THE University of Western Sydney campus at Parramatta seems a microcosm of greater Sydney.
It has nearly 15,000 students and they are worried about development plans, public transport and parking — much like the outside world.
Student Council chairman Chris Wilson said the university's car parks were full by 9am each day and the buses had standing room only, if they stopped for passengers at all.
As for the trains? "That must be one of the most useless train services in Sydney," he said. "Maybe 100 people use that train a week. Maybe less. The flip side of that is there'll be 200, 300, 400 people in any given hour getting off the buses."
Another student, Louise Takchi, of Dural, parks in a residential area of Parramatta North and walks 10 minutes to the Rydalmere campus. She preferred driving because buses could take up to two hours.
With a rail line running the length of the campus, ferries cruising by on one side and the six lanes of Victoria Road on the other, students would be forgiven for expecting better access.
Plans for a ferry wharf at the campus have been quashed by the state government. Any chance of the federal and state governments getting together to finish the Carlingford Line and improve train services also seems a long shot.
University of Western Sydney student council representative Leam Farrar said if Parramatta was to be a real alternative to Sydney's CBD, the university needed to play a bigger part in the city.
But for that to happen, it first needs to be accessible.