Open House Melbourne

The last weekend of July is usually Open House Melbourne, so I did the rounds of places normally closed to the public.

First off, the underground Russell Place electrical substation.

Complete with mercury arc rectifiers.

Hamer Hall, which was mid renovation.

The former Land Titles Office on Queen Street.

Toured the back of house areas of the State Library of Victoria.

A rooftop garden at 278 Flinders Lane.

The Myer Mural Hall.

Melbourne’s first skyscraper – ICI House.

Up to the top of 50 Lonsdale Street.

And down into the Royal Melbourne Hospital steam tunnels.

Trains and trams

One morning I was on my way to work, and found something odd – a V/Line train being pushed by a suburban electric train!

The V/Line train had run out of fuel at Footscray, so to keep things moving in the lead up to morning peak, it was pushed out of the way by the first train behind.

I found another public transport oddity down at Appleton Dock – a tram sitting on the back of a truck.

The Bombardier-built Flexity tram had just arrived from Germany by sea, and was ready to head for Adelaide to run on the Glenelg line.

But an everyday sight back in 2011 was ticket machines onboard Melbourne trams.

Removed following the decommissioning of the Metcard ticketing system in December 2012, it was originally planned to replace them with Myki machines, but the idea was abandoned in 2011.

Another then-unremarkable view was this one from Wurundjeri Way looking back towards Southern Cross Station.

A pair of office towers now occupy the western roof of Southern Cross Station, the Regional Rail Link tracks now occupy the roadside, and the skyline behind is full of new apartment towers.

Abandonment

A forgettable building in the Melbourne CBD is 405 Bourke Street. Launched back in 2007 as ‘The Foundry’, by 2011 the shopping centre had been boarded up, the original developer having gone into liquidation.

But a decade later things have changed – a new 43 storey tall office development has been built on the site, cantilevered 10 metres over the heritage listed building.

Another unremarkable building was the last remaining part of the West Gate Bridge toll plaza – the abandoned VicRoads control room in Port Melbourne.

Located next door to the tensile membrane roofed service station.

The site had just been sold to a developer, with demolition commencing a few months later.

Warehouses now occupy the site.

Finally, another abandoned site I visited this month was the former Gilbertson’s Meatworks in Altona North.

Empty for years, the site was finally cleared in 2012, and rezoned for residential development – with ‘Haven’ by Stockland and ‘The Fabric’ by Mirvac both under construction today.

And new construction

In 2011 demolition was well underway at the former Myer store on Lonsdale Street.

The facade was still there.

But a wall of scaffolding was on the way up.

Ready to support the building.

While the guts were ripped out of the middle.

Emporium Melbourne was then built on the site, opening to shoppers in 2014.

Footnote

Here you can find the rest of my ‘photos from ten years ago‘ series.

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Spencer Street Station Redevelopment newsletter Interchange Issue 5: May 2002

In the beginning

Spencer Street Station opened in 1859 as dead end terminus, five years after Flinders Street Station. The platform ran parallel to Spencer Street – not on an angle like today – and had a single main platform, with a dock platform at the north end. In the years that followed, the number of platforms expanded, but access was always via the southern end.

PROV image VPRS 12800/P1, item H 1109

In 1888 work started on a double-track viaduct linking Spencer Street Station to Flinders Street Station, with the line opening in 1891 to goods traffic, and in 1894 to passenger trains. In conjunction with this project a through platform was provided on the western edge of the station complex.

PROV image VPRS 12800/P1 item H 1501

Passengers accessing the island platform via a footbridge to the south end.

PROV image VPRS 12800/P1, item H 1497

Leading them to the suburban concourse at the south end of the existing station.

VPRS 12800/P1, item H 1498

Enter the first subway

In conjunction with the electrification of the Melbourne suburban rail network, the viaduct to Flinders Street was expanded to four tracks in 1915, and between 1918 and 1924 four additional platforms were built at Spencer Street Station – today’s platforms 11 though 14.

PROV image VPRS 12800/P1, item H 1507

The new platforms were west of the existing station.

PROV image VPRS 12800/P1, item H 1505

With access provided by a tiled pedestrian subway.

PROV image VPRS 12800/P3, item ADV 0620

Linked to each island platform by ramps, not stairs.

PROV image VPRS 12800/P1, item H 1508

Note the resemblance to the pedestrian subways at Flinders Street Station – constructed during the same period.

But this subway did not stretch the entire length of the station – the sub ended country platforms were still accessed via the concourse at the southern end.

PROV image VPRS 12800/P3 item ADV 1580

Leaving a ramshackle mess of station facilities for intending passengers.

