The Site - Sewer Aqueducts at Annandale

Johnston Creek and White Creek Aqueducts Annandale

I grew up in the Inner West suburb of Annandale, hence the choice of the site in question for Experiment three. 

Annandale as a suburb has vast historical significance holding many houses and structures that date to the 1800s. One of the more prominent features of the suburb is the Sewer Aqueducts designed by Mr W. J. Baltzer of the Public Works Department. The Aqueduct was built by the engineering firm Carter, Gummow and Forest using reinforced concrete. The Aqueducts were the first structure in Australia to incorporate reinforced concrete using the Monier System.

The Monier system was developed by Joseph Monier, a French gardener who manufactured flower pots and tubs which he strengthened with an embedded mesh of iron wires. In 1867 he patented his invention and thereafter took out patents for pipes, arch bridges, beams and reservoirs.

 

 

 There are two Aqueducts in Annandale as shown on the Ariel map above. On the map they act as markers over Johnston Creek and White Creek.

History
In the late 1800's nearly 18,00 properties in the Sydney city Area were serviced by only 10km of main sewers and 103km of subsidiary sewers. Nearly 700 properties of the Dralington, Paddington and Redfern areas were service by only 25km of subsidiary sewers. All of the sewage from these properties drained through these systems and into Sydney Habour. Th rest of Sydney were unsewered. 

This was of concern, with such a method of disposing the sewage being primitive of the time and having may health and ammenity impacts. Subsequently two main projects were commissioned. An Ocean Outfall Sewer discharge near bondi and a Southern system of sewers draining a Sewafe Farm at Botany were built in 1880 and 1889.

The Johnston's Creek and White's Creek Aqueducts, built in 1896 and managed by the Water Board since it was commissioned, were key components of the Bonmdi Ocean Outfall Sewer network designed to service what is now now as the inner Syburbs of Sydney. 

The two aqueducts in question still carry the sewage accumilated from Glebe, Balmain and Annandale areas and have only required minor repairs since there construction. 


Setting the Scene
Some personal photographs of the aqueducts, canals and surroundings context.