Friday, 17 December 2010

North Bondi, sewer vent

This sewer vent in the middle of a golf course, dominates the skyline in the eastern suburb of North Bondi. It was built at the end of the 19th century for the Bondi Ocean Outfall Sewer. By the late 1800s, the five outfall sewers which drained into Sydney Harbour had grossly polluted it. As replacements, the Southern Outfall Sewer was constructed in 1886 including an experimental sewage farm, followed by the Bondi Ocean Outfall Sewer in 1889 and the Western Suburbs Outfall Sewer in 1898. Sewer vents introduce a flow of fresh air through sewers to reduce the production of noxious and corrosive gases by enabling their release. The similar vent for the Southern Outfall Sewer can be seen here.

41 comments:

  1. Terrific, interesting post and photo for the day, Jim! Glad they found a way to reduce the amount of waste flowing into the waters. And, of course, beautiful, blue skies! Have a wonderful weekend!

    Sylvia

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  2. that's a sewer vent????

    i didn't realize they can make those really eye catching.

    happy weekend.

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  3. A SEWER VENT? Oh well the blue sky is lovely. ; )

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  4. Veramente grande !
    Mi piace molto :)
    Buona serata.
    Myriam :)

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  5. Interesting shot Jim. I remember similar structures in england, but they were for allowing fresh air in, and smoke out, of canal tunnels (so the horses pulling the barges could breathe)

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  6. Very interesting. I would have never guessed it was a sewer vent, especially in the middle of a golf course.

    Have a great weekend.

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  7. Interesting, I've never heard of a sewer vent. I'm wondering if those bands around the tower are strengthening bands or decorative.

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  8. Yogi, they seem to be functional rather than decorative.

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  9. Interesting post!
    Wouldn't have guessed it is a sewer vent!
    It looks like a great chimney!
    Thanks for sharing your beautiful pic;o)

    ***
    Have a great day****

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  10. What a role model of monument !


    Please have a good Friday.

    daily athens

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  11. I never thought the history of sewers could be so interesting. thank you for your post

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  12. Great. The blue sky is perfect.
    Congratulations.

    Greetings from Roberto

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  13. that is one impressive vent! and I love the blue sky background.

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  14. I'm going to pretend I didn't read your post and just enjoy the structure.

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  15. Jack, you made me laugh. I had some romanticised ideas about what these old stacks might have been used for until I found out what their function actually was. :)

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  16. Why on earth does a sewer vent need to be so tall..??

    I'm the sort of idiot who'd want to climb up and have a good peer down into that thing...

    I used to have a friend who lived near a similar structure (but much lower) in North London which was used for ventilating the local underground tracks. Of course I always wanted to go to the top of that one to see the trains rushing underneath as well. V easily fascinated, I am..!

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  17. A very impressive structure for an essential but not so glamourous purpose. Many high rise buildings in Thailand omit such a vent in their designs to the peril of residents soon after they move in...

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  18. Wow if you did not mention it is a sewer vent, I would not know. Have a nice weekend.

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  19. Interesting structure and well preserved for over 100 years old! There are some old sewer vents here that are only 2 meters or so tall and the odor is noticeable when driving by.

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  20. Big sewer, was my first thought!

    Stunning composition.

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  21. very interesting, I didn't realize that such catchy architectural creations can serve less nicer purposes :)

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  22. Awesome photo!!

    have a great weekend

    cheers from Uruguay :)

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  23. diane, it's a landmark structure in the area but I don't think many people are aware of its purpose.

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  24. Interesting sewer vent. Usually those types of structures are the chimneys for the crematoriums here.

    http://fredamans.blogspot.com/2010/12/sky-friday_16.html

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  25. A sewer vent doesn't sound very romantic, yet your photo of this big pillar vent against the blue sky is terrific.

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  26. What a lovely blue sky! As for the sewer vents, at least they make them pretty! I don't know if we have such systems here in Canada? I'm guessing our manholes do the job?

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  27. I've noticed it in the distance but never known what it was.

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  28. what is the fence and barb wore for? Would anyone want to climb it?

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  29. Ann, there's always someone who wants to climb tall public structures and the barbed wire and fence suggest that someone must have tried.

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  30. My grandmother moved three houses down in Blair Street in 1956. This is my childhood stomping ground.

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  31. Very nice photo. Love to visit this place some day.

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  32. Hello,
    This above post is just interesting and is all about vents...Nice picture and good representation...Keep posting...Thank you too much.......

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