The Greystanes Aqueduct

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Just quite how the Greystanes Aqueduct managed to slip under my things to see in Sydney radar for so long is quite baffling. How can something so big go unnoticed and unheralded? Yeah sure, it's very well hidden in the back streets of Greystanes. There are no signs. It's not advertised. Anywhere. But why is its existence and whereabouts so unknown?

is of course Googable. As so often happens, searching one thing leads to something else, which leads to a miraculous find. I stumbled upon images of the Greystanes Aqueduct and I was quite frankly, gobsmacked.

I've been an aqueduct aficionado for some time. I can't help but be mightily impressed by their grandeur. More often than not, they're set in incredibly scenic and beautiful locations. And for what is a fairly standard piece of essential infrastructure; bringing water to the masses that live in our cities.





I've made pilgrimages all around the ancient Roman world to see first hand some of the most impressive aqueducts. Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, Tunisia. The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in Wales is the longest and highest in the world. Built in 1805, It's obviously not Roman and today doesn't carry water for drinking but is one of the wonders of the British inland waterways system.





But little did I know that Sydney had its very own aqueduct. The Greystanes aqueduct was completed in 1888 as part of the Lower Prospect Canal. It was originally named the Boothtown Aqueduct and built to cross a small valley to convey water from Prospect Reservoir to Sydney residents.



Constructed of brick, the aqueduct measures 225 metres in length. It boasts 22 arches, each with a 9.1 metre span. Despite its grandeur, the aqueduct only had a short useful life and was by-passed in 1907 with the construction of the 'Boothtown' syphon. The aqueduct was blocked with concrete plugs to divert water into the syphon and into a large new concrete pipe. The syphon's inlets were built as castlesque towers with steel trash racks and sluice gates to control the water flow.



The aqueduct was threatened with demolition in the 1990's but thanks to objections by the local community, the aqueduct and surrounding reserve area were saved and ultimately included as part of the Western Sydney Cycle Network.



This striking piece of Sydney's infrastructural heritage may still be little known, even to the cyclists that ride over it, but it is a relief to know that it has been added to the Register of the National Estate . Now protected and with a new lease of life, maybe the Greystanes Aqueduct will attract the attention it deserves.

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#things_to_see
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