Prospect Creek (New South Wales)

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Prospect Creek
Prospectcreek.png
Prospect Creek, as it flows in Fairfield.
Sydney AST2001oct12 lrg.jpg
Red pog.svg
NASA satellite view of Greater Metropolitan Sydney, with the Prospect Creek mouth location, as marked
Location
Country Australia
State New South Wales
Region Sydney Basin (IBRA), Greater Western Sydney, Canterbury-Bankstown, Southern Sydney
LGAs Blacktown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Liverpool, Canterbury-Bankstown
Physical characteristics
Source Prospect Reservoir
  locationnorth of Bulls Hill, Prospect
  coordinates 33°50′2″S150°53′20″E / 33.83389°S 150.88889°E / -33.83389; 150.88889
Mouth confluence with the Georges River
  location
Dhurawal Bay, Georges Hall
  coordinates
33°54′35″S150°58′25″E / 33.90972°S 150.97361°E / -33.90972; 150.97361
Length26 km (16 mi)
Basin size98 km2 (38 sq mi)
Basin features
River system Sydney Basin catchment
Dam / Reservoir Prospect Reservoir
[1] [2]

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.

Contents

Situated within the local government areas of Fairfield City and Canterbury-Bankstown Councils, the creek is 26 kilometres (16 mi) long, starting at the Prospect Reservoir at the top of the catchment and flows to the Georges River at Georges Hall, as its tributary.

Course and features

Prospect Creek rises below Prospect Reservoir, north of Bulls Hill in Prospect, within the Blacktown local government area, and flows generally southeast by east, through the Holroyd, Fairfield, Liverpool and Bankstown local government areas, before reaching its confluence with the Georges River, at Georges Hall, spilling into Dhurawal Bay in the Chipping Norton Lakes. [1]

The catchment area of the creek is approximately 98 square kilometres (38 sq mi), and is largely urbanised with industrial land uses, residential and open space for recreation. [2]

Regulations

Most forms of fishing are permitted in Prospect Creek, in both the tidal (lower) and freshwater (upper) catchments with fishing subject to bag and size limit regulations. [3] In 2023, Sydney Water Corporation was convicted and fined $200,000 in the Land and Environment Court of NSW after 282,000 litres of sewage was spilled into the creek. [4]

Catchment

The creek's catchment area itself is a sub-catchment of the Georges River catchment, where it covers an area of 98 square kilometres. Areas within the Prospect Creek Catchment include, Fairfield City (65.6%), Cumberland Council (13.7%), Bankstown (10.5%), Blacktown (7.8%) and Liverpool (2.4%). Some of the streams and drainage lines in the catchment do not permanently transport water, and rather would only do so after rain events. [5]

Wetlands and ponds within the Prospect Creek catchment include, Warren Road, Woodpark (an artificial wetland); Gipps Road Park, De Freitas Wetland at Vine Street, Clarevale Wetland, Lake Mirambeena (Lansdowne) and Lake Gillawarna (Georges Hall). Clear Paddock Creek, Green Valley Creek and Orphan School Creek are all part of the Prospect Creek catchment, in addition to being Prospect Creek's tributaries (branches). [5]

Drainage systems

Other systems that supply to the Prospect Creek include: [5]

The creek flowing in Smithfield, with Swamp Oak riparian vegetation Swamp Oak Forest.jpg
The creek flowing in Smithfield, with Swamp Oak riparian vegetation

There are catchment drains that lead to Prospect Creek in a northeasterly direction; They consist of three concrete-lined, trapezoidal-shaped channels that are 3.8km in length, 1.5 metres to 1.75 metres in width and a height that ranges from approximately 2.0 metres to 3.0 metres: [6]

Recreation

The creek flowing under the Lansdowne Bridge, Lansdowne. Lansdownebridge1.jpg
The creek flowing under the Lansdowne Bridge, Lansdowne.

The creek winds through a number of parks and reserves, with the most prominent ones being, Gipps Road Sporting Complex, Rosford Street Reserve and the contiguous Long Street Park in Smithfield, Fairfield Park Precinct and Cawarra Park in Fairfield, Fairfield Road Park in Yennora, Makepeace Oval in Fairfield, Carrawood Park in Carramar, Mirambeena Regional Park in Lansdowne, and Henry Lawson Reserve in Georges Hall, going from northwest to southeast. It also flows on the western fringes of Fairfield High School and just north of Bland Oak, a historical tree.

There are walkways or cycling paths that parallel the creek. The longest, continuous walking path that runs alongside creek starts from Widmere Road, adjacent to the Liverpool–Parramatta T-way, in the northern periphery of Wetherill Park, and ends at Fairfield Road Park in Yennora, opposite of Yennora Fire Station. The walkabouts are within the surroundings of the Australian bushland, which include native trees such as eucalyptus. [7]

River status

In 2020 a proposal was submitted to upgrade a 6 kilometre (4 mi) stretch of Prospect Creek river status. [8] In September 2020, this proposal went before the Geographical Names Board of NSW (GNB) after Community Advocate Lachlan Hyde with the support of local state MPs [9] pushed the New South Wales Government on the matter. [8] This section would then be named Lennox River to honour Scottish-Australian stonemason David Lennox who designed and oversaw the construction of the Lansdowne Bridge which crosses this waterway. [8]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Prospect Creek". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales . Retrieved 10 April 2013. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. 1 2 "Prospect Creek". Rivers and Creeks. Bankstown City Council . Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  3. "PROSPECT CREEK FISHING". Parliament of NSW. 24 November 2020.
  4. Sydney Water fined for polluting Prospect Creek Prime Creative Media. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 5 Creeks: Facts & Figures Fairfield City Council. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  6. Wetherill Park Overland Flood Study Fairfield City Council. February 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  7. King M & Associates (1997) Recreation Needs Assessment Study prepared for Fairfield City Council
  8. 1 2 3 Boulous, Chris (17 September 2020). "River me this: Push to upgrade part of Prospect Creek". Fairfield City Champion. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  9. Boulous, Chris (12 November 2020). "'Fitting tribute': MPs support plan to upgrade Prospect Creek". Fairfield City Champion. Retrieved 12 November 2020.