Once again it's time to show some appreciation for the weird and wonderful people that make up our half of Sydney. It's a Wednesday after all and we couldn't think of a better time to do a combined #womancrushwednesday and #humansofwesternsydney post on ultra babe, proud westie and all round cool chick, Kaitlin.

In between her hectic modelling career and crazy adventures around the globe, Kaitlin was kind enough to take some time to share her love of the western 'burbs with us. Keep reading to find out about her take on where the #westthings are.

Kaitlin - Student, Model, Globe Trotter

Describe yourself for us a little bit – what do you do?

I'm just a regular chick trying to make something of myself within the hugely competitive international modelling industry.

What’s your Westie connection?

What can I say, I'm born & bred Westie. I grew up in Concord & spent the majority of my teenage years at Strathfield. I loved sport & repped that killer Inner West black & white every year.

What was the best thing about going to a school with a crowd of Westies?

The multiculturalism! You experience so much more with a crowd of different cultures. Pooling together at Gloria jeans in the morning discussing different punishments from parents & cheap local eating places....they were the good times. General shit talking led to some fond memories.

How has growing up in these parts influenced who you are?

Oh man, with Strathfield being well known for its Korean demographic & all, I just don't know where I'd be in life if I hadn't discovered Ramen & Kim Chi. I think I would have developed into a fundamentally different person without those joys. 

How are you currently spreading your Westie pride over in Europe?

 My best mate Maja & I are making our way towards Amsterdam to watch our favourite band Sticky Fingers perform live. We plan on combining forces with them to spread the Ozzie Proide like we spread our Vegemite - thickly and with butter. 

For Anyone interested in Kaitlin's modelling work, head on over to:

http://chadwickmodels.com/models/kaitlin-carter/

to view her babin' portfolio

You can also follow her adventures on Instagram at: 

http://instagram.com/klandcarter

Images Courtesy of Chadwick Models and Kaitlin Carter

With the beautiful, spring weather we've been enjoying lately (thanks global warming!), we've been itching to take our pooches out for a stroll and a coffee alfresco style.With council and food safety regulations in place all over the shop however, it can be difficult to know where our furry friends are welcome - luckily for you, this is where #westthings comes in and saves the day once again (Ok fine, we also just really wanted to post a bunch of pictures of cute dogs).

While the concept of the dog cafe is traditionally associated with the Inner Western parts of Sydney, more and more of them are popping up on our side of town, complete with water bowls and dog treats to keep your pup happy and hydrated while you enjoy a coffee and catch up on the latest issue of Time Magazine (or, if we're going to be honest, the latest Kardashian goss on Justjared.com).

As always, please remember to clean up after your dogs and make sure they are well socialised before taking them out and about.

With all the wide open spaces we have out here in the western 'burbs, we can't think of a better place to spend a sunny morning of quality time with your furry friend.  Read on to check out our pick of dog friendly cafes in Western Sydney!

Parramatta Park Café, Parramatta

Byrnes Ave, Parramatta NSW 2150

Image: Daily Telegraph

Pasticceria Dolce Mia, Penrith

Byrnes Ave, Parramatta NSW 2150

Image: Facebook via Patiscceria Dolce Mia

Nest Cafe Kellyville

106b Windsor Rd Kellyville

Image: Kellyville Pets

Skiptons Cafe, Penrith

541 High St, Penrith NSW 2750

Image: Findadogminder

We all know a cheap steak or schnitty can bridge the gap between hunger and a pricy meal out of the town. And for all you broke-ass uni students that gotta starve themselves for the week so they can afford the $31.50 mymulti train ticket and not have to risk jumping the barriers, a filling yet affordable meal like this is exactly what you need. 

As you’ve probably experienced yourself, for most of us these days, escaping from a restaurant for under $25 a head is an absolute godsend. Sydney is no friend to the frugal. But after doing a bit of digging, the cheapest eats in Sydney come from the west (of course) and they were almost all steak and schnitzel dishes. What does this mean? Finally being able to eat your fave meats without having to break the bank. And for all you gym-junkies, some of these dishes are even cheaper than that protein shake you’re drinking right now (and probably contain more protein too). Fingers crossed your girl ain't a vegetarian, because I know where you’ll wanna take her tonight... and the rest of the year.

