#OnThisDay 24 March 1827 John Busby, an engineer, began work on a scheme to pipe fresh water from the Lachlan Swamps to a reservoir at the Racecourse (now Hyde Park). This pipeline became known as "Busby's Bore" or the "Lachlan Tunnel". Convict labour was used to bore through 3.6 km of mostly sandstone over a ten year period. Once the water reached the reservoir it was distributed through the city by horse drawn carts.
Related
- Colonial Secretary's Papers under John Busby
- Colonial Secretary's Papers under SYDNEY, Water Supply
- Search the Index to Surveyor General's Maps and Plans, 1792-1886
From the Collection
Below a sketch of the pipeline (available in the reading room on Map 5780).