Diagram from ‘Railway Transportation’ magazine

The 1960s redevelopment

Having grown organically over the years, there had been many proposals to rebuild Spencer Street Station into something befitting it’s status as the main country railway station for Melbourne. However it took the Melbourne-Albury standard gauge railway project to finally see the go ahead given for a new station, with work starting in 1960.

Victorian Railways annual report 1961-62

The new station building on Spencer Street was the most visible part of the project, but the major change for passengers was the construction of a new subways beneath the existing platforms.

Weston Langford photo

The work included:

• suburban subway with north and south facing ramps on Spencer Street, running west beneath the existing station to the existing subway that served platforms 9 through 14;
• a parallel country subway linking the basement of the new station building to platforms 1 through 8;
• parcels subway at the north end of the station, providing a segregated route for parcel and baggage trolleys between the parcels office and country platforms 1 through 8.

PROV VPRS 12903/P1, Box 683/01

Work on the new station was completed in 1965.

Photo by Graeme Butler, part of the 1985 Melbourne Central Activities District (CAD) Conservation Study

Extension into the CBD

An eastern extension to the suburban pedestrian subway beneath Spencer Street commenced in 1973, with the tunnel breakthrough made on 18 June 1974.

PROV image VPRS 12800/P1, item H 4221

Opened to pedestrians on 11 September 1975, the tunnel continued east of the station.

Where it split to serve three exits.

One towards Bourke Street, emerging from the Savoy Hotel on the northern corner of Spencer and Little Collins Street.

With escalator and stairs to street level.

A second exit with escalator and stairs led towards Collins Street, passing through the basement of MMBW House at the southern corner of Spencer and Little Collins Street.

And a third exit with just stairs led to Little Collins Street, emerging outside the Savoy Hotel.

A final extension

In conjunction with the Melbourne Docklands development, the station subway was extended 80 metres west under Wurundjeri Way, to give access to the brand new Docklands Stadium.

Building the subway before the road made construction easier.

The subway was constructed to extend the existing Spencer Street subway. It is a reinforced concrete structure 9 metres wide to match the width of the existing subway. It extends the existing subway a distance of 80 metres.

Most of the subway was constructed using cut-and-cover construction and in-situ concrete as it was in the clear. For the section under the tracks, the reinforced concrete tunnel section was first cast alongside the tracks, and during an occupation, the material under the track was excavated and the tunnel jacked into position. A length of the cut-and-cover tunnel was first cast to provide the anchor block for the jacking operation.

With the extended subway ending at a roller door.

The beginning of the end

The primacy of the subway for access to Spencer Street Station ended in 2000, when the Bourke Street Bridge was completed as part of the Docklands Trunk Infrastructure project.

Ian Harrison Photo, SLV H2000.184/20

The new 20 metre wide, 205 metre long pedestrian bridge stretched across the station platforms, forming an extension of Bourke Street towards the new Docklands Stadium.

Weston Langford photo

And also included escalator, stair and lift access to platforms 3/4, 9/10, 11/12 and 13/14 at Spencer Street Station.

Diagram from ‘Bridges for Melbourne Docklands Infrastructure’

The Spencer Street Station Authority was also created, to manage the redevelopment of the station.

The Spencer Street Station Authority commenced operations on 1 July 2001, having been created by legislation and supported by all sides of Parliament.

In its first 17 months, the Authority has concentrated on improvements to public safety and amenity, for the 60,000 – 70,000 people who pass through the station each day. Matters such as emergency evacuation procedures, fire services, security, cleaning and public health have been dealt with, as well as a considerable upgrade to retail facilities, seating, signage, etc.

The aging escalators between the subway and Spencer Street were one issue – so they took the cheap option of taking them out of service, and enclosing them in timber boxes.

But inside the station itself, the subway was patched up so it could handle the growing number of users.

Spencer Street Station Redevelopment newsletter Interchange
Issue 5
May 2002

Spencer Street Station’s subway – the key artery for the station’s users – has just received a much needed facelift. The subway at Spencer Street Station, which was first opened in 1963, is the main connection to all rail platforms and will remain an important access point throughout the construction of the new station.

The Spencer Street Station Authority completed the refurbishment in March 2002, as an interim improvement before the station redevelopment. It brings the facilities up to modern standards and helps create a safer environment.

An average of 55,000 people use the station each weekday, the majority of which use the subway. It services metropolitan, country and interstate rail commuters. These numbers swell dramatically for sporting events at Colonial Stadium and other major events such as the Grand Prix, the Spring Racing Carnival and the Royal Melbourne Show.

