The reconstruction of Maitland Street has brought forth the remnants of old infrastructure, and memories, of the street.

In a recent edition of The Courier a question was asked by a reader about a Narrabri ‘tank stream.’

Bob (Lasso) Small, is a fount of knowledge when it comes to Narrabri history and tells the story in colourful style.

Bob said the Narrabri tank stream was know as ‘Weeny Creek’.

“It came out of Doctor’s Creek near the racecourse and ran into a lagoon behind a railway carriage shed behind the railway stationm” Bob said.

Bob described the creek as ‘the best crawbob spot in Narrabri.’

“The creek’s course took it down Dewhurst Street and it was put underground during the Depression by people who were on employment relief.”

Bob said the overseer would throw money down into the hole and the workers would have to dig for the money.

“Johnny McMahon put two big pipes in at the end of Maitland Street near Tarngar’s store to drain the water from the creek out of Maitland Street and Tarngar’s cellar,” said Bob.

He said the cellar at Bill Moon’s Club House Hotel, now Best Employment, used to fill with water as well.

“The water then flowed into a big drain at the back of the Clubhouse and then down into a big underground channel between Collins Park and number two (Hogan) Oval and into the Narrabri Creek. It ran parallel to the cement bridge.”

The Courier thanks Bob for his explanation and welcomes further information from interested readers.

The original ‘tank stream’ is a heritage-listed former fresh water creek running into Sydney Harbour. An important water source in colonial Sydney, today it is little more than a storm water drain.

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