1st October 2015

The precinct of Prospect Reservoir is once again open to the public after being closed for more than a year while repair work was being carried out on the dam wall

22nd February 2015

The very good news is that the highest point of Prospect Hill is at last fully accessible. The work to convert the summit area around what I have called Greystanes Hill is complete and there are walkways from Butu Wargun Drive and Daruga Avenue leading to the top. It's a great place to be on New Year's Eve as you can see the fireworks displays at Parramatta and in Sydney Harbour as many people did this recent NYE.

On the pages about the Circular Walk, Prospect Hotel to Andrew Campbell Reserve and Andrew Campbell Reserve to Prospect Hotel, I wrote:

The next few minutes are the most dangerous part of the walk as the provision for pedestrians in the vicinity is appallingly non-existent. Make sure that children are well supervised.

The good news is that a shared cycleway-walkway has been completed and now runs from St Martins Crescent, Blacktown to a point opposite the gates of the Prospect Reservoir precinct in Reservoir Road. Traffic light protected crossing points are in operation at the crossings of the off- and on-ramps of the M4 Motorway. However care still needs to be taken crossing the off-ramp of the Great Western Highway by St Bartholomews Chruch where it joins Prospect Highway and the nearby crossing of the Highway

We understand that the repair work to the dam wall of Prospect Reservoir is complete and the precint will be open as soon as safety work on the public areas is complete.

23rd December 2013

On the pages about the Circular Walk, Prospect Hotel to Andrew Campbell Reserve and Andrew Campbell Reserve to Prospect Hotel, I wrote:

The next few minutes are the most dangerous part of the walk as the provision for pedestrians in the vicinity is appallingly non-existent. Make sure that children are well supervised.

This warning is still applicable but the good news is that work is in progress to complete the walkway/cyleway from Blacktown to the junction of Reconciliation Road and Reservoir Road. Most of the work is completed but the most dangerous section near St Bartholomew's Chucrh is still under construction and so may be still dangerous or even impassable until it too is complete. In particular, care still needs to be taken crossing the off-ramp of the M4 Motorway where it joins Prospect Highway.

The roundabout on Prospect Highway on the south side of the M4 has been replaced by a traffic-light protected crossroads. This should make the crossing of the M4 on-ramp safer for walkers.

Further news is that Reconciliation Road is now open as a through route for vehicles travelling between Prospect Highway, Prospect, and the Davis Road/Widemere Road junction in Wetherill Park. With this new through route, expect traffic to increase with consequent increased danger to children on the walkway alongside and at the crossing of the Canal Reserve Footpath. In fact there is no need to use this crossing now as the footpath is blocked a few metres to the west where it enters Sydney Water's territory. (See the news item of 20th November 2013 below.)

20th November 2013

The Sydney Catchment Authority has now closed the whole of the Prospect Reservoir Precinct in order to undertake repair work to the dam. This closure will last until the end of 2014.

This means that there is no access to the picnic sites at Walder Park below the dam or near Andrew Campbell Reserve. Water Tower Hill also becomes inaccessible. The western section of our circular walk is now closed, that is the part from the crossing with Reconciliation Road to the Reservoir Precinct gates at Reservoir Road, Prospect. On the map on our Circular Walk page this is most of the green section and a small part of the yellow section.

Our recommendation for an alternative route is the light blue section on this map. From the crossing of the Canal Reserve path and Reconciliation Road follow the road northwards as described on the Canal Reserve crossing to the end of Picrite Path page. When you reach the footpath on the left leading to Picrite Close you can carry straight on along Reconciliation Road to rejoin the main circular walk (Section Andrew Campbell Reserve to Prospect Hotel) at the roundabout by the Coptic Catholic Church.

If you are doing the circular walk in the anti-clockwise direction, leave the Prospect Hotel to Andrew Campbell Reserve section at the roundabout by the Coptic Catholic Church. Carry straight on at the roundabout along Reconcilation Road and you will soon be on the End of Picrite Path to the Canal Reserve crossing link section. Follow this to the traffic light crossing. Here turn left along the Canal Reserve walkway and you are again on our Circular Walk. See the last part of the Andrew Campbell Reserve to Hyland Road page from the heading Continuation

29th September 2010: Correction

A small correction: the fine avenue of hooped pines, Araucaria cunninghamii, along the access road to Prospect Reservoir was planted in connection with the construction of Prospect Reservoir in the 1880s (not as I had stated, by William Lawson of Veteran Hall). It seems that the present access road does not follow the line of the entrance drive to Veteran Hall. I am indebted to Jill Finch of Prospect Heritage Trust for this information.

27th September 2010: A work in progress

I previously wrote, "The web site is not quite finished..." and I apologised for any gaps, blank pages, errors and bad links. I realise now that this web site will probably be for ever a "work in progress" as new information comes to light. Prospect Hill itself is still very much a "work in progress" with rapid developments taking place all around its slopes.

Enjoy!

And please let me know what you think of it so far (using the Feedback Page).

21st December 2009: Prospect Hill web site launched at last!

I have decided to launch this Prospect Hill web site today, 21st December 2009, to celebrate the permanent re-opening of the Prospect Canal Reserve walkway/cycleway after eighteen months of closure and two months of weekend only opening. The re-opening enables our Circular Walks to be completed, as we planned before the closure.