Prospect Nature Reserve | |
---|---|
Type | Urban park, wildlife park, nature reserve |
Location | Prospect |
Coordinates | 33°48′40″S150°53′11″E / 33.8111°S 150.8864°E |
Area | 325.3 ha (804 acres) |
Elevation | 60–120 metres (197–394 ft) |
Owned by | NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service |
Operated by | Sydney Water [1] |
Status | Open all year |
Prospect Nature Reserve is a nature reserve and recreational area that is situated in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, which incorporates the Prospect Reservoir, and also features picnic spots, lookouts, walking tracks and BBQ areas within the Australian bush. [2] It is located within the Blacktown City local government area, but is also close to the boundaries of Cumberland Council (to the east) and the City of Fairfield (to the south). [3]
One of the largest reserves in Western Sydney, it was established on 28 February 2007, although the picnic areas have been open decades prior to that date. The reserve and its surroundings, including the Eastern Creek landscape, are of significant cultural worth to the Darug people, also having weighty scientific and educational values. [4]
Situated within the eastern reaches of Western Sydney Parklands, the reserve contains remnants of Cumberland Plain Woodland that erstwhile occurred extensively in Western Sydney. It contains the largest area of Grey Box Woodland within the Blacktown area, which comprises both the Shale Plains Woodland and Shale Hills Woodland elements of the Cumberland Plain. The vegetation condition varies from a young eucalypt canopy with a low diversity understorey to eucalypt regrowth in a largely exotic pasture. Other areas are exotic pastures with no native element present. [3]
Other plant species in the area include, Forest Red Gum (E. Tereticornis), Spotted Gum (Corymbia maculata), Thin-leaf stringybark (E. eugenioides) narrow-leaved ironbark (E. Crebra), Blackthorn (Bursaria spinosa), Pimelea spicata, Acacia pubescens, Hickory (Acacia implexa), Native Indigo (Indigofera australis) and Dodonaea viscosa. Hoop pines are featured at the reserve's entrance. [5]
Bushland condition is best in the northern section and decreases in the southern areas. A rapid flora survey of Prospect Reservoir (approximately 1 km North from spoil site) revealed over fifty native species. [3] 7.6% to 11.5% of the original bushland of this community in 1750 still remains. Most vegetation of the Nature Reserve (about two thirds) is Shale Hills Woodland, reaching the northern limit on the Nature Reserve, with the remaining third being Shale Plains Woodland. Dominated by reed and rushes including Juncus spp, wetlands come about at the edge of the reservoir where they have formulated since inundation. [6] The bushland near the filtration plant is less diverse and more degraded than in the immediately adjacent Sydney Catchment Authority land. A similar but much more restricted suite of native species can be found there. Exotic species including Chloris gayana (Rhodes grass), Setaria gracilis (pigeon grass) and Eragrostis curvula (African love grass) dominate. These species are indicators of significant soil disturbance. [3] [7]
Invasive species include African olive (Olea europaea subsp. Africana), Moth plant (Araujia hortorum), Large-leaved privet (Ligustrum lucidum), Kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum), Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) and African Love Grass (Eragrostis curvula), Lantana (Lantana camara), Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana), Bridal Creeper (Asparagus asparagoides), Spiny Rush (Juncus acutus) and Arum Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica). [8] Less than 13% of CPW remains and a high proportion of this figure is heavily degraded through weed invasion, rubbish dumping, illegal vehicle use and overgrazing. In the protected catchment these degrading influences are largely absent and this is reflected in the excellent bushland condition. [3]
Prospect Reservoir is an important refuge for many fauna species in Western Sydney. Mammals such as wombats, echidnas and eastern grey kangaroos are listed as recent sightings in the National Park species atlas. Importantly, over 12 species of bats (including threatened species) have been recorded within the vicinity of the reservoir. [3]
Animals species in the reserve include a few bat, bird, and amphibians species, such as, Petaurus norfolcensis, Litoria aurea, Pteropus poliocephalus, Myotis macropus, Petaurus norfolcensis, Mormopterus norfolkensis, Falsistrellus tasmaniensis, Scoteanax rueppellii, Meridolum corneovirens, Lathamus discolor, Hieraaetus morphnoides, Tyto novaehollandiae and Daphoenositta chrysoptera. [9] Introduced species include rabbits, foxes, deer,feral cat, horse, European hare, house mouse, feral goats and black rat. [10]
The land is made up of Wianamatta Shale, which heavily influences the soils and vegetation on reserve and is characterised by shallow to reasonably deep soils, including red and brown podzolic soils on the peaks, and yellow podzolic soils on lower slopes and in drainage lines. There is a small pocket of cleared land, that drains off-catchment within the north-eastern boundary of the Nature Reserve. [11]
