History of Busby's Bore

For Sydney's first settlers, the only source of fresh water came from the Tank Stream, a small rivulet running through the centre of the fledgling colony. It was the life-line for both convicts and free settlers alike.

As Australia's birthplace grew, the tiny tank stream began to fail, and with a rapidly expanding population pushing inland to the west, the dwindling water supply became so polluted by the 1820's that the very survival of the colony was at risk. An alternative and reliable source of fresh water had to be found.

In 1824, Governor Darling allocated the task to John Busby (1765-1857) who arrived in the colony to take up the position of Mineral Surveyor and Civil Engineer.

He proposed that water be taken from the Lachlan Swamps (now Centennial Park) and, from there, conveyed throughout the underground tunnel or "bore" to the city centre for distribution to the colony's racecourse, the site of the present day Hyde Park. The Lachlan Swamps area was a low-lying marsh containing a plentiful supply of fresh, clean water. The swamp was part of a rough sandy region known as Macquarie Reserve and included the areas now bounded by Moore Park, the Royal Agricultural Society Showground and the Sydney Football Stadium.

In 1827, using convict labour under John Busby's direction, work commenced at the Hyde Park end on what was to be Sydney's first piped water supply. His sons Alexander (1808-1873) and William (1813-1886) were assistant supervisors. The project began in a flurry of activity and day by day, the townspeople and Government officials awaited reports on progress by John Busby and his team of convict labourers.

Expectations of having a new clean water supply within a few years were not to be. Unknown difficulties in the strata and the "unmanageable and unskilled character of the convict labour", delayed the project for ten years.

Unhappy with Busby's progress, Governor Bourke ordered the newly appointed Colonial Engineer, Captain George Barney, to complete the project. When completed in 1837, it delivered 1.5 million litres per day for the 20,000 townspeople of Sydney.

Excavated by hand, the bore stretches over a distance of 3.6 kilometres under the city and varies from 1.2 to 1.5 metres wide and is up to 3 metres high in places. The tunnel follows a somewhat erratic course, and as modern explorations have shown, several dead-end "spurs" are incorporated in the construction. This is due largely to the fact that although he was assisted in the work by his two sons, Busy seldom went into the tunnel. The majority of convicts were "most disagreeable gentlemen". He directed the excavation as best he could from above ground.

Initially, it was intended to construct a 65 million litre reservoir at the outlet in Hyde Park, but this idea was abandoned for a design that allowed water from the bore to be carried by open flume across Hyde Park on trestles to a distribution point near the corner of Elizabeth and Park Streets. From here, water was distributed throughout rapidly expanding Sydney by way of horse-drawn water carts. In 1844 reticulation piping, ordered by Barney from England, was laid from the bore throughout the township - the city's first reticulation system.

During construction, numerous ventilation shafts were the means of access for constructing the bore. Twenty eight have been located to date, including two at Victoria Barracks.

The shaft at the corner of the original District Military Prison was once used to supply the barracks with water. It is over 22 metres deep and, when in use, water was hauled to the top in two large buckets. Teams of military prisoners were used to raise the water, the total weight of buckets, chain and water on each haul exceeding 1,200 kilograms. Another shaft, adjacent to the Officer's Mess, supplied water to the former hospital.

In 1849, Victoria Barracks replaced the George Street Barracks which had become a victim to the ever increasing demand for land in the town centre.

It is believed that a prime consideration in choosing the site for Victoria Barracks was the existence of the Busby's Bore access shafts which provided an adequate and readily available water supply of fresh water for the regiment quartered in the barracks.

The architect of Victoria Barracks was the aforementioned Lieutenant Colonel George Barney of the Royal Engineers, who also designed the Darlinghurst Gaol, Circular Quay, the Newcastle breakwater, the Wollongong shipping basin and Fort Denison.

As Sydney's population grew, the demand for water was augmented by the introduction of the Botany System in 1859,and although it took over as the primary source of supply, Busby's Bore continued to serve parts of the city and Woolloomooloo. Pollution slowly began to infiltrate the system and eventually Busby's Bore was only used to flush creeks and ponds in the Botanic Gardens.

The tunnel faded from the news and almost forgotten until 1934 when part of the tunnel as far as Riley Street was under threat of collapse beneath Oxford Street. To rectify this situation, this section of the tunnel was subsequently flooded with sand.

Although today's water supply system is a far cry from the humble 3.6 kilometres of tunnel hewn from the rugged colonial terrain 160 years ago, Busby's Bore remains an enduring testimony to John Busby's imagination, and a graphic reminder of Australia's colourful past.