The layout is now improved to provide for added commuter ease and security and to allow for potential greater patronage as the Docklands project develops. The central retail outlets have been relocated to the side of the subway to create greater capacity for passenger movement, and have been upgraded, giving them a new welcoming look.

New ceilings and additional lighting have been installed to create a more inviting atmosphere. Taking four months to complete, the subway works mainly took place out of peak hours to ensure a safe working environment for builders and minimal disruption to the travelling public.

The Spencer Street Station Authority still saw a need for the subway while the new station took shape around it, as well as once it was completed.

It is anticipated that construction work will begin in mid 2002 on the Spencer Street Redevelopment Project with construction proposed to be finished by mid 2005. During this period the existing pedestrian subway will be a vital, probably the only, means by which the travelling public will be able to safely gain access to and from the train platforms.

After the new station has been built, the subway will continue to have an important role for luggage transfer and other operational matters, and as a vital emergency evacuation route.

The Authority therefore made a decision to upgrade the subway, to achieve three things:

(a) to eliminate health problems by removal of asbestos and termite infestation;
(b) to open up the passageways by removing three shops from the centre aisle; and
(c) to provide better retail facilities for the public, bearing in mind that those on the two upper levels may have to be closed at certain stages during the redevelopment.

The original scope of works was expanded to meet these objectives, prior to being competitively tendered. The lowest tender of $737,938.85 (including GST) was accepted from Allmore Constructions, who had previously carried out the refurbishment of the main concourse. The Authority has since approved variations to this contract of approximately $50,000 to deal with more extensive termite damage in the subway than originally anticipated.

The improvements currently being carried out are fully funded by the Authority using revenue it generates from its retail activities and property leases, including public car parking and rentals paid by the train and bus operations.

And the end

Demolition of the old station began in 2003.

Spencer Street Station Authority photo

Temporary wiring being run through the subway.

And holes punched in the access ramps to allow the new roof to be built overhead.

As late as 2005 shops inside the subway were still open to serve passengers.

But as the project progressed, they were progressively closed.

In May 2005 the subway beneath Spencer Street was closed.

Spencer Street Station Authority media release
Friday 20 May, 2005

LOOK FOR THE CHANGES AT SPENCER STREET

Spencer Street Station is continuing its transformation into a world class station, with the Spencer Street Station Authority today announcing external access to station platforms through its 80 year old subway will close from Saturday 28 May 2005.

The Authority’s Chief Executive, Tony Canavan, said that the subway closure would coincide with the partial opening of a new passenger facility on Collins Street with limited access to metropolitan platforms.

“Change is in the air at Spencer Street, with the spectacular roof taking shape and now the closure of subway access to the station to allow construction works to continue. “Many metropolitan passengers will have a small taste of the new look station with the partial opening of the Collins Street Concourse, which will eventually provide access to all metropolitan train services at the station.”

Mr Canavan urged Spencer Street Station users to be aware of the best entrance points to the station following the subway closure on 28 May 2005. The clear message for metropolitan rail users is that the Bourke Street Bridge is now the best entrance point while construction continues at the station.

Mr Canavan said the closure of subway access to the station means that station users will use pedestrian crossings at Collins Street and Bourke Streets to cross Spencer Street. “We are working closely with VicRoads and will monitor crossing times carefully once these changes take place to ensure a safe and smooth flow of people,” said Mr Canavan.

Mr Canavan thanked station users for their patience and understanding during the construction and in light of ongoing changes at the station in the months to come. “This really is a case of some inconvenience in the short term, in order to deliver improved services and facilities for the future,” he said. “The closure of external subway access to the station is essential to the redevelopment, and will eventually see the dark and ageing subway replaced with wide open entrances to improve safety and access.”

In the months that followed, access to country platforms 1 through 8 was changed to be via the new ground level concourse at the Collins Street end.

And access to suburban platforms 9 through 14 changed to the new elevated Collins Street concourse.

However the subway remained open for passenger interchange for a few more months.

The western end closed to the public.

As well as the section towards the country platforms.

My last visit was on 24 July 2005, with public access ending very soon after.

Today the subway remains in place, but for the use of staff only.

Footnote – where did the subway go?

The July 2001 ‘Spencer Street Station Redevelopment Planning Study’ details the extent of the subway network.

There are two main subway systems accessing station platforms.

The passenger access subway extends some 300m from entrances to the city side of Spencer Street to a single entrance at Wurundjeri way. The subway width varies from about 9m to 14m, and the floor is some 4m below the general track level of RL 8.0. It grades gradually from east to west. Ramps (at slope 1:12) provide passenger access to all platforms. Several 9.0m deep alcoves on the southern side of the subway, below the regional platforms, house various businesses and services. The access from Wurundjeri Way (Docklands) is currently used only for events at the Stadium.

