1887 - present

The high ground above Waverley Park, overlooking Bondi, contains four huge water reservoirs, some of which are significant heritage items. One is among the most ornate and decorative reinforced concrete reservoirs in NSW.

The group of four reservoirs supply water across the Eastern Suburbs by gravitation, and to Bellevue Hill via a pumping station. The progressive development of the Waverley reservoir group reveals the dramatic increase in Waverley’s population - and the resulting need for more water - from 1887 to 1938.

Today, the four embody the progress in reservoir construction techniques rarely seen on any other Sydney Water site.

The most ornate Waverley reservoir (officially called WS 136) was built in 1918 and was constructed in an innovative fashion over the roof of Waverley Reservoir No. 2 (WS 133) to give it the elevation required for water reticulation. The roof support columns of the covered reservoir support the sides and base of the elevated one.  

The elevated reservoir has an unusual feature - an attached rectangular antechamber valve house. Its exterior walls are decorated in a similar fashion to the ornate circular reservoir. The decorative features include pilasters framing panels with blocked and arched false windows. Above the entrance doorway is a shield with Gothic script: ‘Sanitas est vita’ (Sanitation is Life).

Another covered reservoir (WS 132), completed in 1887, is nicknamed ‘Stonehenge’ and was the last of four built to support Sydney’s early water supply system known as the Botany Swamps Scheme (1858-1886). It was the highest of the reservoirs intended to be supplied by Botany Swamps, reflecting Waverley’s high ridgeline topography.

It soon became clear, however, that additional height would be required to provide enough reticulation capacity to Waverley’s rapidly developing suburbs. This led to the construction of two elevated steel tanks in 1894.

With increasing demand, these tanks were eventually demolished and superseded by the present WS 136 and WS 133, both completed in 1917. Final augmentation of supply took place in 1938 with construction of Reservoir No.3 (WS 134).

Images courtesy Waverley Library Local Studies Collection and the City of Sydney Archives.