The City of Albany is excited to be proposing its historic Open Channel Stone Drains and Kerbs for inclusion on its Local Heritage Survey and Heritage List. This recognition would be an important addition to Albany’s historic heritage assets and a unique listing in Western Australia.
For more details about this initiative and background to the project and potential heritage listing please follow the below links:
The City has written to all land owners within the street precincts that have an open channel drain, advising them of the potential heritage listing and what this will entail. The letter include links to all of the above information and also the upcoming engagement opportunities that owners may wish to participate in.
If you believe you are within one of the precincts but have not received a letter, please contact the Planning Team on 6820 3040 or via email at [email protected].
The City is organising a series of community engagement activities to provide opportunities for residents to learn more about the project, ask questions, and share their information and experiences. These include the following:
There will be two sessions held in the Albany Library attended by City staff who will be there to answer inquiries and provide more information. These sessions are as follows:
There is no need to book for these sessions and interested people are invited to drop in at a time that suits them.
Local historian, Malcolm Traill, will be hosting a guided walk to showcase some of the historic drains, explain what makes them unique and special to Albany and reveal some quirky and curious stories.
The walk will take approximately 1.5 hours, starting at top (north) of Melville Street/Mt Melville and ending at Albany Museum. There will also be time at the end to have a refreshment, ask questions and share more stories.
The Local History Collection holds a broad range of material relating to the history and evolution of the historic drainage network including photographs, newspaper articles, maps and plans, and council records that it will be highlighting during the community engagement period. This material will also be available to access in the future.
The collection staff can also assist people interested in researching more about the story of the drains, the convicts and prisoners who built them, about the earliest drains constructed in the town and even the lost or buried drains. Staff also welcome those who would like to share more stories or even bring in their own historical memorabilia that they may have tucked away in their cupboard or shoebox!
For more information on this special collection display contact ….?? or follow this link to History Great Southern-Kaartdijin Biddi Albany Library.
Why heritage list the Open Channel Stone Drains and Kerbs?
The Open Channel Stone Drains and Kerbs drains have long been regarded by the City as a valuable asset as a still-functioning and effective stormwater management system as well as an enduring and distinctive streetscape element of Albany’s historic townsite dating back to the 1860s and showcasing its local granite.
After the recent review of its Local Heritage Survey and Heritage List, the City undertook further investigations of its stormwater drains which confirmed its heritage significance, not only to Albany but also to Western Australia. There are also few examples of open channel stone drains and kerbs elsewhere in Australia that are as extensive, and that are still functioning and as intact as Albany’s drains.
Formerly adding the historic drains to the City’s heritage survey and list would be an important addition and a unique listing in Western Australia. Heritage listing will also foster better awareness and understanding of how best to look after these drains both for their function and their important contribution to the historic urban environment and in turn support the City in their future care and management.
What is the purpose of the Open Channel Stone Drains and Kerbs?
Open channel drains and kerbs were purpose-built to manage stormwater and excess water runoff from road surfaces, directing it downstream into a natural water course or some other holding basin. In Albany the main outlet is the harbour. It was also an outlet for stormwater runoff from houses and buildings along these roads with downpipes connecting into the drains. This differentiates these drains from other drainage infrastructure that manages waste water and water collection.
Were the drains built by convicts?
The very earliest drains in Albany were built in the 1850s prior to the transportation of convicts to Western Australia. These drains were lined with timber. When convicts came to Albany they brought the labour and skill to not only construct more roads and drains but also to quarry the local granite and cut and dress into pitchers and kerbs to line them. After convict transportation ceased, this work was undertaken mostly by the prisoners incarcerated in the Albany gaol which was the old convict depot who were often still called convicts. This is why the drains are often referred to as the “convict-built drains”. Later the drains were built by council employees who continued with the traditional construction method right through into the mid-1900s.
What are the characteristics of the Open Channel Stone Drains and Kerbs?
The drains are formed by an open channel or swale that is lined with stone called pitchers and kerbed using the same stone. The earliest drains constructed in Albany were originally lined with timber but this was not ideal as the timber could easily be dislodged during heavy rains and was also prone to rotting.
Granite was an obvious choice in Albany due to its natural availability, its durability against erosion and because it was relatively smooth allowing for good flow of water across its surface. Granite pitchers were cut so they could be laid closely together and the joints didn’t need to be mortared which assisted with the flow of water running across the stone as well as allowing some absorption into the sand underneath.
The drains and kerbs vary in depth, height and shape and can be on both or one side of the road depending on the steepness and curvature of the road and the water flow or runoff that occurs during rain incidents. The roads running north-south, especially those that have a steep gradient and take the runoff from the mounts are generally the deeper with high kerbs as the water load and speed is more significant as it runs towards the harbour. Roads that are not as steep or generally running east west often have shallower drains and low kerbs.
