Sewage Pumping Station 3

Item details


Name of item:	Sewage Pumping Station 3
Other name/s:	SPS 3, SP0003, Booth Street Sewage Pumping Station, Annandale Sewage Pumping Station
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Utilities - Sewerage
Category:	Sewage Pump House/Pumping Station
Location:	Lat: -33.8834000020 Long: 151.1758000030
Primary address:	Booth Street, Annandale, NSW 2038
Local govt. area:	Sydney
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Metropolitan

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
PART LOT	3		DP	211161

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
Booth Street	Annandale	Sydney			Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Sydney Water	State Government	28 Apr 99

Statement of significance:


	SP0003 is of historic, aesthetic and technical/research significance. Historically it was part of an original network of twenty low level sewage pumping stations constructed at the end of the 19th century. The station along with the construction of the Southern Outfall Sewer (ten years earlier) formed a part of the major advance in the protection of the public health of Sydney by ending the discharge of sewage into the Harbour. They were built as a direct response to the outbreaks of Enteric Fever (Typhoid) which plagued Sydney from the 1870s to 1890s and the recommendations of the Sydney City and Suburban Health Board (which was established by the government in 1875 to report on the best means of sewage disposal) which proposed the establishment of outfall sewers. Aesthetically it is good example of a low level sewage pumping station designed in the Federation Queen Anne style. In its surviving fabric, SP0003 reflects the importance of Federation Period public utilities which is evident in the overall design and technical excellence of the traditional construction techniques and craftsmanship such as the stone dressings and tuckpointed brickwork. The pumping station is technically significant for continually fulfilling its role nearly a century after its introduction as a low level sewage pumping station as originally designed and constructed, apart from minor mechanical and electrical modifications. It has educational and interpretation potential to reveal information about the development of sewage pumping engineering, and in architectural taste in a period when utilitarian buildings were given as much careful attention as public buildings. The significance of the place is enhanced by the intactness of external elements, including the original lifting crane and timber gates.
	Date significance updated: 09 Jun 05
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	New South Wales Public Works Department
Builder/Maker:	New South Wales Public Works Department
Construction years:	1902-1904
Physical description:	SP0003 is a low level sewage pumping station located adjacent to the Johnstons Creek stormwater channel in Annandale. It consists of two distinct parts: a superstructure comprising a rectangular single-storey loadbearing brick building, and a substructure constructed of concrete which houses machinery and sewage chambers. Architecturally, the building was designed in a utilitarian version of the Federation Queen Anne style. Externally there is a corrugated iron gambrel roof with timber louvered gable vents and exposed eaves with timber sarking boards; double casement timber windows with multi paned fanlights; dark red-brown tuck pointed brickwork laid in English bond with a splayed brick plinth and engaged brick piers capped with rubbed sandstone; rock faced sandstone sills and lintels; quadrant eaves gutters with galvanised steel and cast iron downpipe. Internally, the ceiling is lined with tongue and grooved boarding and walls are rendered and lined out to simulate ashlar coursing. The substructure is divided into a machinery well comprising two vertical spindle centrifugal pumps, each direct coupled to electric motors. Adjacent are two sewage wells and an inlet well. The walls are finished to match the superstructure. External to the building is an original wall mounted lifting crane. The station is not visible from public areas.
Modifications and dates:	The station is considerably intact. Slate roof has been replaced. Timber double doors replaced with a roller shutter. The original plunger pumps plus the DC current were replaced before 1913. Most of the mechanical and electrical components were upgraded during the 1970's.


Current use:	Low level sewage pumping station
Former use:	Aboriginal land, farm

History

Historical notes:

The "Eora people" was the name given to the coastal Aborigines around Sydney. Central Sydney is therefore often referred to as "Eora Country". Within the City of Sydney local government area, the traditional owners are the Cadigal and Wangal bands of the Eora. There is no written record of the name of the language spoken and currently there are debates as whether the coastal peoples spoke a separate language "Eora" or whether this was actually a dialect of the Dharug language. Remnant bushland in places like Blackwattle Bay retain elements of traditional plant, bird and animal life, including fish and rock oysters (Anita Heiss, "Aboriginal People and Place", Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/barani).

With the invasion of the Sydney region, the Cadigal and Wangal people were decimated but there are descendants still living in Sydney today. All cities include many immigrants in their population. Aboriginal people from across the state have been attracted to suburbs such as Pyrmont, Balmain, Rozelle, Glebe and Redfern since the 1930s. Changes in government legislation in the 1960s provided freedom of movement enabling more Aboriginal people to choose to live in Sydney (Anita Heiss, "Aboriginal People and Place", Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/barani).

