The Walk: This single section is an option to replace two sections of the full circular walk. Good walking surface throughout. If you choose to take the optional detours you will be on trackless, steep grassland and rough tracks.
Distance: 3.6 km (4.3 km with two detours to Greystanes Hill and Prospect Lookout)
Time: 40 minutes (1 hr 05 min with detours)
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.

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. Then take the first right, Picrite Close. Follow this to its far end. Note how close you are to your starting point across the meadow to your right but there's no way across. At the end of Picrite Close there's a footpath. Ignore the "Footpath Closed" sign as the footpath is clearlt open! Following the footpath note how near you are to Water Tower Hill on your right. Again there's no way through. The footpath comes out on Reconciliation Road.

Here you are starting to see the inside of Prospect Hill, which is now (January 2010) a vast flat landscape ready for the building of a huge complex of sheds - warehouses, factories, call centres, etc. It is surrounded by the walls of the recently worked out Prospect Quarry, which have now been made safe by various stabilisation techniques.

Turn left along Reconciliation Road (away from the quarry) and you will soon find a place made for walkers and cyclists to cross. Cross over the road with care.

At this point you may like to follow Short Cut B along Reconciliation Road, and so cut your Circular walk by more than half and return to Andrew Campbell Reserve.

Continuation

If you wish to continue on this walk section to Pemulwuy, walk northwards along Reconciliation Road to the nearby roundabout and turn right up Butu Wargun Drive. Walk to the top and through the small opening left for pedestrians and cyclists, to the small roundabout just beyond.

This is where the first optional detour starts. You will return to this point. On the left by the roundabout there is an entrance to an area of rough ground. See our Access page. If you are going to give the two detours a miss then click here to continue on the main route>

Locate a narrow path which crosses some piles of loose dirt, then some older, more compacted quarry waste before dropping steeply for a couple of metres to the quarry floor. You will now be faced with the rock wall of an old quarry. The path circumvents this round its right-hand edge and then takes you leftwards along the top of the quarry face.

Take care with your footing here as the path slopes sideways towards the drop. A moment later the path turns right and you can walk through an open gate on to the summit of Prospect Lookout, which is graced by a jacaranda tree and an old eucalyptus of undetermined species. The highest point is probably by the fence about equidistant between the two trees. Watch out for some old barbed wire lying in the grass by the eucalyptus.

Here it's the views to the east and north which are spectacular. Eastwards there is now an unobstructed view over Sydney. To the north-west the tall, square building with four flags is Blacktown Workers' Club with the Blacktown Council Building just to its right. The northern horizon lacks features but is distant nonetheless. Nearby, from north to east there was grassland right down to the creek until November 2008 when building started on the latest housing development area, which is now (October 2009) creeping well up the hillside. It's a pity - because this area has been used for agriculture since the first land grants to thirteen time-expired convicts in 1791 (See the Settlement page), and for hunting and gathering for thousands of years before that. Most recently it was used by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) from 1946 until about 2001 for research into animal breeding and husbandry. See the Prospect Lookout page for more details.

Now retrace your steps to Bugu Wargun Drive by going back through the pair of open gates and turning left to follow a narrow path which turns left again. Take care with your footing here as the path slopes sideways towards the old quarry face below you on the right. The path then turns right and you will see the rock wall of the old quarry. The path crosses some overgrown hillocks of quarry waste before reaching a narrow gate in the boundary fence. Pass through into Butu Wargun Drive by the roundabout.

For the second detour look for an entrance to the Marrong Reserve in front of you. The most likely place is here just by the roundabout. In spite of the description of this area as a recreational area in numerous documents (See quotation), the Council has not made any clear provision for access. At best the possibilities are intermittent. See our Access page. If you are unable to find a way in, you will have to miss Prospect Hill's highest viewpoint and continue the walk here.

If you are able to enter the Marrong Reserve, then a faint 4x4 track leads half-right towards the crest of the ridge, then curves round left alongside the fence which follows the crest as it rises to a level section at the top. It's difficult to decide when you have arrived at the exact highest point, but I reckon it's where there is a noticeable pine stump. There is a "goodly prospect" westward to the Blue Mountains (1). Prospect Reservoir is hidden by the western ridge of Prospect Hill, on the summit of which you can see the two water towers.

At this point the view eastwards is obscured by nearby pine trees, but if you move a few metres further along you will see the high rise buildings of Sydney's CBD. The thin stalk of Sydney Tower is unmistakable and, further to the left, the arch of Sydney Harbour Bridge can also be seen. A little to the right of Sydney Tower, and still in front of the CBD buildings you can also make out the arch of the main stadium at Olympic Park.

To the south you can see the South Summit of Prospect Hill and to its right the Gap (through which the industrial sheds of Wetherill Park are visible). Looking further right is Reservoir Hill, the impressive cliffs of the west wall of the quarry, and finally Water Tower Hill. At ground level, this hill is just a metre lower than where you are standing. Keen eyes will pick out a trig. station on top of the older, left-hand water tower.

Plans are afoot to create a proper walkway which will wind its way along the ridge you are standing on, both southwards towards the South Summit and northwards to Prospect Lookout. It will be a board walk with lookout points, interpretation panels and seats. I hope the bush atmosphere will be preserved also. Now retrace your steps down to the roundabout on Butu Wargun Drive.

Turn right down Butu Wargun Drive towards the relatively new suburb of Pemulwuy. This road has remained closed to traffic since it was made a few of years ago. Since the "temporary" closure of the Lower Prospect Canal Reserve walkway however, it has been open as a walkway/cycleway. Cross the bridge over Girraween Creek and you will be at the junction of Butu Wargun Drive and Driftway Drive. This is the hub of the new suburb of Pemulwuy and end of this Section of the Circular Walk.

Next Section of the Circular Walk

(1) Local lore says that the phrase "a goodly prospect" was quoted by Governor Phillip, thus giving rise to the name Prospect Hill. I can find no authority for this. The phrase is from John Milton's Paradise Lost of 1667 (Milton 1667, Book 3): "... Obtains the brow of some high-climbing Hill,/ Which to his eye discovers unaware/ The goodly prospect of some forein land/ First seen, or some renownd Metropolis/ With glistering spires and pinnacles adornd..." I have argued elsewhere in this web site that it is more likely that Watkin Tench was the one who named Prospect Hill. He was the first to record an ascent of the hill and his detailed knowledge of Paradise Lost is a matter of historical record. Indeed he used several quotations from it (though not the one quoted above) in his description of his ascent of Prospect Hill. (« Back)