by Gavin McGrath
The abandoned Pomeroy Mill, west of Goulburn.()
What if these walls could talk?
It is a question which inspires thousands to explore lost and abandoned Australia.
These curious wanderers comb the landscape, exploring derelict homes and other deserted buildings, ultimately preserving their memory through photography.
They join Facebook groups such as Old & Abandoned Australia, Abandoned Victoria and Abandoned Queensland in their thousands, sharing their discoveries with one another.
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| An abandoned post office in the delightfully named town of Come By Chance, in outback NSW.(Facebook: Greg Davis, Explored Visions) |
Old & Abandoned Australia was started by the late Jon Anderson, who wanted to share his passion for forgotten history. That group currently boasts more than 200,000 members.
Avid photographer Greg Davis, from Sydney, joined as administrator for the group when it started getting too big for one person to handle. Now new photos of old places appear daily.
"When I came on board, I started putting some rules in, and we tweaked those rules over a period of about 12 months. It's just grown and grown," Mr Davis said.
"The thing people like is there's an element of mystery. Where are they? What happened here? You get a lot of comments, like 'If these walls could talk'."
"A lot of people say they wish they could be restored but most of these places are beyond help."
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| A row of abandoned shops in Cracow, in central Queensland. (Facebook: Greg Davis, Explored Visions) |
Many of the Old & Abandoned Australia group's rules are about discouraging trespass, ensuring member safety while preserving what makes these places special in the first place.
"One of our rules is: if someone shares a photo and decides not to provide the location then you are not allowed to say where it is even if you know," Mr Davis said.
Group members apply a broad brush as to what constitutes old, abandoned and lost: from railway stations, factories and bridges, to machinery and cars.
However, humble homes tend to be a favourite.
"I've probably found the biggest interest is in old farmhouses. They tend to get the most comments," Mr Davis explained.
"As far as public buildings go, it's big, big things like old power stations and mines. Some have become quite iconic like the Wangi Wangi Power Station north of Sydney, or the Morwell Power Station in Victoria.
"Others I can think of are the Bradmill Denim and Nylex buildings. For our urban explorers, which we call 'urbex', they're a bit of a trophy location."
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| An abandoned orphanage in Goulburn.(Facebook: Greg Davis, Explored Visions) |
While some explorers chase spectacular "trophy" photos, for others, it's simply about the hunt or discovering the story behind the picture.
"About 10 years ago I started travelling full-time on the road. I just noticed that there was a lot of unseen Australian history," Terry-Lee Campion from Corop in central Victoria said.
"It started with an old pub, that I found in Wanyarra. It was a stone ruin built by a convict, and it just had a mysterious aura."
"I came back home after taking pictures and researched it a bit, and it all started from there. You have to feel for my poor husband when we are driving around, because I will just randomly yell out 'Stop! Stop!' so I can take a look. It's an obsession.
"I think it's about the mystery, like that old saying, 'if these walls could talk'. You wonder about the people that lived there and what sort of life they led."
On the hunt for history
There are different ways to discover old and abandoned places.
Mr Davis takes a somewhat methodical approach, complete with GPS maps, pre-planned routes, and preliminary research. He will strike up a conversation with locals to find out where to explore.
"In January I went up north-west New South Wales and it was six days covering 3000km," he said.
"I'll use Google Maps and map out a route through towns I haven't been to before. I do like to follow the old train lines. If you follow abandoned railways on a map you'll often find there's a little village there.
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| Greg Davis says abandoned railway lines almost always lead to places worth exploring, such as Lue, in rural New South Wales. (Facebook: Greg Davis, Explored Visions) |
"Just get your car and have a look because often abandoned farmhouses are just a few metres off the road. With each little town there may be only one or two shops still open, but the people can be very helpful. I like to buy a drink and a sausage roll to support these little country towns."
Ms Campion takes a more laissez-faire attitude.
"I just like to find places by surprise, so I go out to find a small country town, and don't actually do any research," she said.
"My husband and I will just drive around and wander off to find something with visual appeal. I've even got lost a few times.
"We've had friends report us as missing. We've had to call the police to tell them we're OK."
After each significant discovery Campion digs into its history.
There is often a touch of melancholy, even tragedy.
"There's always this sense of sadness that one day somebody closed that door for a final time and nobody's ever been back since. It is rather haunting when you think about it," she said.
Capturing that magical photo
Greg Davis has established a following with his beautiful photographs and historical research, which is shared to the Old & Abandoned Australia Facebook group along with his own Explored Visions page. He offered these tips.
Composition is important. If you're photographing a church, don't chop the top of the steeple off.
Try different angles and lighting angles for a different mood. There is no right answer.
Find a story telling element. Is there an old pub and shop in the distance? Is there a kangaroo in the foreground?
Write some words to help tell a story. You don't need to tell the location but something about how you found it or what's interesting about it. I think if people can't be bothered writing a few words, I don't want to see your photo.
Do not trespass or take photos of dangerous situations. It's one of our group's fundamental rules.
First published at ABC News, Ballarat, August 12, 2023
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