On the western slopes of George Maunder Lookout lies the Prospect dolerite intrusion, which is Sydney's largest body of igneous rock, that formed in the Early Jurassic after a volcanic activity where hot magmatic fluids moved through developing pegmatite and depositing prehnite, calcite and other secondary minerals found in the upper part of the intrusion. [12] The eroded residue of the volcanic core forms the hill (or the laccolith) that is the George Maunder Lookout (and as well as the rest of Prospect Hill just the west of the Reserve), which was battered down over millions of years to a small jut in the generally flat lands of western Sydney. [13]
The reserve has a number of park precincts with picnic spots and BBQ, from north to south, on the eastern corridor of Prospect Reservoir:
The reservoir is accessed by William Lawson Drive from Reservoir Road, which can be entered from Western Motorway to the north or Prospect Highway to the southeast. The reserve is located 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Parramatta and 5 km (3.1 mi) south of Blacktown, and is bounded by Reen and Reservoir Roads to the north, Ferrers Road to the west, and Prospect Reservoir to the south. [17] There is also a cycleway leading to the reserve that is accessed from Prospect Highway, at the park's southern vicinity, which trails just south of the reservoir to Westlink M7.
The Prospect Reservoir is open to public during the week and weekend (but not on public holidays) from 6:00 AM to 6:30 PM during daylight saving time and from 7:00 AM to 4:30 PM during non daylight saving time.
From October 2013 to July 2015, the reserve was closed due to upgrades of the reservoir, which costed $13.7 million. [18] Sydney Water owns and manages the picnic grounds at the reservoir. [19]
Prospect Reservoir and its nature reserve was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 18 November 1999 having satisfied the following criteria. [3]
The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.
This item is assessed as historically rare statewide. This item is assessed as scientifically rare statewide. [3]
The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales.
This item is assessed as aesthetically representative locally. [3]
Greater Western Sydney (GWS) is a large region of the metropolitan area of Greater Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia that generally embraces the north-west, south-west, central-west, far western and the Blue Mountains sub-regions within Sydney's metropolitan area and encompasses 11 local government areas: Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Camden, Campbelltown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Liverpool, Parramatta, Penrith and Wollondilly. It includes Western Sydney, which has a number of different definitions, although the one consistently used is the region composed of ten local government authorities, most of which are members of the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC). The NSW Government's Office of Western Sydney calls the region "Greater Western Sydney".
Bents Basin is a protected nature reserve and state park near Wallacia, New South Wales, Australia in the Sydney metropolitan area. The lake basin, which formed at the efflux of the Nepean River from the Hawkesbury Sandstone gorge, is a popular swimming hole with a camping area and an education centre used by local school groups. Also featuring a large woodland area and native wildlife, the reserve is the only picnic area along the Nepean River and it is one of the most popular water-based picnic parks in Greater Western Sydney.
Prospect is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Prospect is located 32 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Blacktown and a small part of Cumberland City Council, is part of the Greater Western Sydney region. One of the oldest suburbs in Sydney, Prospect takes its name from the prominent nearby landmark of Prospect Hill - from the top of which people could get a prospect of the surrounding countryside.
Prospect Creek is an urban watercourse of the Georges River catchment that is located in the western region of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia. As Prospect Reservoir forms a part of the Sydney metropolitan water supply, the flow of the creek is regulated in accordance with the operational requirements of Sydney Water.
The geography of Sydney is characterised by its coastal location on a basin bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Blue Mountains to the west, the Hawkesbury River to the north and the Woronora Plateau to the south. Sydney lies on a submergent coastline on the east coast of New South Wales, where the ocean level has risen to flood deep river valleys (rias) carved in the Sydney sandstone. Port Jackson, better known as Sydney Harbour, is one such ria.
The Prospect Reservoir is a heritage-listed 50,200-megalitre potable water supply and storage reservoir created by the Prospect Dam, across the Prospect Creek located in the Western Sydney suburb of Prospect, in New South Wales, Australia. The eastern bounds of the reservoir are a recreational area and the western periphery are within the bounds of Western Sydney Parklands. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 18 November 1999.
The Cumberland Plain, also known as Cumberland Basin, is a relatively flat region lying to the west of Sydney CBD in New South Wales, Australia. An IBRA biogeographic region, Cumberland Basin is the preferred physiographic and geological term for the low-lying plain of the Permian-Triassic Sydney Basin found between Sydney and the Blue Mountains, and it is a structural sub-basin of the Sydney Basin.