A baggage handling tunnel runs the full length of platform 1, below the platform, and links the basement in the main building to an access ramp on the southern concourse and a cross track tunnel to the north. There are also access ramps to regional platforms. Levels are similar to the main pedestrian subway. An additional baggage tunnel branches off the main subway at Platform 8 and links to access ramps to suburban island platforms.

How many shops were down there?

The planning study also listed the tenants of the subway, and the total area they occupied.

Subway Ticket sales area – 340 sq.m.

13 vending machines – 13 sq.m.

Commonwealth Bank Autobank – 2 sq.m.

Subway newsagency – 16 sq.m.

Subway snacks – 205 sq.m.

Mrs M Ireland’s Florist – 16 sq.m.

Tattersalls – 16 sq.m.

Subway clothing shop – 72 sq.m.

Toilets – 30 sq.m.

Other retail spaces – 180 sq.m.

Circulation, ramps etc. – 5,510 sq.m.

Total – 6,400 sq.m.

And how many people used it?

The same study also included the result of a pedestrian count completed on 24 November 2000, showing the routes used to access the station – noting that the subway east under Spencer Street was closed at weekends.

Entrance/exit	Pedestrians	Percentage
Spencer Street subway	18,920	40%
Bourke Street intersection	9,744	21%
Ramp to Spencer Street south	9,104	19%
Coach Station	8,201	17%
Ramp to Spencer Street north	1,567	3%
Bourke Street pedestrian bridge	82	0%
Total	47,618	100%

And noted the lack of capacity for future growth.

A recent survey of use indicates that the passenger access subway under Spencer Street facilitates about 19,000 movements on a Friday (40% of total station movements) with 7,000 occurring in the peak hour. Daily movements in the main subway within the Station were recorded at 34,000.

With projected levels of growth it is only a matter of time before the capacity of the current subways is inadequate. Optional responses to this situation would include:
· enlarging the existing subway;
· constructing an additional subway; and
· providing another form of platform access, such as an elevated concourse.

Fast forward to 2016, and now the rebuilt station is already at capacity – some great forward planning there!

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Finding the entrances

The first remnant of the Spencer Street Station subway is on Little Collins Street, outside the Savoy Hotel. Now boarded up, it once contained a stairwell down into the subway.

A roller door on the Spencer Street side of the Savoy Hotel was another entry point, secured by a roller door.

It remained in this state until May 2019, when the stairwell inside was covered over.

And the space converted into a shop.

Meanwhile on the other side of the street, the basement of the old Spencer Street Station building still exists, converted into staff offices.

But the connection under Spencer Street was bricked up.

And a second life

The subway might no longer continued under Spencer Street, but beneath the station it has been retained as a ‘back of house’ area.

The path it takes beneath the platforms still visible.

But the ramps from platform level have been fitted with doors to keep prying eyes out.

Storage cages filling the subterranean space, along with water, power, data, gas and fire systems.

And the western end turned over to a reclaimed water treatment facility.

And new users

Passengers might be gone from the old subway, but rail staff still use it everyday.

Luggage hall staff use the subway to deliver parcels and baggage to trains.

As do V/Line catering staff delivering food to buffet carriages.

V/Line fitters on their way to fix trains.

And Travellers Aid volunteers in their electric buggies.

Helping passengers unable to walk long distances around the station.

But the most famous users passed through on 27 August 2009.

Victorian Premier John Brumby, Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky and Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese.

Who used the subway to reach the future site of platform 15 and 16, where they turned the first sod for the Regional Rail Link project.

What about reopening it?

With Southern Cross Station at capacity in peak times and pedestrians spilling out onto Spencer Street, many people have called for the pedestrian subway to be reopened, including the City of Melbourne.

Pedestrian subway may re-open
CBD News
April 1, 2016

The City of Melbourne has pledged $750,000 to investigate the re-opening of a subway between Little Collins St and Southern Cross Station.

According to a council spokesperson, the tunnel formed part of the passenger subway through the former Spencer Street Station, before it was redeveloped as Southern Cross Station.

“Council has agreed to allocate funding in the current capital works budgets to investigate the feasibility of re-establishing a connection to an existing tunnel which runs under Spencer St and which could connect the station frontage to Little Collins St,” the spokesperson said.

According to the council spokesperson, the disused subway now supports a number of service and utility ducts for the station.

But these proposals came to nothing.

A council spokesperson said an investigation found that “significant” underground services had been installed in the tunnel along the west side of Spencer Street.

