Whalan is located 44 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region. While there are limited commercial and retail outlets within Whalan, Emerton, Plumpton, and Mount Druitt are all in very close proximity and offer access to a wide range of supermarkets, banks, and discount department stores. This suburb is linked by several private bus companies to the train stations located at Mount Druitt and St Marys.