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The Dictionary of Sydney
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Drawing of old spear pump dug out of excavation...

Drawing of old spear pump dug out of excavation in Wynyard Park

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State Archives & Records New South Wales

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Busby's Bore Water

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Water supply

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Wynyard Park

Natural features

Tank Stream

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State Archives & Records New South Wales

Statutory body established by the State Records Act 1998. The Act provides for the creation, management and protection of the records of public offices of the State and for public access to those records.

Based at Kingswood, State Archives and Records NSW manage and provide access to the New South Wales State archives collection, a unique and irreplaceable part of Australia's cultural heritage dating back to 1788.

Busby's Bore

Part of the new water system designed by John Busby in the 1820s, Busby's Bore was a major piece of engineering infrastructure for the city, and supplied a population of 20,000 with 1.5 million litres of water per day.

Water

Finding and securing enough water for Sydney's needs has been a challenge since the arrival of the Europeans in 1788, and over two centuries water supply has prompted some of the largest engineering schemes undertaken in Sydney.

Water supply

Wynyard Park

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Park in central Sydney, originally site of barracks parade ground.

Tank Stream

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The fresh water course which supplied the fledgling colony, emptying into Sydney Cove. It was named for three storage tanks which were constructed in the sandstone beside the stream during a drought in 1790. By 1828 the stream had been polluted to such an extent that it could no longer be used as a source of water and was diverted into a sewer, and by the 1870s it had been completely covered. The Tank Stream still flows in a covered storm water drain.