Sewage Pumping Station 38, Sewerage pumping station in Mascot, Australia
Sewage Pumping Station 38 is a functioning sewerage facility in Mascot with a circular concrete substructure housed beneath a single-story building. The roof displays a slate-covered gambrel design topped with terracotta ridge cappings.
Built in 1919 by the Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board, the station was designed to pump sewerage from low-lying areas near Cooks River and the Ascot Racecourse. The facility has remained part of the city's infrastructure network since its completion.
The brown brick structure with timber-framed windows shows how Australians built industrial facilities in the early 20th century, reflecting hands-on construction practices of that era. Standing on a busy street, it quietly demonstrates the building methods people used at the time.
The station is located on General Holmes Drive and continues to operate under Sydney Water management. Visitors should view it from outside since it remains an active industrial facility with ongoing operations.
The ceiling features a centered ventilation grille and tongue and groove boarding, showing construction methods from the Federation period that builders applied with care throughout the structure. Such details are rarely visible to passersby but reveal attention to craftsmanship even in hidden spaces.
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