Why is there a cross in the ground at Circular Quay
Part of a public art installation by Lynne Roberts-Goodwin, marking the path of the Tank Stream
By Andrew P Street
It's part of a public art installation by Lynne Roberts-Goodwin, marking the path of the Tank Stream: a freshwater stream that ran out into Sydney Harbour and provided the original settlement with water, as well as being a major Aboriginal campsite for the previous 40,000-odd years.
It's one of seven similar pieces of artwork stretching between Circular Quay and the origin of the spring between Castlereagh and Pitt Streets. It originally had a blue LED that symbolised the water - if you pop into the City Recital Hall you can see a similar installation in all its LED-glittering glory.