Village Hotel, Mt. Druitt

300g Rump Steak with self-serve chips and salad - $7

You on a budget? Coz boy that’s as cheap as it gets! (But FYI bring cash coz eftpos minimum is $10 lol).

Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown

Schnitty Tuesdays - $8

Steak Night Wednesday’s - $10

Great value and these nights get pretty packed! Lucky there’s two large outdoor eating areas cater for all you bargain hunters homing in.

Rashay’s Café & Restaurant, Merrylands, Liverpool, Campbelltown, Penrith & Mount Druitt

Schnitzel feat. pathetic side garnish - $8

Steak with salad & chips or mash & veggies - $14  

I’m gna be honest, the Rashay’s staff will piss you off and their garnishes will make you lol, but their actual steaks & schnitzels with Rashay’s sauce will have you coming back for more!

Carousel Inn, Plumpton

Monday/Tuesday night chicken schnitzel or char grilled rump steak - $10                

You’ve gotta try this place because the serving size is unbelievably generous considering you’re only paying $10. They also do a mean red-neck half ribs for $15 on Fridays.

Jay's Kitchen, Cabramatta

Rump Steak - $10

Or if you ain’t in the mood, EVERYTHING - $10. F*cking love this place! I mean: steak, chicken, lamb, pork, fish - they all ten dollah! 

Tollgate Hotel Bistro, Parramatta

New York steak Monday’s - $10

T-Bone steak Tuesday’s - $10

Schnitzel Wednesday’s - $8

Rump steak Thursday’s - $8

Rump Steak Friday’s - $9

Rump Steak Saturday’s - $8

New York Steak Sunday’s - $10

Get some steak on ya plate, 6 out of the 7 days in the week cause these prices are dirt-cheap. You’re all set mate!

Nonna Maria’s Place, Parramatta

Nonna Maria’s traditional chicken schnitzel with fresh lemon - $14

You gotta visit this place not just because it’s so cheesily cute and everything is homemade, but you get free bread and free jugs of house-made lemonade brought by Nonna Maria herself who is actually so adorable!

Zest Grillhouse, Rooty Hill

Boneless Rib Eye Steak - $16 Best Aussie steak of the list (and yes I know it’s more than $15), but I had to put this here because this steak is practically Western Sydney’s equivalent of the pretentious, Steak & Wine co. on darling harbour. Delicious and massive steak which you’d normally expect to be triple the price.

Let's take a moment to be honest with one another - when someone mentions the Western suburbs, an art gallery probably isn't the first thing to come to your mind. In fact, we'd wager that it's not even in the top 20 things you'd think of. Right now, you're probably thinking "Do we even have art galleries out west?!" Well, the answer is yes and in the words of our boy Kevin Hart, you gon' learn (all about them) today.

You may be surprised to find out that there are galleries-a-plenty throughout the west and they aren't even the dodgy kind! In fact, a lot of them are of a pretty darn high standard. The Fairfield City Museum and Gallery for example, is the recipient of multiple awards from both local and state government bodies and the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, which underwent major renovations not too long ago, boasts an international standard exhibition space and incorporates 20 hectares of parklands into the gallery grounds. The Campbelltown Arts Centre is home to the annual Fischer's Ghost award which offers up to 40, 000 buckaroonies in prize money and attracts submissions from well renowned artists from all over Australia - not too shabby!

In addition to housing both temporary and permanent art collections, all the art galleries featured below also hold music, theatre and dance events. Regular work shops for the community are also run regularly and studio spaces can be hired for those who want to have a go at flexing their creative muscles. So, the next time you're itching to get in touch with your creative side, turn towards the direction of the setting sun and give some well deserved love to the cool art spaces we have on offer out here.

