MARK February 28 on your calendars, history lovers, for that’s the when registrations open for the rare opportunity to visit Sydney’s convict-built Tank Stream.
The next tours of Sydney’s first water supply take place on May 2-3, but such is their popularity that admission is by ballot only.
To enter the ballot you must register online. Winners will then have the opportunity to buy up to two tickets for their tour.
Long hidden under the city’s streets, the Tank Stream played a pivotal role in Sydney being located where it is.
On reaching Sydney Harbour, Captain Arthur Phillip sought a place to develop the penal settlement.
He 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.
But by 1826 people had stopped using it as a drinking water source, and over time it became a sewer that flowed into the harbour. Later it was covered with sandstone blocks and the city built over and around it.
The tours, conducted by Sydney Living Museums in partnership with Sydney Water, take you through 60 metres of the state heritage-listed tunnel.Tickets are $35, members $30.
- To register for the ballot, and to see the terms and conditions (including safety rules and precautions), visit sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/events click on Upcoming Events and go to May 2017.
