The Walk: Almost all on roads, from a busy highway to a peaceful tree-lined avenue
Distance: 2.25 km
Time: 45 minutes
Car parking: at Andrew Campbell Reserve in the Prospect Reservoir grounds off Reservoir Road, Prospect. Open 10 a.m. to 4.45 pm. (6.45 p.m during Daylight Saving)
Getting there: Hillsbus 700 to Prospect Highway-Blacktown Road; walk along Prospect Highway across Gt Western Highway and M4. At next roundabout turn right into Reservoir Road and then 2nd left into Prospect Reservoir precinct; walk start is a short way along the avenue of hooped pines. By car access the Reservoir precinct from Reservoir Road.
The starting point and first few hundred metres of this walk are now inaccessible to the public and will be until December 2014. This is because the Prospect Reservoir precinct is closed until the end of December 2014. Please see Latest News for details. If you are following our Circular Walk, you will need to re-join the route at the northern end of Picrite Close after following our Canal Reserve crossing to the end of Picrite Path link walk and then walking along Pictrite Path and Picrite Close to Reservoir Road. See the map on our Circular Walk page.
Start this section of the Circular Walk by walking north from the Andrew Campbell Reserve (towards Blacktown) along the fine avenue of hooped pines, Araucaria cunninghamii that was planted in connection with the construction of Prospect Reservoir in the 1880s.
Walk to the left of the post-and-wire fence on the left for a safer and more pleasant walk. On the left you will pass a row of paddocks, but behind these is a large area of bushland, described as,
... one of the finest examples of the native bushland left in the western suburbs of Sydney... It is classified as Cumberland Plain Woodland... In the protected catchment [of Prospect Reservoir] degrading influences are largely absent and this is reflected in the excellent bushland condition. (Heritage, Prospect Reservoir and surrounding area).
Walk past the entrance of Pecky's Playground to the gates of the Reservoir precinct and
turn right along Reservoir Road. This is part of the old Great Western Road. Turn left at the roundabout by the Coptic Catholic Church to walk north along the new walkway/cycleway on the left-hand side of Prospect Highway.
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.
At the traffic lights continue straight on by crossing the road on your left which is the westbound on-ramp of the M4 Motorway. Continue along the left-hand verge of Prospect Highway which takes you across the Motorway bridge.
At the roundabout, again continue straight on by crossing (with great care!) the road on your left. This is the westbound off-ramp of the M4 Motorway. (For safety, walk down the ramp until you can clearly see approaching traffic.) Continue along the left side of Prospect Highway, staying off the road itself even though there is no footpath. Stay behind the barriers until you reach the bridge over the Great Western Highway. Here cross Prospect Highway with care - it is the safest place but the traffic is still heavy and fast.
After crossing, turn right and walk back along Prospect Highway across the disused tarmac area and continue down Ponds Road. Remembering that Ponds Road is a two-way road (on and off ramp) with fast traffic, cross with care. As an official report to Blacktown City Council has said,
Nature of surrounding roads and freeway and on/off ramps - good vehicular amenity but poor/impossible for pedestrians and cyclists (Blacktown 2004). However you've made it!
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Continue down Ponds Road to the entrance to the cemetery. You can explore the churchyard of St Bartholomew's Parish Church from here. However this Circular Walk route continues down Ponds Road and then the "new" six-lane Highway staying on the south (right) side, and taking care as the traffic is often thick and always fast. Children need close supervision.
Soon you will come to a turning on the right leading to a locked gate. Although now named Tarlington Place, this is the old Great Western Road which wound its way through old Prospect village before the line was straightened in 1968 (Prospect HT, Great Western Highway). This part of the road now comes to an end at the Motorway - its continuation can be found at the other side. Beyond the gate you will see the old Prospect Store and Post Office, now fenced and boarded up to prevent vandalism. It was run by James Watts and his family from 1867 to 1945 (Prospect HT, Post Office). At least the NSW State Government is preserving it, but some modern use needs to be found for it, as the search for a tenant seems to have been unsuccessful (Heritage, Prospect Post Office (former)).
Continue along the Highway or slip through to the gravel parking area on the right. Note the views of Prospect Lookout Hill and Water Tower Hill on your right. In a moment you will arrive at the Prospect Hotel which is itself on a historic site - almost. Lawrence Hyland built the original Prospect Inn in the 1850s (Prospect HT, Prospect Hotel). It was demolished in 1964 when the Highway was made a dual carriageway. The present building is behind the site of the old Inn which was where the present westbound carriageway lies. This is the end of this section of the walk.