The Lower Prospect Canal Reserve is a heritage-listed former farm and public water supply canal and now bushy corridor and nature reserve stretching 7.7 kilometres (4.8 mi) through the heart of suburban Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The lineal corridor stretches from Prospect Reservoir to Sydney Water Pipehead at Albert Street, Guildford with the majority of the reserve located in Greystanes, which is a suburb within the Cumberland Council area.
The Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest (STIF) is a wet sclerophyll forest community of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that is typically found in the Inner West and Northern region of Sydney. It is also among the three of these plant communities which have been classified as Endangered, under the New South Wales government's Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995, with only around 0.5% of its original pre-settlement range remaining.
Prospect Hill, or Marrong Reserve, is a heritage-listed hill in Pemulwuy and Prospect in the greater western region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Situated about 30 kilometres west of central Sydney, the hill is Sydney's largest body of igneous rock and is higher than the ridges of the Cumberland Plain around it, with its present-day highest point being 117 metres high, although before its summit was quarried away it rose to a height of 131 metres above sea level.
The Western Sydney Parklands is an urban park system and a nature reserve located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The NSW government has spent around $400 million for the park. The park is governed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and is listed under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. The Parklands begin in the north in the City of Blacktown, cross the City of Fairfield, and end in the City of Liverpool.
Western Sydney Regional Park is a large urban park and a nature reserve situated in Western Sydney, Australia within the suburbs of Horsley Park and Abbotsbury. A precinct of Western Sydney Parklands, and situated within the heart of the Cumberland Plain Woodland, the regional park features several picnic areas, recreational facilities, equestrian trails, and walking paths within the Australian bush.
The Central Gardens Nature Reserve, also called Central Gardens, is a protected nature reserve located in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1976, the 12-hectare (30-acre) reserve, garden and fauna and wildlife park is situated in the suburb of Merrylands and is managed by Cumberland Council. The park is regionally important and it attracts visitors outside the Cumberland local government area. The bushland contains remnants of Cumberland Plain Woodland and is approximately 3.5 hectares.
The Nurragingy Nature Reserve is an Australian open urban park and nature reserve, it is a protected area owned by Western Sydney Parklands Trust and operated by Blacktown City Council that opened in 1981. The Nature Reserve is a site of state heritage significance because of its combination of historical, social and cultural values. The site was the first land grant ever given to Aboriginal people in Australia.
The Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark Forest (CRCIF) is a scattered, dry sclerophyll, open-forest to low woodland and scrubland which occurs predominantly in the Cumberland subregion of the Sydney basin bioregion, between Castlereagh and Holsworthy, as well as around the headwaters of the Cooks River. The Cooks River Clay Plain Scrub Forest is a component of this ecological community, though both belong to a larger occurring community called the Temperate Eucalyptus fibrosa/Melaleuca decora woodland.
Wetherill Park Nature Reserve, also called Wetherill Park Reserve, is an urban park and a nature reserve situated in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The reserve contains an open woodland and bushland which feature native plants, such as eucalyptus trees, and recreational areas.
Brenan Park is a 20-hectare (49-acre) urban park situated in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Primarily categorised as a sports field, the reserve contains an open grassland, bushland and recreational areas within the vicinity of native plants, such as eucalyptus trees. It is named after John Ryan Brenan, who founded the suburb of Smithfield in 1836.
The Cumberland Plain Woodland, also known as Cumberland Plain Bushland and Western Sydney woodland, is a grassy woodland community found predominantly in Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that comprises an open tree canopy, a groundcover with grasses and herbs, usually with layers of shrubs and/or small trees.
The ecology of Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia, is diverse for its size, where it would mainly feature biomes such as grassy woodlands or savannas and some sclerophyll forests, with some pockets of mallee shrublands, riparian forests, heathlands, and wetlands, in addition to small temperate and subtropical rainforest fragments.
The Grey Box Reserve, or Greystanes Grey Box Reserve, is a small nature reserve situated in the suburb of Greystanes, New South Wales in Western Sydney, Australia. A remnant bushland of the Cumberland Plain Woodland, it mainly features native vegetation. The reserve is so-named because of its abundance of Eucalyptus moluccana, reflecting the pre-European cultural landscape of the area.
This Wikipedia article was originally based on Prospect Reservoir and surrounding area , entry number 01370 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence , accessed on 2 June 2018.