Alternative nameBlackwattle SwampBlackwattle SewerBlack Wattle CreekBlack Wattle SewerBlack Wattle SwampDescription
This collection relates to Blackwattle Creek and Blackwattle Swamp sewer. The creek was once a tidal watercourse from the swampy land at the University of Sydney. The creek drained into Blackwattle Swamp, at the head of Blackwattle Bay, Glebe. Before European settlement Aboriginal people used the creek for fresh water, fishing and other activities. See Sydney Barani for more information about Aboriginal settlement and archaeology.
Blackwattle Creek was channelised and turned into Blackwattle Swamp sewer in the 1850s, one of five outfalls for sewer/stormwater to Sydney Harbour. Today, Blackwattle Lane follows its path. It was an open sewer for much of its length and only a portion of it was diverted underground in 1869.
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Blackwattle Creek and Swamp Sewer [CN-0565]. City of Sydney Archives, accessed 30 Jul 2025, https://archives.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/1983358