{{Short description|Shared use path in Sydney, Australia}} {{Use Australian English|date=March 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox cycling path | name = Prospect Creek cycleway | embed = | cellstyle = | photo = Gipps Road Sporting Complex walking track.jpg | photo_size = | photo_alt = | caption = The shared cycleway as it passes west through [[Gipps Road and Hyland Road Regional Parklands|Gipps Road Park]] | title = | established = Late 1980s/early 1990s | length = {{convert|7.3|km}} | location = [[Western Sydney]], [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]] | designation = | trailheads ={{unbulleted list|[[Prospect Highway|Widemere Road]] in {{NSWcity|Wetherill Park}} {{small|(northwest)}} to Ace Reserve and Fairfield Road in |{{nowrap|[[Fairfield, New South Wales|Fairfield]] {{small|(southeast)}}}}}} | use = [[Cycling]]; [[pedestrian]]s | elev_gain_and_loss = | elev_change = {{convert|23|m}} | highest = {{convert|35|m}} {{AHD}} | lowest = {{convert|12|m}} {{AHD}} | grade = | difficulty = Easy | season = All seasons | months = | waymark = | sights = Prospect Creek | hazards = [[Flooding]], [[Snakes of Australia|snakes]], falling trees | surface = | ROW = | website = | map = | map_name = | map_size = | map_caption = | map_alt = | route = | route_state = }}
The '''Prospect Creek cycleway''' is a {{convert|7.3|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}}<ref name=maps>{{cite map |url=https://www.google.com.au/maps/dir/-33.8357192,150.9130024/-33.8615855,150.9578294/@-33.8547079,150.9528767,197m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m19!4m18!1m15!3m4!1m2!1d150.9207336!2d-33.8382066!3s0x6b1297bebca5c419:0x46ff985d31227bbb!3m4!1m2!1d150.9275701!2d-33.841264!3s0x6b1297bee3b6d1ff:0x4bb927078721d267!3m4!1m2!1d150.9456115!2d-33.8531343!3s0x6b1297d084198d63:0xb3b574b4cffac747!1m0!3e1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDMxOS4yIKXMDSoJLDEwMjExNDU1SAFQAw%3D%3D|title=Widemere Rd, Wetherill Park to Ace Ave, Fairfield NSW 2165 |publisher=[[Google Maps]] |date= |access-date=25 March 2025 }}</ref> [[shared-use path]] for [[cycling|cyclists]] and [[pedestrian]]s in [[Sydney]], [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]] that is generally aligned with [[Prospect Creek (New South Wales)|Prospect Creek]] and the surrounding [[Coastal Swamp Oak Forest|swamp oak forest]]. Also known as '''Prospect Creek Recreational Shared Cycle Path''' and '''Prospect Creek Corridor Cycleway''',<ref name=city>{{Cite web|date=June 2004|title=Prospect Creek Open Space Corridor|url=https://www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/inline-files/prospect-creek-osc-pom-2004.pdf|publisher=Cumberland City Council|access-date= 3 July 2025}}</ref> the cycleway links to the [[Cumberland City Council]] network and [[Fairfield, New South Wales|Fairfield CBD]] from Fairfield Road in the southeast to the [[Prospect Nature Reserve]] in the northwest.<ref name=nsw>{{cite web|url=https://www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/files/assets/public/v/1/documents/plan_build/att-a-latest-ffc-bike-plan-final-29.06.2021.pdf|title=Fairfield City Council Bike Plan |publisher=[[Fairfield City Council]] |date= June 2021|access-date=25 March 2025 }}</ref>
Predominantly [[off-road]] and within a [[riparian zone]], its western terminus lies at Widemere Road in [[Wetherill Park]] and the eastern terminus is at Ace Avenue in [[Fairfield, New South Wales|Fairfield]]. A parallel path begins from [[Cumberland Highway]] at [[Smithfield, New South Wales|Smithfield]].<ref name=google>{{cite map |url=https://www.google.com.au/maps/dir/-33.8504446,150.9447647/-33.861528,150.9577663/@-33.8509932,150.942433,820m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!4m1!3e1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDMyMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3DD|title=Smithfield Rd, Smithfield NSW 2164 to Fairfield, New South Wales 2165 |publisher=[[Google Maps]] |date= |access-date=26 March 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/Community/Healthy-Fairfield/Cycling#:~:text=Prospect%20Creek%20shared%20path%20connects,%2C%20Blacktown%20(about%2020km).|title=Cycling |publisher=[[Fairfield City Council]] |access-date=25 March 2025 }}</ref>
==History== The track that traverses the northern strip of [[Rosford Street Reserve]], from Gipps Road to Long Street Road (at Long Street Park), was the first route established in the late 1980s. During the mid 1990s, the cycleway/walkway was extended to the southeast, from Long Park to [[Cumberland Highway]] near Kenyons Bridge at Smithfield. Later, by the early 2000s, the main route and the parallel route (south of creek) were finally expanded to Fairfield Road, [[Fairfield, New South Wales|Fairfield]], with the southern route having accessways from the suburban streets in the northern outskirts of Fairfield.<ref name=gov>{{cite web|url=https://portal.spatial.nsw.gov.au/portal/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=f7c215b873864d44bccddda8075238cb|title=Historical Imagery |publisher=[[New South Wales Government]] |access-date=23 July 2025 }}</ref>