For more information, check out some major Western Sydney art galleries below:

Campbelltown Arts Centre

1 Art Gallery Rd, Campbelltown NSW 2560

For More Information on Exhibitions & Workshops: 

http://www.campbelltown.nsw.gov.au/CampbelltownArtsCentre

Image: Screen Central

Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre
1 Powerhouse Road Casula NSW 2170 (Entry via Shepherd Street Liverpool)
For More Information on Exhibitions & Workshops: 
http://www.casulapowerhouse.com/

Image: Museums and Galleries of NSW

Bankstown Arts Centre

5 Olympic Parade Bankstown NSW 2200

For More Information on Exhibitions & Workshops:  http://www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au/index.aspx?nid=323

Image: Axolotl

Fairfield City Museum and Gallery

634 The Horsley Drive Smithfield NSW 2164

For More Information on Exhibitions & Workshops: ://www.livingmuseum.com.au/

Listen up y'all, cause this is it. The eats that we're dishin' are delicious.

Remember that time the homeless guy on Big Daddy compared Sonny and Julian to lamb and tunafish, and spaghetti and meatballs? We're thinking someone might just have to release a retake of the movie just so Steve Buscemi can pair fine dining with Western Sydney. We thought we'd never see those two words used in combination but then La Tratt restaurant comes out with this killer menu that's got us imagining ourselves flying first class up in the sky (pop the champagne) living the life. Can you say glamorous? (Oh the flossy, flossy). 

A quick look at their website confirmed all our suspicions. La Tratt is actually Fergalicious (T-t-t-tasty-tasty). After you navigate through their cheesy flash introduction (which I'll forgive because I'm a big girl here and big girls don't cry over tacky websites) this line of sheer ingenuity comes up. "There's no love sincerer than the love of food." Now if that definition doesn't make them boys go loco I don't know what will. Get yourself over to La Tratt now - god knows every time I come around my London London Bridge want to go down. 

But plot twist: the restaurant is actually nestled within an RSL club. Trololol. Your childhood is probably flashing before your eyes and you're thinking of those $10 steaks you had at Dooleys or the $12 schnitty at Rooty Hill RSL but these photos will prove fine fining really does exist in Western Sydney. 

If you ain't got no money take yo' broke ass home.

1. Tagima wagyu score 6 beef carpaccio with truffle percorino, apple, baby herb salad, anchovy mayonnaise and free range egg yolk

If the name doesn't scream "I'm so fancy, you already know" then you should probably reevaluate your definition of fine dining. First things first this carpaccio is the realest. And secondly you should really want a bad bitch like this. I mean look at that egg yolk.

2. Cone Bay barramundi with heirloom tomatoes, green olives, capers, braised fennel puree and goats curd

The chef clearly nailed that "effortless thrown on the plate but really I spent the last 30 minutes using a pair of tweezers to strategically place everything whilst contemplating how acceptably late I can get this out to the customer" look and we're not even going to pretend otherwise.

3. Lemon and marscarpone tart with vanilla cream, citrus and blood orange candy

If Bourke Street Bakery's creme brûlée tart manifested itself into an Italian fine dining offering in Western Sydney this would be it.You know what makes them fancy? Those freakin' orange peels on the side. I mean look at those curls. Curlz get da gurlz.

4. Italian doughnuts, vanilla bean ice cream, cinnamon sugar, hazelnuts and dulce de leche

Because in the words of one famous Homer J Simpson "doughnuts, is there anything they can't do?" Can we all just take a moment to note that these are balls of fried dough. Balls of fried dough. Balls. Of. Fried. Dough. Seriously?! They are pieces of flour soaked in oil and they look that good. This is fine dining at its peak people.

5. Morello cherry and gilliano semifreddo with dark chocolate praline

Okay let's not kid ourselves. You know food gets serious when flower petals are used as a garnish. If you had to rate garnishes on a scale of Hilary Duff to Amanda Bynes, watercress would be Hilary (nice) and flower petals would be Amanda (off the rails). 

6. Rhubarb rose compote, vanilla panna cotta, almond crumble, meringue and fairy floss

Okay this dessert is actually being the biggest tease. It's pretty much yelling Nelly Furtardo lyrics at me. Oh yep, promiscuous girl you're teasing me. You know what I want and it's that vanilla panna cotta. 

