Media Release 31 May 2006

Iconic Sydney Green Space Drought-Proofed for the Future

The New South Wales Government has pledged $430,000 to fund Stage One of an ambitious project championed by Clean Up Australia that will see the historic Busby's Bore reconnected to Hyde Park by Christmas.

When completed, the two-stage project will have drought-proofed Sydney's iconic green spaces for the future. The Royal Botanic Gardens, The Sydney Domain, Cook and Phillip Park and Hyde Park will all be irrigated by previously unused water from Busby's Bore.

"Stage One of this initiative will reduce the demand on Sydney Water's main potable/drinking water supply by an estimated 110,000 litres per day," said Clean Up Australia Chairman Ian Kiernan.

"It is good to see the New South Wales government recognising water reuse and recycling as a workable solution to reduce the pressure on Sydney's stretched water resources," continued Kiernan.

Busby's Bore is one of Sydney's historic first 'convict tunnels' that piped water to Australia's original settlers in the 1800s from natural swamps, remnants of which are now the ornamental lakes in Centennial Park. Completed in 1837 the Bore served as the second major water supply for Sydney for almost 60 years. 

In the early 1890s Busby's Bore was decommissioned but now, this funding will bring Busby's Bore back into action and this water source will once again used by the City of Sydney.

"This initiative will establish Sydney as a world leader in sustainable development practices and provide a model for other urban centres seeking innovative ways of saving water," said Kiernan.

For more than ten years Ian Kiernan and Clean Up Australia have been working to get this project off the ground. At last, the tenacity of Clean Up Australia has paid off and they, in collaboration with the NSW State Government, Sydney Water and the City of Sydney are making it happen.

-ENDS-

Media contact: Lucy Muirhead 0402 730 710