23/01/2022 Infrastructure Appreciation Agenda: Sydney

 Not many people get the opportunity to live in a heritage-listed cottage with a heritage-listed sewer vent as an integral part of the front fence.  Only two of these sewage vent/cottage combos were ever built, so there's a real estate opportunity not be be missed in Corunna Road, Marrickville, Sydney.  After all, who doesn't want to live in a cottage with their very own 25m high sewage vent as part of the front fence?  Not to mention that said sewer vent is strapped together with metal bands to prevent it from falling down as it's over 100 years old and is getting tired of standing up.

Having (not) always wanted to live in a house with it's very own sewage vent, we just had to go have a little look-see.  

Views from the front room are one of a kind.

Some preservation is  needed.

After appreciating the sewer vent for longer than was probably necessary we were in the mood for more old infrastructure, so off we hiked to have a stickybeak at the Petersham Reservoir, which is also heritage listed.

A happy engineer with old infrastructure.

 I have to say, I struggled to float my boats by looking at an old water tank, but Roger was very happy and satisfied with the afternoon's infrastructure appreciation agenda.  The short version of the long version is that the old reservoir is under all that grass in the picture, and the less old part of the old reservoir is the futuristic structure on top, and it's all on top of the hill so gravity can send the water where it needs to go.  If you need to know more, find yourself an engineer and ask him: he will no doubt explain it to you in exhaustive detail and with touching enthusiasm.

While we are on the band wagon of old infrastructure, allow me to introduce you to:

Ta-dah!!!

This is the drinking fountain at the entrance to Centennial Park,  which was "erected A.D. 1904 as a gift from Mrs S. L. Comrie of Northfield Kurrajong Heights to the citizens of Sydney."  The fountain had a rocky start, being built where it got in the way of the horses, humans, and hounds for which it was provided.  It was ignored, decayed, was knocked down and stored until some bright spark had the idea of popping it at the entry to Centennial park where it does a perfect job with lots of humans, horses, and hounds going past and some of them even drinking from it.

The main fountain is for decoration only.  Horses, humans, and hounds have their own drinking stations on the corners.

With the end of our stay looming, we have to cease seeking out Sydney's heritage infrastructure to bring you a final sadness, the ending of what has become a plane-spotting obsession habit.  Tomorrow we'll be busy packing the car and cleaning the unit before George's owner comes home, therefore we'll be too busy to monitor FlightRadar for any A380s that may come thundering overhead on their final approach to the airport.  Bearing this in mind, we had to run out into the street to stand in respectful silence as Singapore Airlines came in to land and Roger spotted his last (for now) A380.

All good things must come to an end.  Until the next flight-path house-sit anyway.