turnout of women at last weekend's Girls Day Out, at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, shows racing clubs have turned full circle in an attempt to boost attendances. Dr Wayne Peake, from the UWS Centre for Cultural Research, said women now flocked to the enclosures at big race meetings, enclosures that used to be dominated by men who were there for the sole purpose of betting. "Regular, live televising of racing in clubs and pubs from the late 1980's, and the gradual decline of the on-course betting ring lead many regular gamblers to retreat from the track, and woman have filled the vacuum," he said. Dr Peake said the change in race day events was a throwback to the early 19th century, when big meetings were often holidays, and locals would spend the day socialising and getting very drunk.