Busby's Bore
Encyclopedia
Busby's Bore was Sydney's
second water supply. It was built by convict labour and completed in 1830.
, Sydney's original water supply, was in dire straits. It was little more than an open sewer and the growing colony was reliant on wells or water carted from the Lachlan Swamps (now Centennial Park
).
In 1826, John Busby
recommended that water from the Lachlan Swamps be delivered to a reservoir at the Racecourse (now Hyde Park
) via a tunnel (or 'bore'). The reservoir was not approved but construction of the tunnel began in September 1827. The Bore was not completed until 1837 but began supplying drinkable water in 1830.
The Bore commenced close to the present Cleveland St entrance to Centennial Park and ended in the present Hyde Park near the Oxford Street
entrance - a total distance of about 3.5 km. From there, a line of pipe supported on trestles extended to a point near the corner of Park and Elizabeth Streets.
The Bore was built by convict
labour, mostly through solid sandstone
. It averaged 2.5m high by 1.2m wide, though it varied from 0.9m by 0.9 m to 3.5 m high. The completed Bore delivered about 1.5Ml water per day.
In 1833, pipes were laid to the Port to allow ships to be supplied. Starting in 1844, reticulation pipes were laid, allowing houses to be connected, as well as the establishment of a number of public fountains. In 1852, supply was supplemented with the installation of a small pumping station at the lower end of the swamp, as well as a number of small dams. In 1872, the Bore was cleaned and some irregularities removed, increasing the tunnel flow to about 4.5Ml/day.
Starting in 1859, Busby's Bore was supplemented and later supplanted by water pumped from Botany Swamps. In 1934, part of the Bore under Oxford Street was filled with sand to remove the risk of subsidence
under the tram lines.
The Bore remains under the ownership of Sydney Water
. It is listed in the Australian National Estate Register and protected by a Permanent Conservation Order.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
second water supply. It was built by convict labour and completed in 1830.
History
By the 1820s, the Tank StreamTank Stream
The Tank Stream is a fresh water course which empties into Sydney Cove in New South Wales, Australia. Today it is little more than a storm water drain, but originally it was the fresh water supply for the fledgling colony of New South Wales in the late 18th century...
, Sydney's original water supply, was in dire straits. It was little more than an open sewer and the growing colony was reliant on wells or water carted from the Lachlan Swamps (now Centennial Park
Centennial Park, New South Wales
Centennial Park is a large public, urban park that occupies 220 hectares in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Centennial Park is located 4 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Randwick...
).
In 1826, John Busby
John Busby
John Busby was an English-born surveyor and civil engineer, active in Australia.-Early life:Busby was born in Alnwick, Northumberland, England, eldest son of George Busby, a miner and coalmaster of Stamford, and his wife Margaret, née Wilson, of Dunstan, Northumberland...
recommended that water from the Lachlan Swamps be delivered to a reservoir at the Racecourse (now Hyde Park
Hyde Park, Sydney
Hyde Park is a large park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Hyde Park is on the eastern side of the Sydney central business district. It is the southernmost of a chain of parkland that extends north to the shore of Port Jackson . It is approximately rectangular in shape, being squared at the...
) via a tunnel (or 'bore'). The reservoir was not approved but construction of the tunnel began in September 1827. The Bore was not completed until 1837 but began supplying drinkable water in 1830.
Oxford Street, Sydney
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in Sydney, Australia running from Whitlam Square on the south-east corner of Hyde Park in the central business district of Sydney to Bondi Junction in the Eastern Suburbs. Close to the CBD in particular, the street is lined with numerous shops, bars and...
entrance - a total distance of about 3.5 km. From there, a line of pipe supported on trestles extended to a point near the corner of Park and Elizabeth Streets.
The Bore was built by convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
labour, mostly through solid sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
. It averaged 2.5m high by 1.2m wide, though it varied from 0.9m by 0.9 m to 3.5 m high. The completed Bore delivered about 1.5Ml water per day.
In 1833, pipes were laid to the Port to allow ships to be supplied. Starting in 1844, reticulation pipes were laid, allowing houses to be connected, as well as the establishment of a number of public fountains. In 1852, supply was supplemented with the installation of a small pumping station at the lower end of the swamp, as well as a number of small dams. In 1872, the Bore was cleaned and some irregularities removed, increasing the tunnel flow to about 4.5Ml/day.
Starting in 1859, Busby's Bore was supplemented and later supplanted by water pumped from Botany Swamps. In 1934, part of the Bore under Oxford Street was filled with sand to remove the risk of subsidence
Subsidence
Subsidence is the motion of a surface as it shifts downward relative to a datum such as sea-level. The opposite of subsidence is uplift, which results in an increase in elevation...
under the tram lines.
The Bore remains under the ownership of Sydney Water
Sydney Water
Sydney Water is a New South Wales government owned corporation that provides drinking water, wastewater and some stormwater services to Sydney, Illawarra and the Blue Mountains, in Australia...
. It is listed in the Australian National Estate Register and protected by a Permanent Conservation Order.
Chronology
- 1827 Work started at Hyde Park.
- 1830 First water from springs encountered.
- 1833 Pipes from Hyde Park to supply shipping.
- 1837 Tunnel completed:1.5 -1.8 megalitres/day to water carts.
- 1844 General pipe reticulation.
- 1872 Refurbishment and cleanout of tunnel: 6 megalitres/day.
- 1890 Superseded by other schemes.
- 1902 Botanic Gardens supply only.
- 1934 Oxford Street section backfilled with sand.
- 2004 Proposal to reactivate Bore to supply city parks and gardens.
- 2006 State government of New South Wales allocates funds for restoration of the Bore to supply parks of Sydney central business district.