Imaged sourced from: Buggles and Squeak, Eat Show and Tell, The Daily Telegraph, Timeout, Urbanspoon.

It's getting close to that time of the year where grown up women have to make the ultimate choice between squeezing into a nurse costume made for a 6 year old or throwing away all hopes of looking sexy to go all out Cady-Heron-from-Mean-Girls-style.

Thankfully for you, this year all you guys and gals no longer have to deal with the inner conflict over whether to be sexy or scary - you get to be both and we're going to show you how!

Image: Amok Magazine

In the spirit of Halloween, we couldn't think of better time to provide our beloved readers with some inspiration on how to best to rep your #westiepride and embody the true essence of the Western Suburbs through your costume choice.

Read on for 7 iconic Western Sydney halloween costume ideas:

1. El Jannah Chips and Garlic Sauce

Images: BW Foods; Wordpress via Galontrip; Syndian

2. More of a dessert person? Not a worry - dress up as a pandan waffle #2166

Images: Angie Lives to Eat; Battle Field Heroes

3. Trent from Punchy - The list wouldn't be complete without him

Image: Essential Baby

4.  We had to include our favourite noodles Pho sure

Image: Pinterest via Siohui411

5. Sports fans, we have you covered... (abs optional)

Image: Brisbane Times

6. For those of you who want to spice up your Halloween:

Image: Dining and Opining

7. Everything above a bit too out-there? Play it safe with Western Sydney's most iconic bevvy. Definitely can't go wrong.

Image: IMGCDN 

“Summer has come and passed,

The innocent can never last,

Wake me up, when this SEMESTER ENDS…”

Trust me, I know. This semester couldn’t be any longer… And it couldn’t finish any sooner either. With all these assessments and exams creeping around the corner, may as well push me in front of a bus. At least I’ll suffer the pain more quickly (and avoid having to do any work). And while you’re at it, invite all the members of my group project to my funeral so they can let me down, one last time… LOL jokesssss. What I propose is a more safer (and sane) solution to rest and refresh your mind. It’s taking a mental health day. A day off fo yourself when you feel like you’re taking on a lot of stress at once, whether it’s studies, work, or just life in general. If your body and your mind is aching for some relaxation, serenity and inner peace, what you need is a day where you just sit in a quiet place where you can breathe in fresh air away from work and from all the people around you. A day of escape.

Personally, some of the best days of my life have involved me just sitting down and looking out over a picturesque landscape, where I can just let go of all the struggles and worries that face me. And so, we’ve compiled the best, quietest, lookouts where you too can break away from reality for a moment in time. Breathe in the beauty of this world, and simply give yourself that mental break you need.

Mount Portal Lookout, Glenbrook

Perched atop the lower ridges of Blue Mountains National Park, Mount Portal lookout offers magnificent views of the junction between Glenbrook Gorge and the mighty Nepean River. You can really see where wilderness of the mountains meets civilisation.

Burragorang Lookout and picnic area, Nattai

Talk about being able to see for miles. High above Warragamba Dam, on a Blue mountains escarpment, Burragorang lookout and picnic area is a spectacular viewing point for nature’s great beauty.

Great river walk, Hawkesbury

The Great River Walk offers stunning scenery along the Hawkesbury-Nepean River and is perfect for having a calm stroll, or bike ride. There are various lookouts and sites of interest along the walk that are simply picturesque including one overlooking the river’s mouth at Broken Bay to its headquarters at Lake Bathurst.

The Rock lookout, Mulgoa

Situated in the historic Mulgoa Valley, a short track of a few hundred metres leads to ‘The Rock’ with superb views of the Nepean River. Surrounding is the swampy heath of the Eucalyptus forest to Riley’s mountain where more views of the surrounds can be enjoyed.       

Nepean dam, Bargo

One of the most peaceful places of the list. Enjoy the impressive views of the lake upstream and gorge downstream, spotting out the long line of Roman Cypress trees and beautiful flora that follow the line of the spillway.

Images Sourced: National parks, Macarthur Meanderings, Screencentral, Screencentral, SCA