“These large pipes prevent access through the tunnel,” the spokesperson said.

With the only upgrades completed since being an extension of footpaths along Spencer Street.

Bonus content – a second subway to the north

At the northern end of country platforms 1 through 8 is another set of ramps, secured with automatic gates.

And ‘DANGER KEEP OUT’ signs at bottom.

This subway was once used for the transport of baggage to country trains, and is large enough for light trucks to pass through, such as the V/Line toilet pumping truck.

And also has road access to the wider world via the coach terminal.

Footnote – more photos

Over on Reddit someone posted some photos showing the current state of the station subway.

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Like most months we start down at Geelong, where I paid a visit to Marshall station. There I found a locomotive hauled train running around the carriage set, ready to form a new service back to Melbourne.

And a few kilometres away I captured a V/Line service from Warrnambool headed through the paddocks outside Waurn Ponds.

The scene at both stations is now completely different – the empty paddocks are now covered with houses, Waurn Ponds station having opened on the site in 2014, and VLocity railcars now run the bulk of services on the Geelong line.

On the other side of Geelong, track duplication work was underway on the main line west to Adelaide.

The second track was completed in 2012, and allows grain trains to access the Port of Geelong without conflicting with through services.

On the drive up to Melbourne, I spotted a Qantas jet taking off from Avalon Airport, the pilot in training performing touch-and-go landings.

Today it’s more likely to be bound for long term storage.

I also found some American visitors on the apron at Melbourne Airport – Boeing E-4B 747-200B #31677 and Boeing C-32 757-200 #90004, bringing United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Australia on an official visit.

I can’t see any state visits by foreign officials happening any time soon.

Ding ding! Outside Flemington Racecourse on Melbourne Cup day I found six trams sitting in the siding on Union Road, waiting to take patrons home after the big race.

This year – empty stands.

Back in 2010 Metcard was still the ticket to use to travel by train.

They were eventually replaced by Myki in 2012.

A more random visit was the Bradmill factory beside the West Gate Freeway in Yarraville.

Back then it was just another factory, but in the decade since it has became an urbex hotspot.

With another changed industrial scene being the Melbourne Steel Terminal, located in the shadows of Melbourne Docklands.

Once used to ship steel products down to Hastings, the terminal closed in 2015 to make room for the ‘E’ Gate development, but was instead taken over by the West Gate ‘Tunnel’ project for a tangle of freeway ramps.

Finally, I made my way out to Melbourne Airport by bus, where the route 901 ‘Smartbus’ stopped out in the middle of nowhere.

It’s a little easier to find these days – the Terminal 4 transport interchange.

But my destination was elsewhere.

Hong Kong.

During my two and a bit week long trip I had a monkey around with my Myki on the Octopus card readers.

And I took thousands of photos, of which 2,391 of them eventually made it online.

Footnote

Here you can find the rest of my ‘photos from ten years ago‘ series.

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Remember Connex and Metcards? Here we see the ticket gates at Glenferrie station.

Down at North Melbourne station the new concourse at the city end was almost complete. This massive steel deck was required to protect the gas mains underneath from the heavy crane used to remove the last bits of formwork.

Down the line at Footscray station, rail replacement buses were running, thanks to a damaged section of overhead wiring on the track towards Newport – all thanks to a scrote who threw a chair over the edge of the station footbridge.

Note the lack of low floor buses – you can blame Sita Buslines for that.

The footbridge in question was still the rickety timber and tin structure dating back to the 1900s.

But the bridge’s days were numbered.

With construction on the $14.7 million dollar replacement about to start.

Another upgrade was the introduction of ‘Parkiteer‘ bike cages around the network.

Launched in February 2008, initially $1 million in funding was allocated for the installation of up to 20 bike cages.

But $1 million is a drop in the ocean in the money spent on railway station car parks.

In 2009 the massive car park at Laverton station was undergoing yet another expansion – stretching halfway to Aircraft station.

By 2014 the car park was rated the ‘worst in Melbourne for finding a space‘, with local residents getting sick and tired of motorists from elsewhere clogging their suburb, but the 2018 State Election saw the promise of still more parking spaces made by the Andrews Government.

July 2009 also saw me take a wander around the back blocks of Docklands.

There were plenty of abandoned railway tracks running around the wharves – this is now the corner of Collins and Bourke Street.

While the other end was shed 21 – since demolished, erasing the last trace of Victoria Dock.

Closer to North Melbourne station was the former ‘Hump’ at Melbourne Yard.

Opened in 1968, the yard was used to sort freight wagons. Each wagon would be pushed to the top of the ‘hump’ and then released, being allowed to roll into a destination track.

