The other week i was lucky enough to attend a tour of the Tank Stream for Time Out. It’s a tough tour to get on, they only happen every 6 months with thousands applying and only one hundred or so being chosen at random.
The Tank Stream is the reason Sydney was colonised where it was and the city built where it is today. Although white settlers first landed at Botany Bay, they couldn’t find any fresh water. So it was on discovering the Tank Stream they chose to settle there.
The stream began as a swamp near Hyde Park and flowed down what is now George Street into the harbour at Circular Quay.
These days the stream has been covered over and is little more than a storm water drain.
For more information and pictures see the story in Time Out Sydney.
Fantastic — both the pictures and the history lesson.
I love the shot at the top, it’s beautifully composed
so very jealous – we’ve applied 3 times now and no joy – we did get on the west ryde boiler house tour though…
The idea of excavating Tank Stream and making it a public, open place has been appearing about the place lately – which sounds pretty good. Nice pics.
The Sydney Cave Clan has been down there a few times. They have quite a few photographers amongst their ranks these days.
Wow what a place
Love the shots
Hi
I know a group called the cave clan who trespass in this drain by pulling up a man whole in in one of the city’s streets. I also know that this same group exits one of these drains via an exit at the Sydney opera house.
I myself have been with them on one occasion. On this night we all, about 30 of us met on the corner of Eddy Ave and Elizabeth St, Surry Hills. Once all were ready the leader of the group pulled open a manhole not far from this corner. We all entered one by one. Once we were all inside the guy keep watch on the outside covered the manhole. We proceeded to walk about 1km through this drain. Then we blew up inflatable boats and proceeded to walk through the drain. The further we walked the deeper the water became. Once the water was at about knee height we jumped into our boats and floated all the way down the drain and into Darling Harbour. We then climed up a ladder and onto the wharf right out the front of the Imax theater. We then had to deflate the boats in front of all the night clubbers.