Western Sydney Parklands–Canal Reserve cycleway
| Western Sydney Parklands-Canal Reserve cycleway | |
|---|---|
 The shared cycleway at the Lower Prospect Canal Reserve | |
| Length | 16.4 kilometres (10.2 mi) |
| Location | Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Trailheads |
|
| Use | Cycling; pedestrians |
| Elevation change | 52 metres (171 ft) |
| Highest point | 90 metres (300 ft) AHD |
| Lowest point | 38 metres (125 ft) AHD |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Season | All seasons |
| Sights | Boothtown Aqueduct, Prospect Reservoir |
| Hazards | Flooding, snakes |
The Western Sydney Parklands-Canal Reserve cycleway is a 16.4-kilometre-long (10.2 mi)[1], semi-crescent shaped, shared-use path for cyclists and pedestrians that is generally aligned with Prospect Nature Reserve, Western Sydney Regional Park and the Lower Prospect Canal Reserve in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Mostly off-road, the long cycleway features two divisions, Prospect Dam to Abbotsbury Cyclepath in the west and the Prospect Canal Reserve Cycleway in the east, where it begins at Calmsley Hill Farm in Western Sydney Parklands and ends at Merrylands to the far east. It passes through the local government areas of Fairfield and Cumberland City Council.
Route
[edit]Abbotsbury to Prospect Dam
[edit]
The fully paved section of off-road cycleway starts from Calmsley Hill City Farm at Abbotsbury in Western Sydney Regional Park and leads to the Prospect Dam wall picnic ground for 8-kilometre (5.0 mi). The one major road crossing of The Horsley Drive has traffic lights, another smaller road (Chandos Road) is crossed at grade. Connection alongside The Horsley Drive to the Westlink M7 path is also an off-road path. It provides access to Western Sydney Regional Park and a large number of mountain bike trails of all standards. There is a rest area (called The Dairy) with toilets and drinkable water.
There is no development along the route and therefore no nearby vehicle traffic or pedestrians. The section between The Horsely Drive and The Dairy is particularly scenic with small undulations and smooth bends. There is a steep descent and climb near the City Farm. A short detour can be made up a very steep hill to the 'Moonrise Lookout' for scenic views of the Sydney Basin, and as well the rest of the Regional Park. It makes entry to the dam at Chandos Road in the north and then trails to Walder Park in the Prospect Nature Reserve.[1]
Prospect Dam to Canal Reserve
[edit]
South of Prospect Dam, the cycleway continues from Prospect Nature Reserve in west just south of Walder Park then continues through Prospect Highway and Prospect Hill in the centre where it bypasses Marrong Reserve South, with an entry point to Prospect Creek cycleway. Crossing on the prominent landmark known as the Boothtown Aqueduct, it then finally leads to the Pipehead at Guildford West and concludes at Fowler Road in Merrylands in the east.[2]
Entry and exit points are: Frank Street at Guildford, Albert Street cnr Tennyson Pde at Guildford, Sherwood Road at Merrylands, Cumberland Highway at Merrylands, Cumberland Road at Greystanes, Macquarie Road/Taylor Street at Greystanes, Gipps Road at Greystanes, Bayfield Road at Greystanes, Hyland Road at Greystanes, Reconciliation Road at Wetherill Park and Prospect Reservoir.
The cycleway has no road crossings at all for 6.5-kilometre (4.0 mi) due to the original canal bridge crossings being retained and used by the cycleway. It is therefore an ideal area for families to ride. There are cycle path connections at the western end to Pemulwuy and Wetherill park, at the eastern end to the Parramatta-Liverpool Rail Trail and at the Cumberland Hwy to the Liverpool–Parramatta T-way path. A water bubbler has been provided near the Taylor Street access path (2-kilometre (1.2 mi) west of the Cumberland Highway).
The path was closed at Prospect Dam in 2010 due to works carried out by Boral, resulting in community outcry.[3] The path was restored to working order in September 2010[4] and is currently usable at the western end to the Prospect Dam area boundary with an at grade traffic light crossing of Reconciliation Road. The path was closed at Prospect Dam from September 2013 to March 2015 [5] due to maintenance work on the dam wall and a major underground electricity cable was laid through the reserve alongside the path and many of the entry/exit paths were then replaced.[6] Community groups continue to fight for a bridge over Reconciliation Road with some funding provided by the previous Labour State government but funding remains uncompleted ever since March 2014. As of March 2020, no major works on track and it is a wonderful public facility.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Abbotsbury, New South Wales to 158 Fowler Rd, Guildford NSW (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ^ "Lower Prospect Canal Reserve". Holyroyd Council. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012.
- ^ "Build our bridge campaign". Canal Reserve Action Group. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016./
- ^ "Lower prospect canal reserve - "traffic reports"". Archived from the original on 14 October 2016.
- ^ "Cyclists get on their bike". Daily telegraph.
- ^ "Cyclists pleased with bridge over divide". Parramatta Sun. Archived from the original on 29 November 2013.