Botany Water Reserves facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Botany Water Reserves |
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Heritage boundaries
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| Location | 1024 Botany Road, Mascot, Bayside Council, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1815–1870 |
| Architect | City Engineers:
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| Owner | Sydney Water |
| Official name: Botany Water Reserves; Botany Swamps; Botany Wetlands; Mills Stream; Bridge Pond; Lakes Golf Course; Eastlakes Golf Course; Bonnie Doon Golf Course | |
| Type | State heritage (landscape) |
| Designated | 18 November 1999 |
| Reference no. | 1317 |
| Type | Historic Landscape |
| Category | Landscape – Cultural |
| Builders | Convicts for Simeon Lord (1815) |
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The Botany Water Reserves are a special historical area in Mascot, Sydney. This place used to be a very important water supply system for Sydney. Today, it is a mix of parkland and golf courses. It includes areas known as Botany Swamps, Botany Wetlands, and parts of the Lakes, Eastlakes, and Bonnie Doon Golf Courses.
The system was designed by several City Engineers, including W. B. Rider, E. Bell, and Francis Bell. It is owned by Sydney Water, a government agency. The Botany Water Reserves were added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 18 November 1999, meaning it's a protected historical site.
Contents
History of Botany Water Reserves
Early Exploration and Naming
On 29 April 1770, Captain James Cook landed in Australia for the first time at Botany Bay. His ship, the HMS Endeavour, carried botanists Sir Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander. They spent days collecting many new plants. Cook first thought of naming the area "Stingray's Harbour" or "Botanist Bay." But he finally chose "Botany Bay" because of Banks and Solander's plant discoveries. The name "Botany" is one of Australia's oldest English place names.
When Governor Phillip arrived in 1788 with the First Fleet, he found Botany Bay too shallow and swampy. It also didn't have enough fresh water. So, the fleet moved on to Port Jackson and settled at Sydney Cove instead.
From Farming to Industry
Botany was first planned as a farming area, especially for market gardens. But it quickly became an industrial zone. Early businesses included a fellmonger's yard (where animal hides were prepared) and a slaughter works.
In 1815, a key developer named Simeon Lord built a fulling mill here. A fulling mill was used to clean and thicken wool cloth. He later received large land grants. Lord was a famous merchant who also helped found Sydney Hospital. Many local places, like Lord Street, are named after him.
Sydney's First Major Water Supply
The Sydney Water Works were built in Botany in 1858. They used water from the many natural springs in the area. For 30 years, this system was Sydney's main source of water. In 1886, it supplied 1864 million gallons of water to Sydney. However, local Botany residents still relied on natural sources and tanks for their own water.
The first big changes to the area happened in 1815. Simeon Lord built a dam for his woollen mill. Later, another dam was built for a flour mill. This flour mill operated until about 1847.
Building the Water System
From 1855, the City Council started buying land around the Botany wetlands. This was to create Sydney's main water supply system. This was the first time land was bought for this purpose in Australia.
The Engine House and its chimney, which you can still see parts of today, were built in the late 1850s. Stone walls for the Engine Pond were added in the 1870s. Between 1866 and the mid-1870s, six dams were built or rebuilt.
In 1859, a large iron pipe, 6.4 km long, was laid. It connected the Engine House to the Crown Street reservoir. These pipes were made in Scotland in 1856. They were so well made that they fit together perfectly without needing much sealing material.
In 1869, about 80 trees were planted along the access road and other parts of the site. These included Norfolk Pines and Moreton Bay Figs. More work to store water continued in the 1870s.
End of an Era and New Uses
By the early 1880s, a new water system called the Upper Nepean Scheme was being built. In 1886, this new system took over as Sydney's main water source. The Botany system was used less and less, and by 1893, it stopped being used for general water supply. The machinery in the Engine House was sold in 1896.
After the water supply stopped, some local industries like wool scourers (who cleaned wool) and tanners (who processed leather) were allowed to lease land in the wetlands until 1947.
Sydney's Sewerage System
As Sydney grew, pollution in the harbour became a big problem. A new system was needed to deal with sewage. In 1888, the Board of Water Supply and Sewerage was formed. They started building Sydney's largest sewerage system.
Part of this new system was the Botany Sewage Farm, started around 1886. Another main sewer line was added in 1898. However, the Sewage Farm became less useful over time. From 1909, the sewage system was extended to a new ocean outfall at Malabar. The Botany Sewage Farm was then closed. This big project was finished in 1916.
The sewerage system was expanded again between 1936 and 1941. Both main sewer lines had to cross the Cooks River using special inverted syphons (pipes that dip down and then rise up). Today, this network is still Sydney's largest sewerage system.
The old Engine House chimney, which was no longer used for water, was shortened and reused as a sewer vent in 1916. In the 1940s, the chimney was made even shorter. The mouth of the Cooks River was also changed, and the Engine and Mill Ponds were filled in. This was done to expand and upgrade the airport.
The Lakes Golf Club (1928)
In 1928, construction began on a clubhouse for The Lakes Golf Club. The golf course, located to the west and north of the ponds, opened in 1930.