The entire yard was controlled by a primitive computer, with remote controlled brakes and points ensuring that each wagon ended up on the correct train.

But by the time of my visit the yard was long closed – the last train passed over the top in 1987.

The bulk of the yard was demolished in 1997 to make way for the Docklands Stadium, but the ‘hump’ crest lasted until 2010, when it was demolished to make room for the new Regional Rail Link tracks.

I also swung past the Melbourne Steel Terminal, used to tranship freight for the BlueScope Steel plant on the Stony Point line at Hastings.

Located in the middle of the ‘E’ Gate urban renewal precinct, the freight terminal was closed in 2015 and cleared of tracks soon after.

But all of those plans have come to naught – the land has been handed over to Transurban for city access ramps connecting to the West Gate ‘Tunnel’.

And finally, we end down on the outskirts of Geelong, where the railway towards Warrnambool passed through anonymous empty paddocks.

But in 2013 this spot was chosen as the site of the new ‘Grovedale’ station, which opened to passengers as ‘Waurn Ponds’ on October 2014.

Footnote

Here you can find the rest of my ‘photos from ten years ago‘ series.

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We start at North Melbourne looking towards a sparser looking CBD skyline.

This flyover was previously only used by standard gauge passenger services and light engines accessing the locomotive depot at South Dynon, but has since been rebuilt as part of the Regional Rail Link project to allow V/Line trains to access Southern Cross without conflicting with suburban trains.

Around the corner I paid a visit to the Melbourne Steel Terminal, where steel products were transhipped between broad and standard gauge trains.

The terminal was last remaining part of the vast Melbourne Yard complex that stretched between the Melbourne CBD and the docks, but no longer exists – the land earmarked for the new ‘E’ Gate development.

Over at the South Dynon locomotive depot I saw a pair of CLP class units.

These units were retired from mainline service by owner Aurizon in 2012 then put up for sale overseas, but are still sitting in store at Goulburn in NSW.

I also found a pair V/Line locomotives in the red livery of the period.

Then found them again later in the day, with a set of carriages between them.

For the past decade the P class locomotives have been used in pairs on ‘push–pull’ trains, a mode of operation that has come to an end following the August 27 V/Line timetable change.

Another everyday V/Line sighting was this Geelong bound train passing through the Werribee Street level crossing south of Werribee.

Since 2015 the level crossings now sees just a handful of trains a day – Geelong services now use the Regional Rail Link tracks to the west.

But a far more unusual sighting was this two carriage long V/Line charter departing Southern Cross.

The brown carriage is dining car ‘Avoca’ – on loan to V/Line from the Seymour Rail Heritage Centre, who restored the carriage to operational condition. Avoca entered service in 1927 and remained in use until the 1980s, when it was replaced by the smaller ‘snack bars’ currently found on V/Line trains.

This month I also scored a tour of the railway workshops at Newport. There I saw locomotives under heavy overhaul.

Wheelsets getting reprofiled on a lathe.

Bogies being lifted in the bogie shop.

Massive locomotive engines getting reconditioned.

And a pile of spare fibreglass front fairings for the Comeng train fleet.

I also ended up at the top of the former WC Thomas & Sons flour mill in Newport, which gave me a great view of the trains down below.

As well as the sidings next door.

Demolition commenced in early 2017, with much of the site already gone.

Another long abandoned Melbourne building was the Spencer Street Power Station at the corner of Spencer and Lonsdale Streets.

After laying idle for decades demolition commenced in September 2007, being fully cleared by April 2008 with apartment towers now occupying the site.

But one abandoned site that lives on is the former Fyansford Cement Works.

The cement works closed in 2001, with the bulk of the site demolished in 2004, but the concrete silos atop the hill still remain in place today.

More photos

• Touring the Newport Workshops
• Exploring the former Fyansford Cement Works
• Derelict flour mill at Newport

Footnote

Here you can find the rest of my ‘photos from ten years ago‘

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I started my hike from Picton Road, where I parked the car and loaded up my backpack with water and snacks, before wandering off into the dense bush.

After walking down into a gully then back out again, I found myself in a clearing.

There wasn’t any sign of the bridge at this point.

But I kept on wandering around.

And I eventually found a metal stanchion on the unfinished bridge sticking up above the tree line.

With my target in sight and the sun starting to go down, it was time to head back into the bush.

Eventually I came out into another clearing, but this time the metal stanchions were larger – I was on the right track.

I kept walking in the same direction, and finally – I found the bridge!

The 30 year old concrete still looks to be in good condition.

I headed up onto the bridge, and walked towards the dead end.

