Join Sydney Living Museums for an exclusive tour of Sydney Tank Stream! The Tank Stream was Sydney’s first water supply in the early days of the colony. When Captain Arthur Phillip arrived in Sydney he was searching for a place to develop the new colony and chose Circular Quay in part due to the freshwater stream running through it, which had been used by the Gadigal people for thousands of years. The small village of Sydney relied on water from this stream as its main water source for the next 40 years.
This special tour, available only twice a year, takes you through 60 metres of this state heritage-listed tunnel built by convicts and stonemasons. The next tours of The Tank Stream will take place on Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 May 2017. Admission on the tour is by ballot registration only. Winners of the ballot have the opportunity to purchase up to two tickets for their tour.
The ballot for the tours of The Tank Stream is now open and closes Tuesday 4 April 2017.
Gen $35 | Conc/Members $30 | Maximum two tickets per winning entry.
In partnership with Sydney Water.
The Tank Stream tours will be led by one of the following specialist guides:
Yvonne Kaiser-Glass is Sydney Water’s archaeologist. She provides strategic advice and assistance on a wide range of Sydney Water projects that involve excavation in areas of Aboriginal cultural heritage sensitivity (known or potential) and/or non-Aboriginal archaeological potential.
Louise Roberts is the Education and Community Partnerships Officer responsible for tour program and educational resource development. With a background in History and Geography teaching Louise has managed the development of the improved tours and resources for the Tank Stream.
Image: Tank Stream, 1842 by John Skinner Prout, courtesy State Library of NSW.
The Tank Stream Tour is wonderful fun and gives visitors a new perspective on Sydney.
I’ve always considered it a shame only a 60m segment of the tunnel is accessible for tour. In the latter part of the nineteenth century one could walk down almost the entire stretch of the Tank Stream tunnel (from Park down to Bridge Street)
Progressively after the War however, as many large buildings with deep basements were constructed near the Quay, parts of Tank Stream walls and brickwork were dismantled and replaced with modern pipe and conduit. These were often narrower than the original structure causing sections of the tunnel to become inaccessible.
Thankfully over recent years government policy makers (and the community at large) has began to place greater importance on the conservation of this historical treasure.
Friends of the Tank Stream has explored this era of the Tank Stream development in some detail: http:www.tankstream.org.au/history
Thanks for the info Claude 🙂 It is a fascinating site!