Around 1960, the Eastlakes Golf Club was started. It has an 18-hole course on the eastern and southern side of the ponds. The nearby The Australian Golf Club was established in 1904. Both The Lakes and Australian golf courses have been ranked among the top golf courses in New South Wales for many years.
The golf course areas have been changed and improved many times over the years. For example, in the 1970s, parts of the golf course were bulldozed to make way for Southern Cross Drive, a major road. In the early 2000s, the practice areas were renovated to improve facilities. A new clubhouse was built in 2005, which led to the removal of tennis courts. From 2007 to 2009, The Lakes Golf Course underwent a big renovation, including building new tees.
Description of Botany Water Reserves
Today, the Botany Water Reserves cover a large area of open space and parkland. It includes about 58 hectares of wetlands. This area also contains parts of Sydney Airport and several golf courses: The Australian Golf Course, Lakes Golf Course, Eastlakes Golf Course, and Bonnie Doon Golf Course. Mutch Park is also part of this area.
Surviving Historical Features
Important historical features that still exist include:
- Remains of the water supply Engine House and its chimney from the late 1850s.
- Parts of the spillway and weir.
- Remains of the Engine and Mill Ponds, and the series of ponds leading to Gardeners Road.
- The 1915 Sewer Pumphouse.
- Twin sewer syphons and their pathways.
- Some evidence of the old Cooks River edge.
- Trees planted in 1869, such as Norfolk Island Pines, Moreton Bay Fig Trees, and Port Jackson Fig Trees. It's thought that famous botanists like Charles Moore and Joseph Henry Maiden might have advised on these plantings.
- Canary Island Date Palms near the Engine Pond, possibly from plantings around 1910.
If you compare old maps from 1869 with today's aerial photos, you can see that many of the old dam layouts are still similar. Even though Southern Cross Drive cuts through the Engine Pond, you can still see its original shape. The present Mill Pond and part of the "New Pond" also keep their earlier forms. The embankment between the Mill and New Ponds follows the path of the old Sydney-Botany road.
Natural Environment
The area also has rare natural features. It contains remnants of the Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub, which is a special type of bushland. You can still see unique Grass Trees here. There are also areas of paperbark swamp, marshland, and wet heath.
The Botany Water Reserves are very important for Sydney's environment. They help recharge the Sydney basin aquifer, which is an underground water source. They also provide habitat and movement paths for native animals.
Changes Over Time
While the wetland ecosystem was changed when the ponds were built in the 1860s and 1870s, there haven't been many major changes since then. The biggest changes were for the airport expansion and new roads. The main parts of Sydney's third water supply system, like the sequence of ponds, are still largely intact. Some of the buildings and planted areas are only partly intact. But even these small remaining parts are important local landmarks.
Heritage Significance
The Botany Water Reserves are very important to Sydney and New South Wales for many reasons:
- They contain the best remaining parts of Sydney's third major water supply system. This system helped Sydney grow for much of the late 1800s.
- They include remnants of early 19th-century industries linked to Simeon Lord.
- In 1855, this land was the first in Australia to be bought by the government specifically for a water supply system.
- Part of the original 1850s iron water pipe is still there, making it the oldest main water pipe in the State.
- The site also shows important evidence of Sydney's other water supply systems, both older (like the Tank Stream and Busby's Bore) and newer ones.
The open spaces here have two rare plant communities: Sydney Freshwater Wetlands and Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub. These are considered endangered. The wetlands are also important for animals and as a major source of underground water.
The area is also important because it contains a large part of Sydney's sewerage system, built from the 1910s to the 1940s. This includes the old Engine House chimney, which was reused as a sewer vent. This system is still Sydney's largest sewer network.
Botany Water Reserves was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 18 November 1999 because it meets several important criteria:
- It shows the history of New South Wales: It has major parts of Sydney's third water supply system, which helped the city grow. The 1850s pipeline is the oldest in the State. It also shows the development of Sydney's main southern sewerage system from the 1910s onwards. It also shows the growth of golf courses in the 20th century, with two of the State's oldest and most respected courses.
- It has important historical connections: It is linked to important people like Simeon Lord and various engineers who shaped Sydney's infrastructure.
- It is rare: As a surviving part of Sydney's third water supply system, it is very rare. The remaining wetland areas and Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub are also rare because so little of them are left. The sewerage network is also rare as Sydney's largest.
- It is beautiful and well-designed: The site is a large green space with beautiful landscapes, including water, wetlands, trees, and historical features. It's amazing that such a place exists so close to Sydney's city center.
- It is valued by the community: The large open space is highly valued by local and regional communities. The golf courses are also very popular. The old water supply buildings and planted areas are important cultural landmarks.
- It can teach us about history: The site has the potential for archaeological research. We could learn more about early industries, Sydney's water supply, and sewerage systems. The wetlands are also important for ecological research, studying plants and animals.
Images for kids
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Engine House around 1872. The base of the chimney remains at the site.
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