Colonial history:
In 1788, Governor Arthur Phillip arrived in Sydney Cove and established the penal colony of NSW. After this the lives of the Cadigal Wangal people changed dramatically. Their traditional food supply was encroached upon by the new settlers and the diseases such as smallpox the Europeans brought with them, severely decimated the local Aboriginal population. (A. Heiss and M-J Gibson, 2015, Aboriginal People and Place, Sydneybarani.com.au)

The pattern of European dispossession of Aboriginal people from their land accelerated, when in 1792, Governor Phillip received 'Additional Instructions' dated 1789, allowing him to grant land for church and school uses. Church and School and Crown lands which extended to the north eastern corner of the current municipality of Marrickville (Fox and Associates, 1986, Marrickville Heritage Study p. 16).

Further communiques from the British government allowed the granting of land to British Officers in 1792. With the aim of establishing a chain of farms between Sydney and Parramatta, land grants were made along the road to Parramatta.

Parramatta Road - the backbone of the nation - has been the main road artery to the (Sydney's) west since the earliest days of Sydney's settlement (Burke, 1986, 3).

The dusty track and bullock drays have given way to a modern highway carrying approximately 61,000 vehicles a day (1986) and up to a regular maximum of over 4500 vehicles an hour in peak hours. Over the years the farms and many of the houses and mixed businesses which once fronted the road have been pushed aside by new uses such as car sales yards, bulk discount houses and wholesalers who rely on automobile access and broad frontage advertising (Burke, 1986, 3).

Annandale Farm, then suburb:
Most of the suburb of Annandale, 290 acres was granted in 1799 to Major, later Colonel, George Johnston, a marine officer of the First Fleet who named the area after his home town, "Annan" in Scotland. He had previously received land located on the southern side of Parramatta Road where he constructed "Annandale House". The family apparently occupied the house from 1800. The house gates originally stood off Parramatta Road, on the crest of a hill opposite Johnston Street. It is not clear when they were constructed, however, the Italianate style indicates that they were constructed later, possibly c. 1875-1880, as the family became more affluent following the sale of lands on the northern side of Parramatta Road.

The land subsequently became part of 280 acres consolidated by John Young and the Sydney Freehold Land, Building and Investment Company Ltd which he formed in 1878 and which proceeded to subdivide and sell the allotments over the next 30 years. Annandale did not have the immediate need for a public school, however, by 1881 the population was large enough for Annandale residents to petition for a local school.

The sale of the Annandale estate was completed by the demolition of the house in c.1905.

