Getting out and about - walking the Lower Prospect Canal track

Dad and I are getting back to our walks since they got back from Scotland.

We mix our walks up a bit: we used to walk along Merrylands Rd to Greystanes shopping centre and then get a cuppa at the cafe.  We sometimes drove to various places like Wollongong and did a whole day out with a walk.

After a while though we changed to walking along the Lower Prospect Canal walking/cycleway.  We also often walk along Parramatta river from Harris Park to Parramatta Park.

 We started walking the canal track from my house and repeating the same walk.  Eventually we decided to set our goal  to eventually get to Prospect Da.  So we have been walking parts of it and then the next time we drive a bit further along and start our walk from there.  Today we realised we can reach our aim in the next leg.  So we will do the last 20 - 30 minutes.

It is such a fascinating and relaxing walk.  Reclaimed from the pipeline canal from my home in Guildford you go past historic Pipe Head and at times walk alongside the pipes and then later along the reclaimed pipe canal way.

You go under roadways like the Cumberland Highway and under lovely old bridges like that at Gipps Rd.

The corridor stretches for approximately 7.7 kilometres from Prospect Reservoir to Sydney Water Pipehead at Albert Street, Guildford (see map) and varies in width from 40 metres to 100 metres covering an area of approximately 54.6 hectares. See Lower Prospect Canal Reserve website.

The most interesting of all is the walk over the Aqueduct at Greystanes. completed in the 1880's  the Aqueduct is constructed from brick and is 225 metres in length and has 22 arches, each with a 9.1 metre span.









The other beautiful part of this walk is all the wildlife you encounter.  Today we saw ducks on the path and sulphur crested cockatoos a well as hearing kookaburras close by.  We passed a lady who told us that just past us a group of Kangaroos had crossed the track.

All along the track as cyclist whiz by tinkling their bells to alert us, the walkers greet each other with a hearty 'Good morning'.

We are nearly at our goal to get to Prospect Dam.  Watch this space!