Which hill is Prospect Hill?

1. The whole J-shaped ridge is Prospect Hill.

Historically it would appear that the term "Prospect Hill" was applied to the whole J-shaped ridge of the igneous intrusion and its slopes.

A map published by Lieutenant David Collins shows the J shape of the hill with the name Prospect Hill clearly intended to apply to the whole of it (Collins 1802).

A map dated to 1894, also shows the name "Prospect Hill" printed by the SE part of the whole ridge, while the Triangulation Station at the former 122 metre summit of Greystanes Hill is labelled "Prospect TS."

This is the accepted meaning of Prospect Hill according to most independent writers. It is also accepted by the authors of Holroyd City Council's Prospect Hill Heritage Landscape Study and Plan Final Report where they write:

Prospect Hill is a major topographic feature of igneous rock forming one of the highest points between the coast and Blue Mountains. The Prospect Hill SHR [State Heritage Register] Area forms only part of this landform which constitutes a large U-shaped ridge extending approximately 2130m long in a north south direction and 1070m wide in an east west direction and covering 280 hectares (Holroyd 2008, p 31).

2. The eastern part of the J-shaped ridge.

The NSW State Heritage Register starts promisingly by appearing to agree that Prospect Hill is the whole J-shaped ridge of the igneous intrusion:

As a dolerite outcrop rising to a height of 117 metres above sea level, Prospect Hill is a rare geological and significant topographic feature... Prospect Hill is Sydney's largest body of igneous rock and rises to a height of 117 metres above sea level.

Unfortunately it then shows that it is really only referring to the eastern part of the ridge:

[Prospect] hill is located between the south-west corner of CSIRO Division of Animal Production site and the south-east corner of the Boral Resources (NSW) site at Greystanes. (Heritage, Prospect Hill).

This clearly implies a quite limited definition of Prospect Hill as the eastern ridge of the total J-shaped formation. This is confirmed on page 9 of Holroyd City's Final Report where it is stated that,

Greystanes Estate (330ha) was rezoned into two broad land uses using Prospect Hill as a physical dividing element between the land zoned for residential use (110ha) to the east and employment generating uses (200ha) to the west.

If Prospect Hill had been recognised to be the whole igneous formation of the J-shaped ridge then the "employment generating uses" would have been positioned "in the centre" rather then "to the west." (Holroyd 2008, p 9).

3. The part of the Prospect Hill SHR Area north of Butu Wargun Drive.

This is an even more limited definition of Prospect Hill, essentially defining it as the nothernmost top which has been known as Prospect Lookout (Holroyd 2008, p 27, text and map). This definition of Prospect Hill is repeated at various points in the Final Plan (Holroyd 2008, eg. p 11). Whether it is intended deliberately to diminish the importance of the whole J-shaped ridge of Prospect Hill I cannot say, but that is a possible effect.

4. The summit with two water towers on the western ridge, which I have called "Water Tower Hill"

That this is Prospect Hill is perhaps implied by Sydney Water's naming of one of the towers as Prospect Hill Reservoir (Elevated). On the other hand it could be consistent with Prospect Hill being the whole J-shaped ridge. (Heritage, Prospect Hill Reservoir (Elevated)).

However Land and Property Information NSW (the State mapping authority) seems to give more credence to Prospect Hill being Water Tower Hill only. On its 1:25 000 Topographic map the label "Prospect Hill" appears on the western slope of Water Tower Hill (Prospect map). There appears to be plenty of space on the map to have placed it more centrally within the whole J-shaped ridge if the name was intended to apply to that whole ridge. So I assume it applies to Water Tower Hill.

The Geographical Names Board of NSW seems to concur, describing Prospect Hill as being in Blacktown Local Governmant Area (LGA). Water Tower Hill is in Blacktown (by a whisker) whereas most of the "whole ridge" is in Holroyd LGA.

5. The ultimate result of these confusions:

On adjacent pages of Boral's Historic Heritage Assessment of 2006, two different summits are referred to as Prospect Hill. The first reference is in fact to Water Tower Hill, at the northern end of the west ridge, as can be verified by reference to the Heritage Listing quoted there:

Prospect Hill, Prospect Reservoir and surrounding area (including the Lower Canal), and the Veteran Hall Archaeological Site, are listed on the State Heritage Register.

The second reference is, on the other hand, to the Prospect Hill State Heritage Register Area, which comprises part of the east ridge:

Holroyd City Council has identified heritage items on Schedule 1 (Heritage Items) of the Holroyd LEP 1991, these include Prospect Hill (item 69) and the Boral Main Gate... (Boral 2, p 6).

Since many of the documents where these conflicting definitions of Prospect Hill are used are official planning documents and State Heritage Register entries (also used in planning processes) I believe it is important that names should be used consistently. I have used Prospect Hill to refer to the complete topographic feature of a J-shaped ridge and its surrounding slopes. Where I refer to particular summits or other parts of the ridge I have used distinguishing names for them. Prospect Lookout and One Tree Hill have been used in the past by others. I have not come across other names for particular summits and so have used my own names which I have introduced in the Description section of this web site.