The Wahroonga Reservoir is a heritage-listed

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

located at 1678 Pacific Highway and Woonona Avenue in the

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

suburb of

Wahroonga Wahroonga is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 18 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Ku-ring-gai Council and Hornsby Shire. ...

in the

Ku-ring-gai Council Ku-ring-gai Council is a local government area in Northern Sydney ( Upper North Shore), in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The area is named after a fictional Aboriginal language group. Major transport routes through the area include th ...

local government area of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. It was designed and built by the Metropolitan Board of Water Supply and Sewerage in 1915. It is also known as Wahroonga Reservoir (Elevated) (WS 0124). The property is owned by

Sydney Water Sydney Water, formally, Sydney Water Corporation, is a Government of New South WalesState-owned corporation, owned statutory authority, statutory corporation that provides potable drinking water, wastewater and some stormwater services to Sydney ...

, a

State-owned State ownership, also called public ownership or government ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, property, or enterprise by the national government of a country or state, or a public body representing a community, as opposed to ...

statutory corporation A statutory corporation is a corporation, government entity created as a statutory body by statute. Their precise nature varies by jurisdiction, but they are corporations owned by a government or controlled by national or sub-national government ...

of the

Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the executive state government of New South Wales, Australia. The government comprises 11 portfolios, led by a ministerial department and supported by several agencies. Th ...

. It was added to the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

on 18 November 1999.

History

Northern Suburbs supply

When the Board of Water Supply and Sewerage took over from

Sydney City Council The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the Greater Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, the City of Sydney is ...

in 1888, the only supply to the northern suburbs was by a submarine main from

Dawes Point Dawes Point is a suburb of the City of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Dawes Point is located on the north-western edge of the Sydney central business district, at the southern end of Sydney Harbour Bridge, adjacent to The R ...

Milsons Point Milsons Point is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of North Sydney. Milsons Point is also the geo ...

, taking water by gravitation from

Paddington Reservoir The Paddington Reservoir is a heritage-listed public park located at 255a Oxford Street in the inner eastern Sydney suburb of Paddington. It was designed by Edward Bell and built from 1864 to 1866 and operated as a water reservoir which accept ...

. The level of Paddington Reservoir limited supply to the lower areas of

Northern Suburbs Northern Sydney is a large metropolitan area in Greater Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the north shore of Sydney Harbour and Parramatta River. The region embraces suburbs in Sydney's north-east, north and inner north west. Northern Sy ...

. In 1888, in order to overcome this problem, the Board erected a pumping station in Junction Street, , with two storage tanks in the grounds of St. Thomas' Church, to meet demand for the higher parts of North Sydney. The plant was dismantled in 1892, the pump being transferred to Carlton and the tanks to Wahroonga (not extant). The above submarine main was abandoned in 1917. In 1892 the

Ryde Pumping Station The Ryde Pumping Station is a heritage-listed pumping station and offices located at Victoria Road, West Ryde, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1891 to 1921 by William Adams & Co. Ltd., State Monier Works, Refshaw & O'Brien. It ...

was commissioned, supplied by mains from Potts Hill (via

Rookwood Cemetery Rookwood Cemetery (officially named Rookwood Necropolis) is a heritage-listed cemetery in Rookwood, Sydney, Australia. It is the largest necropolis in the Southern Hemisphere and is the world's largest remaining operating cemetery from the ...

, along the Concord Peninsula and attached to the 1889 railway bridge at Meadowbank), with reservoirs at Ryde Pumping Station (disused 1930) and Ryde Hill and then by mains to a pair of reservoirs at Chatswood (previously constructed in 1888). With increasing population of the North Shore, brought about by the construction of the railway, new storage reservoirs were required. The tanks, originally at North Sydney, were transferred to Wahroonga in 1896. A steam powered pumping station was erected at Chatswood in 1895 for the supply of Wahroonga. A new steel surface reservoir was constructed at Wahroonga in 1898 (Wahroonga Reservoir No. 1 WS 123). From Wahroonga the main from Chatswood extended to Hornsby, with a branch to