==Route== [[File:Gipps Road Subway.jpg|thumb|left|The Gipps Road underpass]] Running mostly alongside [[Prospect Creek (New South Wales)|Prospect Creek]], this {{convert|6.8|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} cycleway connects Fairfield to the [[Prospect Reservoir]], joining onto the [[Parramatta]] to Liverpool rail trail and the [[Lower Prospect Canal Reserve]] cycleway at each end. In the northwest, the cycleway starts from Widemere Road in [[Wetherill Park]], with [[Bollard (traffic)|bollard]]s installed at the entry to prevent [[vehicle-ramming attack|vehicle-ramming incidents]].<ref name=nsw/>
Afterwards, the path mostly travels through parkland and the [[Riparian forest|riparian bushland]] of the creek, passing the southeastern periphery of [[Prospect Nature Reserve]] in [[Pemulwuy]], Gipps Road Park in [[Greystanes]], [[Rosford Street Reserve]] and Long Street Park in [[Smithfield, New South Wales|Smithfield]], Vineyard Reserve, Solo Reserve, Bernadette Park, Cawarra Park, and Fairfield Road Park in the southeast. It is almost entirely [[off-road]], except for a short on-road section along Douglas Street and Ace Avenue. Despite its length, only three roads are crossed, Fairfield Road, [[Cumberland Highway]], and Gipps Road to the northwest, with grade separated [[underpass]]es for each road.<ref name=maps/>
Two parallel paths exist on the north and south sides of Prospect Creek; the former traverses within [[Cumberland Council, New South Wales|Cumberland Council]] on the creek's northside, which is the longest-stretching one and concludes at Fairfield Road in [[Yennora]]; the later passes within [[Fairfield City Council]] at the creek's southside, where it begins from Cumberland Highway and ends at Ace Avenue.<ref name=google/> The path on the southside (Fairfield) provides the best through route to the Rail Trail and Fairfield CBD. At points along the path local councils have created [[Australian Aboriginal culture|Aboriginal]] information sites that are well worth stopping at. The Gipps Road in [[Smithfield, New South Wales|Smithfield]] underpass can fill with water during heavy rain, however an at grade crossing nearby can be used.<ref name=nsw/>
==Accessibility== The cycleway provides north to south accessibility along Gipps Road and Warren Road, and west to east accessibility alongside Prospect Creek. There is even accessibility to [[The Horsley Drive]]. As it heads to Cawarra Park and Crosby Reserve, it will provide numerous connections to the nearby residential roads. Signs will also help cyclists or walkers to traverse towards either [[Fairfield railway station, Sydney|Fairfield railway station]] or [[Yennora railway station]].<ref name=nsw/>
Via Hyland Road, the shared-path is linked with the [[Western Sydney Parklands–Canal Reserve cycleway]] in the northwest at Greystanes, one the east side of the [[detention basin]], providing accessibility to [[Prospect Hill (New South Wales)|Prospect Hill]] and [[Prospect Nature Reserve]] in the north. Access to the Canal Reserve cycleway requires passing the [[Liverpool–Parramatta T-way]].<ref name=maps/>
==Gallery== <gallery mode=packed heights=160> Underpass at Fairfield.jpg|The underpass at Fairfield Road, Fairfield Prospect Creek cycling path.jpg|The path at Bernadette Park, Fairfield Bernadette Park, Fairfield.jpg|A view of a large [[rubber fig]] as the cycleway meanders around Bernadette Park Prospect cycleway.jpg|The cycleway at [[Rosford Street Reserve]], Smithfield Prospect Cycleway Smithfield.jpg|A sign indicating the shared cycleway in Smithfield Prospect Cycleway tree topple.jpg|[[Coarse woody debris|Toppled tree]] on the cycleway in Smithfield, one of the path's hazards Kenyons Bridge over Prospect Creek.jpg|The cycleway heading below [[Cumberland Highway]] (Kenyons Bridge) and over Prospect Creek (looking from Kaluna Reserve, Smithfield) </gallery>
==See also== *[[Bike paths in Sydney]]
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.discoverfairfield.com.au/files/assets/discoverfld/v/1/documents/cycleway_brochure_map_2019.pdf Cycleway Brochure Map]
{{Bicycle paths in Sydney|state=collapsed}}
[[Category:Bicycle paths in Sydney]] [[Category:Cycling in Sydney]] [[Category:City of Fairfield]] [[Category:Cumberland City Council]]