Prospect, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Prospect
city = Sydney
state = NSW


caption = The Prospect Reservoir at Sunset.
lga = City of Blacktown
postcode = 2148
est =
pop =
area =
propval =
stategov =
fedgov =
near-nw = Seven Hills
near-n = Toongabbie
near-ne = Girraween
near-e = Pemulwuy
near-se = Pemulwuy
near-s = Wetherill Park
near-sw = Horsley Park
near-w = Eastern Creek
dist1 = 32
dir1 = west
location1= Sydney CBD

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 is part of the Greater Western Sydney region.

History

Captain Arthur Phillip called the area 'Bellevue'. In 1789, Captain William Tench climbed to the top of the hill here and gave it the name Tench's Prospect Hill. This was later shortened to Prospect Hill. ["The Book of Sydney Suburbs", Frances Pollen, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8]

Shortly after 1808, William Lawson was appointed aide-de-camp to George Johnston and was granted convert|500|acre|km2 at Prospect, which he named Veteran Hall, and built a 40-room mansion there. He died on the property on 16 June 1850 and the property was eventually acquired by the Metropolitan Water Board. The house was demolished in 1926 and most of the property is submerged in what is now Prospect reservoir. [cite web
url = http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A020081b.htm
author = E. W. Dunlop
title = Lawson, William (1774 - 1850)
work = Australian Dictionary of Biography, online edition
publisher = Australian National University
accessdate = 2006-08-29 ] .

The Emu and Prospect Gravel and Road Metal Company Limited opened a private railway line from Toongabbie to Prospect Quarry on 7 April, 1902. Following the inability of the Government railway to supply rail wagons, trains stopped running on the line in 1945, however the rails remained in situ until the early 1960s ["Sydney's Forgotten Quarry Railways" - Oakes, John pp9-27 ISBN 0 9757870 3 9] .

Sir Joseph Banks is buried in St. Bartholemew's churchyard on the hill.

Landmarks

* Prospect Hill, though no longer in Prospect, is visible from many locations in the suburb. It is a noticeable landmark of historical importance in the early settlement history of New South Wales and the suburb takes its name from the Hill.
* Prospect reservoir is a water storage reservoir located at the headwaters of Prospect Creek.
* St Bartholomew's Church of England is a brick church with a cemetery that contains the tomb of Lieutenant William Lawson and the graves of a number of pioneering families. It is listed on the Register of the National Estate. [The Heritage of Australia, Macmillan Company, 1981, p. 2/12]

Transport

Prospect is adjacent to the Great Western Highway and the M4 Motorway, providing road access to the western sections of the city and eastward to the Sydney CBD.

Prospect Highway links Prospect to central Blacktown.

Blacktown railway station provides access to the Cityrail and Countrylink networks, especially Cityrails' Western railway line. Several bus companies offer connecting services between Prospect and Blacktown, via Blacktown Road.

Notable Residents

Notable people who have resided in the suburb include:
* Natasha Crofts - Australian Mother of the Year in 2007

References

External links