Thornleigh Thornleigh is a suburb in the Upper North Shore region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Thornleigh is located 22 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the Local government in Australia, local gov ...

and Beecroft. The mains from Chatswood to Wahroonga had deteriorated by 1905, necessitating new direct mains from Ryde to Wahroonga, and from Chatswood to

Pymble Pymble is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Pymble is north of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council. West Pymble is a separate suburb t ...

to connect to former. Wahroonga Reservoir (Elevated) WS 0124 was erected in 1915. A main to Mobbs Hill was constructed in 1916. It was extended to Beecroft and Wahroonga in 1918, superseding the Ryde Wahroonga Main which was now too small. A Pumping Station was erected at Wahroonga for the elevated tank (Wahroonga Reservoir (Elevated) WS 124 in 1935. New mains were constructed from Ryde to Wahroonga in 1937 for the new reservoir (Wahroonga Reservoir No. 3 WS 125), with connection to Pymble.

Description

The Reservoir (Elevated) WS 124), situated at 1678 Pacific Highway, is an unusual and unique reservoir in the Sydney Water Supply System. It has a cylindrical elevated riveted steel tank, with an original roof and a spherical or rounded base, all constructed in riveted steel plate. The reservoir is supported on an eight legged, H section, steel girder riveted frame, with horizontal and diagonal bracing. The top of the reservoir is reached by a stairway up the inside of the frame, with a walkway at the top of the frame (attached by triangular riveted plates) and a stairway to the roof of the reservoir. The whole structure is a fine example of riveted steel design and technology, surviving intact for more than 85 years. It is a prominent local landmark. Standard features include: davit, trigonometric station, access stairway,

handrails A handrail is a rail that is designed to be grasped by the hand so as to provide safety or support. In Britain, handrails are referred to as banisters. Handrails are commonly used while ascending or descending stairways and escalators in order ...

and inlet and outlet valve chambers. Adjacent to the reservoir is a storage tank constructed with riveted steel plates. Directly opposite the site containing Reservoir (Elevated) WS 124, on the corner of Woonona Avenue and the Pacific Highway, is a large building with high brick walls, the "Woonona Avenue" site referred to in the heritage document. No indication of its purpose is given on the outside of the building. It probably houses the "pumping station" referred to in the History section, above. Significant plantings at 1678 Pacific Highway include: cypress, jacaranda and Illawarra flame tree. The full service level is and the capacity of the reservoir is .

Modifications and dates

The reservoir is in good condition and intact.

Heritage listing

As at 7 September 2016, Wahroonga Reservoir (Elevated) WS 124 is an unusual and unique reservoir in the Sydney Water Supply System. The whole structure is a fine example of riveted steel design and technology, surviving intact. It is a distinct local landmark. The reservoirs at Wahroonga demonstrate the variety of reservoir construction techniques used by the MWS & DB, the engineering expertise available to the Board as well as the growth in demand in the Northern Suburbs from 1898 onwards, now more than 100 years of growth. Wahroonga reservoirs have played a major role in the supply of water to the Northern Suburbs. Wahroonga Reservoir was listed on the

on 18 November 1999 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales. The reservoirs at Wahroonga demonstrate the growth in demand in the Northern Suburbs from 1898 onwards, now more than 100 years of growth. Wahroonga reservoirs have played a major role in the supply of water to the Northern Suburbs. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. The reservoirs at Wahroonga demonstrate the variety of reservoir construction techniques used by the MWS & DB, the engineering expertise available to the Board. They are a prominent landmark in the area. The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. The design and construction of this reservoir are not repeated in the Sydney Water system. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. This reservoir is unique in the Sydney Water Supply Area, with its riveted cylindrical tank and riveted steel girder stand.

References

Bibliography

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Attribution

{{WaterNSW, state=collapsed New South Wales State Heritage Register Wahroonga, New South Wales Reservoirs in Sydney Dams in New South Wales Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register 1915 establishments in Australia Infrastructure completed in 1915