Tank Stream

Tank
Stream
Brick-lined section of the Tank Stream, pictured in November 2008
Country	Australia
State	New South Wales
Municipality	Sydney

Part of	Port Jackson


Source	Hyde Park
- location	Sydney CBD
- coordinates	33°44′5.9994″S 151°5′20.3994″E / 33.734999833°S 151.088999833°E / -33.734999833; 151.088999833
Mouth	Sydney Cove
- location	Circular Quay
- coordinates	33°51′50.0472″S 151°12′31.1688″E / 33.863902000°S 151.208658000°E / -33.863902000; 151.208658000Coordinates: 33°51′50.0472″S 151°12′31.1688″E / 33.863902000°S 151.208658000°E / -33.863902000; 151.208658000

Tank Stream on a November 2008 tour

Tank Stream, a fresh water tributary of Sydney Cove, located in New South Wales, Australia, was the fresh water supply for the fledgling colony of New South Wales in the late 18th century. Today it is little more than a storm water drain. It originated from a swamp to the west of present-day Hyde Park and at high tide entered Sydney Cove at what is now the intersection of Bridge and Pitt Streets in the Sydney central business district. The catchment was 65 hectares (161 acres), corresponding roughly the size of the Sydney central business district.

History

Excavations around Tank Stream have uncovered aboriginal flake stone artifacts made from water-worn pebbles. The stream gave the aborigines fresh water, fish and other resources.^[1] The area was chosen by First Fleet Captain Captain Arthur Phillip in 1788 as the location for the New South Wales colony for similar reasons.

The colony had originally been planned for Botany Bay, on the recommendation of Sir Joseph Banks who had visited the area with Captain James Cook 17 years earlier, but when no fresh water was found there, Phillip sought a better site, and found it in the previously unvisited Port Jackson. Sydney Cove was chosen for settlement as it "was at the head of the cove, near the run of fresh water which stole silently along through a very thick wood".^[2] On 26 January 1788 the new colony was inaugurated.

The Tank Stream rose in marshy ground roughly bounded by what is now Elizabeth, Market, Pitt and Park Streets. It filtered through the soil between Pitt and George Streets before forming a definite channel near King Street and flowing to Sydney Cove.^[3]^(p1)

During a drought in 1790 three storage tanks were constructed in the sandstone beside the Tank Stream and it is from these that the stream gets its name.^[4] One of these was at the present intersection of Pitt and Spring Streets and the other two in Bond Street on the opposite side of the stream.^[3]^(p2) The Tank Stream could not meet the needs of the growing colony and, despite efforts by successive Governors, it became increasingly polluted by runoff from the settlement.^[3]^(p2) It was finally abandoned in 1826, though it had been little more than an open sewer for the preceding decade.^[3]^(p3) Sydney's next supply of water was Busby's Bore, in 1830.^[3]^(pp5–8)

In 1850 the swamp feeding the Tank Stream was drained. Starting in 1860, the Tank Stream was progressively covered and is now a storm water channel which is controlled by Sydney Water. Recently there have been calls from some to see it run above ground again to create a central feature in the city.^[5]^[6]

Tourism

Tank Stream tours are run by the Historic Houses Trust and Sydney Water. These are usually in April and November. The tickets are limited, doled by ballot. There is an information centre behind locked gates at the beginning of the tour. One can also trace the previous stream course following art work, street names, and pub names.

The Tank Stream has been commemorated in a sculpture by Stephen Walker, created in 1981. The sculpture is located at Circular Quay.

Gallery

Tank Stream Fountain

References

↑ Korff, Jens. "Sydney (NSW) - Aboriginal sites (CBD): Tank Stream". Retrieved 7 September 2012.
↑ Collins, David (1802). Account of the English Colony of New South Wales.
1 2 3 4 5 Aird, W. V. (1961). The Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage of Sydney. M.W.S.&D.B.
↑ "The Tank Stream". City of Sydney. Retrieved 20 November 2007.
↑ Cameron, Deborah (14 November 2007). "Tank Stream dreaming". The Sydney Morning Herald.
↑ http://www.dhub.org/object/9720,sydne

External links

The Tank Stream - Creative Spirits
The Tank Stream - ABC Off Track

Waterways of the Sydney Metropolitan catchment, New South Wales, Australia

Major inlets and harbours	Botany Bay Broken Bay Middle Harbour Port Jackson Port Hacking

Minor bays and coves	Akuna Balls Head Bantry Berrys Blackwattle Burraneer Canada Careening Cove Cockle Dolans Double Elizabeth Gwawley Gymea Hen and Chicken Homebush Iron Cove Lavender Mosman Neutral Oatley Rose Rozelle Rushcutters Towlers Watsons Weeney White Woolooware

Lagoons	Dee Why Curl Curl Manly Narrabeen

Rivers	Cooks Duck Georges Hacking Hawkesbury Lane Cove Nepean Parramatta Pittwater Woronora

Creeks	A'Becketts Angus Archer Badgerys Bardwell Bare Bellamy Farm Bellbird Bells Berowra Bidjigal Bilgola Blacktown Blaxland Blue Gum Boggywell Bonds Breakfast Brennans Brickmakers Bunbury Curran Bungarribee Burdekin Byrnes Cabramatta Caddies Cahill Camp Careel Carroll Charity Claremont Clear Paddock Creek Coal and Candle Coopers Cosgrove Cowan Coxs (Belfield) Cup and Saucer Darling Mills Deadmans Devlin Duck Eastern Erskine Eskdale Excelsior Finlaysons First Ponds Forbes Frenchs Glenbrook Gore Grantham Greystanes Haslams Hunts Iron Cove Johnstons Kemps Lalor Little Lowes Marsden McCarrs McKenzies McMahon's Maxwells Middle Harbour Mill Minchinbury O'Hares Orphan School Orphan School (Fairfield) Pendle Hill Powells Prospect Punchbowl Quakers Reedy Rileys Ropes Saleyards Salt Pan Sawmill Scout Second Ponds Smalls Smiths South Still Stoney Subiaco Tarban Terrys Thompsons Toongabbie Two Vineyard Werrington Whites Williams Wolli

Canals and streams	Alexandra Canal Busby's Bore Hawthorne Canal Tank Stream

Reservoirs	Balmain Reservoir (disused) Lake Burragorang Manly Dam Reserve Lake Parramatta Prospect Reservoir Upper Nepean Scheme

Adjoining rivers and bays	Akuna Brisbane Water Burke Cataract Colo Cordeaux Coxs Grose Hollanders Jenolan Jooriland Kedumba Kowmung Macdonald Mooney Mooney Mulwaree Nattai Tarlo Warragamba Wollondilly

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