Sewerage System:
In 1859 Sydney's sewerage system consisted of five outfall sewers which drained to Sydney Harbour. By the 1870's, the Harbour had become grossly polluted (especially with the nearby abattoir at Glebe island) and there were outbreaks of Enteric Fever (Typhoid) throughout the period 1870s - 1890s. As a result the NSW Government created the Sydney City and Suburban Health Board to investigate an alternative means of disposing of the City's sewage. This lead to the construction of two gravitation sewers in 1889 by the Public Works Department: a northern sewer being the Bondi Ocean Outfall Sewer and a southern sewer draining to a sewage farm at Botany Bay. Low lying areas around the Harbour which could not gravitate to the new outfall sewers continued to drain to the old City Council Harbour sewers. Low level pumping stations were therefore needed to collect the sewage from such areas and pump it by means of additional sewers known as rising mains, to the main gravitation system. The first comprehensive low level sewerage system began at the beginning of the 20th century when the Public Works Department built a group of 20 low level pumping stations around the foreshores of the inner harbour and handed them over to the Metropolitan Board of Water Supply and Sewerage in 1904, of which this is one. Overall, greater Sydney now has over 600 low level sewage pumping stations.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Other open space-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Changing the environment-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Agriculture-Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture	Private farming-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Agriculture-Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture	Clearing land for farming-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Unseen but Present-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Developing local, regional and national economies-National Theme 3
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Landscapes of institutions - productive and ornamental-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Events-Activities and processes that mark the consequences of natural and cultural occurences	Developing local landmarks-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Health-Activities associated with preparing and providing medical assistance and/or promoting or maintaining the well being of humans	Providing sewerage systems-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Pastoralism-Activities associated with the breeding, raising, processing and distribution of livestock for human use	Agisting and fattening stock for slaughter-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Pastoralism-Activities associated with the breeding, raising, processing and distribution of livestock for human use	Modifying landscapes to increase productivity-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Technology-Activities and processes associated with the knowledge or use of mechanical arts and applied sciences	Technologies for sanitation-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Technology-Activities and processes associated with the knowledge or use of mechanical arts and applied sciences	Using hydraulic power-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Building settlements, towns and cities-National Theme 4
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Adapted heritage building or structure-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Early land grants-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Suburban Centres-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Early farming (Cattle grazing)-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Granting Crown lands for private farming-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Sub-division of large estates-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Administering and alienating Crown lands-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Changing land uses - from rural to suburban-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Resuming private lands for public purposes-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	19th century suburban developments-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	20th century Suburban Developments-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Subdivision of rural estates-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Shaping coastal settlement-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Developing suburbia-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Role of transport in settlement-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Beautifying towns and villages-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Planning relationships between key structures and town plans-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Developing towns in response to topography-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	A Picturesque Residential District-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Suburban Consolidation-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Rural Estates-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Roadside Villages-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Suburban Expansion-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	20th Century infrastructure-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Urban residential estates-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Creating landmark structures and places in suburban settings-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Utilities-Activities associated with the provision of services, especially on a communal basis	Water and drainage-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Utilities-Activities associated with the provision of services, especially on a communal basis	Providing sewers and stormwater outlets-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Working on public infrastructure projects-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Working in the public service-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Working complex machinery and technologies-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	State government-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - administration of land-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - administering a public health system-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - building and operating public infrastructure-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - conserving cultural and natural heritage-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - providing sewerage treatment-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Industrial buildings-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Applying architectural design to utlilitarian structures-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with the NSW Department of Public Works-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	SP0003, Annandale was built in 1902 and was among the original network of 20 low level sewage pumping stations constructed to serve Sydney. The pumping stations along with the construction of the Bondi and Southern Outfall Sewers, formed a part of the major advance in the protection of the public health of Sydney by ending the discharge of sewage into the Harbour. The construction of SP0003 evidences the growth of Sydney and expansion of municipal services during the early part of the 20th century.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	SP0003 is a fine example of a robust and well proportioned small scale industrial Federation Queen Anne style building which displays in its fabric a combination of superior utilitarian design, construction and craftsmanship.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	The excellent design of the superstructure by the Department of Public Works reflects the body of work emanating from the then Government Architect, Walter Liberty Vernon. With community awareness of the cultural significance of these group of SPSs the heritage community at least is likely to hold these stations in high regard.
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	SP0003 has the potential to reveal information about construction techniques and design of the concrete substructure relevant to its intended use. The pumping station still fulfils its role nearly a century after its introduction as a low level sewage pumping station as originally designed and constructed albeit with some mechanical upgrading.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	SP0003 is unique as part of the network of first generation low level sewage pumping stations. It served the historically significant Southern Outfall Sewer (later Southern and Western Suburbs Ocean Outfall Sewer)
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	The superstructure is a representative example of a small scale Federation Queen Anne style industrial building. SP0003 is a representative example of a low level sewage pumping station on the Southern and Western Suburbs Outfall Sewer.
Integrity/Intactness:	Reasonably intact with reversible alterations. Only first generation station which has its original lifting crane intact. Original timber gates intact. Pumps and motors have been replaced.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:

Recommendations

Management Category	Description	Date Updated
Recommended Management	Produce a Conservation Management Plan (CMP)
Recommended Management	Prepare a maintenance schedule or guidelines
Recommended Management	Carry out interpretation, promotion and/or education

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
CMP-Endorse	Conservation Plan submitted for endorsement	Sewage Pumping Station SP0003 CMP, by Sydney Water for Sydney Water, not dated (but December 2003?)	CMP endorsed by Heritage Council 29 June 2005 for five years, expires 29 June 2010	Jul 29 2005
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	HERITAGE ACT 1977 ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) TO GRANT STANDARD EXEMPTIONS FROM APPROVAL I, Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Heritage, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales and under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977: revoke the order made on 2 June 2022 and published in the Government Gazette Number 262 of 17 June 2022; and grant an exemption from section 57(1) of the Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out the class of activities described in clause 2 Schedule A in such circumstances specified by the relevant standards in clause 2 Schedule A and General Conditions in clause 3 Schedule A. This Order takes effect on the date it is published in the NSW Government Gazette. Dated this 29th day of October 2025 The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC Minister for Heritage For more information on standard exemptions click on the link below.	Nov 7 2025

Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Number	Gazette Date
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register	01343	18 Nov 99
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register	261458
National Trust of Australia register

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
Sydney Water Heritage Study	1996	261458	Graham Brooks and Associates Pty Ltd	GRAHAM BROOKS AND ASSOCIATES PTY LTD 1 JULY 1996	Yes

References, internet links & images

None

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Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5051445
File number:	H03/00316

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