Over 30kms long, the Prospect Reservoir Orphan School Creek Trail is one of the of the longest continuous off-road bike paths in Sydney. It is also one of the most varied, ranging across rolling rural hills, bushland, suburbs, and townships. By wandering through 17 different Western Sydney suburbs, you see a diverse slice of multicultural Australia. A jpg map of the route is below, and a full size pdf is here.
I started at the Prospect Reservoir just off the Horsley Drive exit on the M7 Motorway; but you can start at any point or enter from any direction. Most of the suburbs are on a train line, so accessing the path by train is a convenient option.
The path is a circuit loop and I chose to do it clockwise, heading east along the excellent cycleway which starts at the Prospect Reservoir. Most of its 12kms was once a water-supply canal and is now a shared public path. The Greystanes Viaduct is a particular attraction, I enjoyed the contrast between the classic viaduct architecture and its underworld street art.
When the Prospect Cycleway runs out, you can be guided by the massive water pipes that run through Merrylands and Guilford. Look at the horizon for signs of the cultural richness of this part of Sydney.
Around this point I met an Assyrian cyclist and enjoyed his company for several kilometres. As he told me about his new life in Australia we passed the Fairfield Saturday Markets and he proudly pointed out the church to which he belonged. Thank you for sharing, George.
When the waterpipe line runs out you know you are in Guilford; just keep close to the railway line for several suburbs and you cannot get lost. The railway artworks are impressive as are the various viaduct bridges.
These street art dsiplays are samples that you find everywhere. The top two are part of a long wall adjoining the railway and the bottom one is in a shopping carpark in Guilford. There are vibrant colours everywhere.
Keep your eye peeled for this beautiful temple west of Fairfield. As you go through the Canley Vale shops you can choose amongst four Vietnamese bakeries for some palate pleasing snacks.
When you leave Fairfield, the path rises into the hills of Bosley Park and Abbotsbury. Look for signs to Calmsley Hill Animal Farm; once you find it you will see the cycle path that will take you all the way back to Propect Reservoir passing through forests, lookouts and gently rolling hills.
This varied ride takes about half a day, depending on diversions and breaks. It’s a safe, interesting, mostly scenic ride, and one to keep on your list of favourites.
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eBiker Diary 
Good point Geoff. Come to think of it, I dont recall actually seeing any signs that say Orphan School Creek Trail. I think its a concept rather than a route. I navigated by listing the suburbs that are on the route and Googled my way around from suburb to suburb. Thanks for commenting.
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I tried this track recently, however, when I arrived at the parking areas at the Prospect Reservoir, there’s no signs for direction onto the Orphan Creek Track! I now know I went the wrong way by heading west around the Reservoir, instead of South and under the reservoir wall! Oops!! It was brilliant, except for the flat tyre near the Guildford Station and the 55min wait for a Maxi Taxi to get me back to my car!
My only suggestion is that the trail needs very clear and easily accessible signposting for the Orphan Creek trail. This would make it much easier to find and follow.
Cheers
Geoff
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Growing up in Old Guildford, many’s the time as a young person I used the pipeline as my preferred route. Wiggling underneath, it was not unusual to see two beady eyes in front. That required wriggling out backwards to leave the snake in peace. More often, we climbed onto the pipe by wrapping bare feet around the large bolts. The leap from one pipe to another was thrilling. Then we would just balance on top of the pipe and walk to Guildford shops.
Of course, we could have simply used the walking track shown in your photos, but that would never have been as much fun.
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What a wonderful piece of nostalgia. I spent most of my teenage years in Canly Vale so this ride is full of warm memories for me too.
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Oh! I had connections there too. And several of my girlfriends are from Cabramatta.
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