Premier tightlipped on Penrith Beach opening date amid NSW heatwave

Western Sydney's Penrith Beach will remain closed despite the mercury tipping well-above the mid 30s this week.

Temperatures in Penrith hit 39 degrees yesterday and again today, in a two-day heatwave marking the hottest end to Spring in five years.

Despite the unseasonable heat, the gates to Penrith Beach were chained shut today.

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Premier Chris Minns told reporters he acknowledged that families and kids "want to get out to their own beach" but it remained a construction site.

"We're making it better and bigger and better than last year," he said.

"We are in the middle of getting it ready for summer."

Between December last year and April this year, an estimated 200,000 people visited the beach.

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Before its opening, residents had to travel 40km to swim in Lake Parramatta, 63km to Bondi, or 75km to get to either Cronulla or Manly.

In June, the state government announced $2.5 million in funding to ensure Penrith Beach would reopen for the upcoming summer swim season.

When a reporter pressed Minns on whether an opening date had been earmarked, he said the government "didn't want to disappoint".

"We have a target date, but I don't want to disappoint people if we don't quite meet it," Minns said.

"It'll be earlier than last year, it'll be bigger than last year."

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