Are the heritage listed drains only for managing stormwater runoff?
Yes. There are other drainage systems in the City’s water management network, including in regional areas, some which are also open swale types, but these are for water collection, redirection or sewerage. There are also open channel drains that appear along Albany Highway, but these are assets of Main Roads WA.
Have some of the historic drains been lost?
Yes. In the late 1800’s/early 1900’s some of the historic drains were replaced with subterranean piping. The main reason for this was because the drains were being used for disposal of waste water and other rubbish and had become smelly and noxious. In some cases, cementing the stone channels was seen as another solution. However, the program of infilling and cementing drains as was relatively shortlived as this was not only costly but the open channel system and the stone lining was still recognised as the most efficient and economical way to manage stormwater. On a positive note, this led to the implementation of a property waste water management system in Albany.
The other reason drains were infilled was in the case where roads had undergone resurfacing since original construction and the original curvature and gradient altered. However, even if a drain was filled, the kerb was often retained and left visible and provides an indication of where drains may have once been located. Some of the drains that have been infilled include York Street, Aberdeen Street and parts of Parade Street.
Why won't the open stone drains be replaced with underground stormwater pipes?
While new stormwater drainage in the outer townsite and new residential areas is mostly provided by underground pipes, the open stone drainage channels in Albany’s town centre will be maintained and conserved as an important feature of Albany’s historic streetscapes. These open drains have also remained largely intact and functioning, and still form an integral part of the stormwater management and road network provided and maintained by the City for its residents, community, businesses and visitors.
Given the topography of Albany and the availability of granite, the open channel stone-lined drainage system is still an efficient and economic form of stormwater management even after more than 150 years since the first drains were constructed. Infilling drainage by retrofitting the open drains with pipes is expensive and not necessary.
As long as the open channel drains are maintained and looked after, they will continue to function well even with increasing inner urban development and changing climactic conditions bringing increased intensity and incidence of major storm events and rainfall.
Will I have to look after a heritage-listed drain if it runs past my property?
No. The drains are located within the road reserve or in public reserves. As they are part of the civic stormwater drainage infrastructure, the City of Albany is responsible for maintaining, upgrading and conserving all the drains. The only elements of the drainage network that relates to private property are the access crossovers and the stormwater pipes connecting a residence/building into the drains.
The City does however encourage owners to ensure that their front gardens and plantings are not impacting on the drains nor interfering with water flow.
If you are concerned about the condition of a drain owing to invasive weeds, debris, loose pitchers or other obstructions or that you are aware of an incident that has caused damage to a drain, kerb, conduit or crossover, you can contact the City to report this using the following link: https://my.albany.wa.gov.au/do-it-online/problems-requests-submissions
Will the heritage listing of the drains impact on my existing heritage listing or result in my property being heritage listed?
The historic drains and kerbs are located in the road reserve and not on private property so there is no correlation between the heritage listing of the drains with adjacent private properties. If your property is already on the City’s Heritage List and/or Local Heritage Survey or on the State Heritage Register, the heritage listing of the drains will not alter the status of this listing nor the heritage significance of your property.
If your property is not currently heritage listed, the heritage listing of the drains will not change this. Any heritage listing of your property in the future will not be as an outcome of the heritage listing of the drains but from a separate and unrelated nomination.
If your property is within a heritage-listed precinct, the heritage listing of the drains will not alter this, but the drains will be more formally identified as an important contributing element of the precinct.
Will the heritage listing on the drains impact on access and development of my property?
No additional requirements will apply to the development of land within your property boundary as a result of the heritage listing of the Open Channel Stone Drains and Kerbs nor impact any existing approved development or crossover access across the drains.
Landowners right’s to vehicle access to their property will not change. The only change will be some additional protection and planning controls applied to the design and location of crossovers as part of the crossover permit application process already in place.
The City is developing guidelines to assist landowners and developers in the design and installation of crossovers to ensure consistency across the whole townsite area and the optimum functioning of the drains and that there is no or minimum impact to the heritage fabric of the drains and kerbs.
Connection into the drains from private property to manage stormwater via downpipes will continue.
What if I know of or come across a drain that is not included in the heritage listing?
The drains being captured by the heritage listing are only the open stone channels that line many of the roads in the historic townsite, built to manage stormwater runoff and managed by the City of Albany. They are most commonly lined with local granite stone but other stone and masonry types were also used. The City is aware of other open swale drains in agricultural areas and along main roads but these are not the subject of the heritage listing.