Katherine Welch keeps emus Sock Puppet and Ninja cool with water.
Featherdale Senior Keeper Jason Hawton sprays water on this appreciative bird
TUESDAY'S peak temperature of 43 in Sydney was unusual for the eastern suburbs but Parramatta residents experience similar heat each summer.
Julie Evans from the Bureau of Meteorology said there were about three days a year above 40, on average, in Parramatta and the other western suburbs.
"The temperature is not unusual for the western suburbs but it is much more unusual for the city," Ms Evans, a meteorologist, said.
"In the city we usually have the sea breeze on hot days, which cools things down a bit."
That cool breeze was absent on Tuesday as the city sweltered from east to west.
Sydney city recorded its third hottest day in 150 years of records.
The city reached its expected peak but at the weather station in Parramatta North the top temperature was 41.
That made it the hottest day in Parramatta since February 1, 2011, which also peaked at 41.
The hottest temperature recorded in North Parramatta was 44.8 on January 1, 2006.
There are also plenty of days in western Sydney temperatures don't quite make it to 40, Ms Evans said.
Since 1939 there have been about 16 days a year above 35 in the west.
Forecasters predicted 35 in Parramatta tomorrow and 37 on Saturday.