Fences prevented me from walking off the end.

Looking west from the bridge was another bridge – carrying Picton Road across the Nepean River.

And to the east was the advancing shadows of a setting sun.

With the moon now visible, it was time to head out of the bush before darkness fell, and find my car again.

Footnote

Here is the GPS tracklog on my adventure to find the unfinished bridge – it took me 30 minutes to walk the ~1.5 kilometres between my car and the bridge, using a Google Maps printout and the setting sun as a guide, and with a lot of wandering around in order to pinpoint which direction I was supposed to be walking in.

Also of note is how closely my return journey matched my inward hike – my sense of direction must have been working well that day!

A check of Google Maps shows a supposed unnamed road that I didn’t use – leading from Picton Road to the bridge, it looks to be a dirt track that passes through a nearby skydiving centre, then follows the unfinished alignment of the railway.

A construction photo

From the Macarthur Chronicle Facebook page – an undated photo showing the southern end of the bridge under construction.

Further reading

Wikipedia has more on the history of the Maldon – Dombarton railway line.

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SLV image H98.30/25

But change was in the wind, when in the early 1980s the Motor Industry Development Plan (aka the ‘Button plan’) exposed the local manufacturers to compete on the world stage, leading to widespread job losses at car manufactures across Australia, but especially at the Ford factory in Geelong.

Back in 2003 Ford announced the closure of one of their Geelong factories – the chassis plant located on Princes Highway, next door to Cowies Creek – a news article from that period:

$100 million makeover for Ford site in Geelong
By Hugh Martin
October 2, 2003

The 15-hectare site fronting the Princes Highway has been sold for about $20 million to development consortium Quay Development Corporation, which includes Geelong Football Club president Frank Costa’s group of companies, the Victor Smorgon Group and Jack and Robert Smorgon’s Escor Group.

The project will be called Bay City Promenade.

The centre is expected to be completed in 2006 and will provide more than 1500 jobs in an area that has experienced few benefits of a strengthening regional economy.

However, Mr Costa said the proposal would not result in job losses at Ford, with the company redeploying its 60 staff at the plant before decommissioning it next year.

The centre is to be developed in two stages, with a 27,000 square metre retail centre, hotel and tourist centre to be built first.

A 25,000 sq m office and call centre component will be built in line with a health services centre, which is expected to complement the region’s second-largest employment sector.

As for the proposed property development on the site, nothing much happened over the next few years, as the local council refused to give planning permission for the project.

By the time 2007 rolled around, I had realised that the factory was sitting there empty, so I wandering in through an open gate, and took a look around. Inside the factory floor was empty, the machinery all gone.

It was obvious that I was not the first person to go for a wander around inside: discarded insulation from electrical cables covered the floor, indicating that copper thieves had already stripped the plant of their loot.

However the garden variety vandal had yet to discover the factory: the walls were as clean as the day Ford closed the doors.

As for the fabric of the building, it had not fared so well: holes in the roof has begun to leak water to the concrete floor below.

One odd feature of the factory floor was the toilet blocks located on a mezzanine floor: making it easier for workers to take a leak without needing to hike over to the main locker room.

Along the western side of the factory floor were a number of other rooms: a sick bay.

Offices for management.

Cafeteria.

And a locker room.

In the locker room I found an uncompleted survey form dating back to November 1991, asking Ford employees how confident they felt in the company during what was a period of massive restructuring.

A staircase lead up to the roof, so I took a wander up there as well.

There I found a number of abandoned 22,000 volt substations that once powered the factory.

Despite the copper wires having been stolen, much of the switchgear was still in place.

From the massive size of this fuse, messing around with the wiring while live would be extremely messy.

Outside the main building was another collection of interesting equipment: this time the filtration plant for the coolant system that was once connected to the entire plant of machinery.

So what happened to the site?

Back in October 2003 a redevelopment proposal for the site was announced:

$100 million development for Geelong
3 October 2003

A two tiered deal reported to be worth $10 million between the Ford Motor Company and Quay Development Corp, saw the latter acquire 15 hectares on the Princess Highway at Geelong. The site is set to house a $100 million development named Bay City Promenade.

The deal has reportedly seen an initial transaction of $7 million, with a further $3 million to be paid to Ford subject to approval for rezoning. Quay Development Corp a consortium made up of Frank Costa and two Smorgon family groups expect to realise a 9% yield on completion.

The proposal includes 25,000 sq m of commercial space, 17,000 sq m of bulky goods retail, a hotel and health care facility. If the development goes ahead it will see a move away from the areas predominantly industrial uses to that of commercial/retail.

