The first major transport to the area was by the Sydney Harbour and the Parramatta River. The early British settlers reported frequent encounters with the indigenous people in canoes on the harbour and river. During the 1800s there are references to timber being taken from the area along the Duck River and Haslems Creek. The first Sydney to Parramatta Road, a rough track, was built in 1797 under the direction of the Surveyor General, Augustus Alt. In October 1797, a bridge was built across Duck River. During the 1800s a number of attempted were made to conduct ferry services from Sydney to Parramatta. Ferry services continued to Silverwater until the 1920s. The RiverCat service, of the 1990s has a stopping point at Homebush Bay, which will be used during the Sydney Olympics.

Railways

A railway station was opened at Lidcombe in 1859, but it was then called Haslems Creek. The previous year the first railway accident, on the first railway line in Australia happened at Haslems Creek. This station has changed over the years. The name was changed to Rookwood in 1877 and Lidcombe in 1913. The most recent of many upgrades of facilities was in 1999/2000. A goods siding was authorised at Auburn in October 1876 but it had a passenger platform by 1877.

This station has also had many upgrades, notably in 1909 and 1994/95. There was a line built from Lidcombe to Potts Hill in 1913, which was mainly used for delivery of construction material to the Reservoir, but there was a passenger station at Regents Park. This was reconstructed and a Line to Cabramatta was opened in 1924, with stations at Berala and Regents Park.

Buses

John Raine started a coach service, Sydney to Parramatta, in 1823. Horse-drawn cabs were available for transport from Rookwood station in the late 1870s. From 1917 George Sinclair began a service from Auburn Station to Newington Hospital. For the operators these early services must have been tough going, because even in the 1920s buses were still being bogged in wet weather. Some families and firms associated with bus services are McVicar, Sinclair and Auburn Motor Bus Co. Since the redevelopment of the Homebush site for the Olympics the Urban Transport Authority has been running services to that site from Lidcombe Station.

Roads

1860s to 1880s a number of major roads through the area were officially gazetted. - Bachell Avenue, 1864; Kerrs Road c1874; Station and Auburn Roads 1880-81; Water Street 1880-81. The first trials of using asphalt to seal roads were begun in 1920, but it was not until the 1970s that the sealing of the full width of the residential streets became common practice. Other major Roads are Olympic Drive built 1969/70 and the M4 Motorway 1980/1984.