However it took until 2006 for the developer to submit a combined Planning Scheme amendment and planning application to the City of Greater Geelong, who reviewed it at a council meeting held on May 24, 2005. The end result was a decision to support the preparation and public exhibition of the proposal – the minutes of the meeting say the following:

Proposed Homemaker Centre and Rezoning Application – 455 Melbourne Road, North Geelong
24 May 2005

Cr Saunderson moved, Cr Dowling seconded –
That Council:

1. having considered any significant environmental effects, the effects of the environment on the future development of the land and any social and economic impacts resolves to support the preparation and exhibition of an amendment to the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme to rezone lots 4 and 5 and part lot 6 PS511550P, 455 Melbourne Road North Geelong, from Industrial 2 Zone to Comprehensive Development Zone and associated schedule changes and incorporation of a Comprehensive Development Plan subject to the authorisation of the Minister for Planning being obtained; and
2. agrees to consider the application for a planning permit for the development of a homemaker centre concurrently with the preparation of the proposed amendment in accordance with Section 96A of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and that a draft Planning Permit be prepared for exhibition with the amendment.
3. not place the amendment and permit on exhibition until such time as traffic issues are resolved to the satisfaction of VicRoads and the responsible authority.

Presumably the traffic issues listed were dealt with to the satisfaction of the council, as in August 2005 the public was invited to view and comment on the proposal (media release), with submissions closing at the end of December 2005.

A total of 38 submissions were received regarding the development, of which 26 objected to it. As a result at a council meeting on June 27, 2006 the City of Greater Geelong decided to submit the proposal to an Independent Panel appointed by the state Minister for Planning – the minutes of the meeting in question:

Consideration of Submissions – Planning Scheme Amendment C98 Melbourne Road, North Geelong
27 June 2006

Cr Macdonald moved, Cr Dowling seconded –
That Council having considered all submissions to Amendment C98 to the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme resolves to:

1. request the Minister for Planning to appoint an Independent Panel under Part 8 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987;
2. refer all submissions to the Independent Panel; and
3. submit to the Independent Panel its response to the submissions as outlined in this report and Appendix 1-1.

It also gave further detail of the development proposal:

The subject land is a 15.19ha parcel of land located at the southern end of the existing Ford manufacturing complex on the Princes Highway at North Geelong from the current Industrial 2 zone to a Comprehensive Development Zone (CDZ). The subject site comprises the existing Ford Chassis Plant (to be partly demolished), two galvanized iron sheds, carpark area, grassed embankment and landscaped reclaimed area which falls north to Cowies Creek and a 1.8ha area used for parking immediately to the north of Cowies Creek.

• A ‘homemaker centre’ which comprises “big box” retail outlets (generally ranging from 1000m2 in area to 3400m2) that specialise in the sale of homewares, furniture and furnishings, hardware and related building products (Bunnings) comprising of 39,930m2 of peripheral retail floor area. Other allied activities including storage and convenience sales bring the total combined floor area to 40,845m2. A Draft Planning Permit No. 1701/2004 provides for the approval of this component.
• A ‘business park’ which comprises two free standing office buildings (nominally 6,920m2) geared to providing for specialised, high parking demand office activities such as call centres or associated with major industrial operations (i.e corporate headquarters).

The proposed development application (No 1701/2004) comprises the following elements:

• 15 retail restricted retail premises located in 3 buildings including part of existing plant building) with a total leasable floor area of 28,830m2
• 1 trade premises (Bunnings) with a total leasable floor area of 10,300m2;
• A restaurant and convenience shop building (425m2 LFA);
• An existing building to be used for storage (490m2 LFA);
• 1350 car parking spaces;
• 2 signal controlled entries aligned with Cowie and Collopy Street intersections;
• 4 pylon (open framed) signs;
• Peripheral site landscaping including an environmental management zone along Cowies Creek alignment and some site excavation and filling.

Following an 11 day hearing in October and November 2006, the Independant Panel recommendated that the development not go ahead in a report to Council dated December 2006:

For the reasons outlined in this report, the Panel appointed to consider Amendment C98 to the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme and Planning Permit Application No 1701/2004 makes the following recommendations:

1. That Amendment C98 to the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme be abandoned.
2. That no permit be issued for Planning Permit Application No. 1701/2004.

The City of Greater Geelong agreed with the panel, with the minutes of the June 12, 2007 council meeting stating the following:

Amendment C98 – Hometown – Consideration of Panel Report
12 June 2007

Cr Dowling moved, Cr Farrell seconded –
That Council:

1. abandon Amendment C98 to the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme; and
2. not issue Planning Permit Application 1701/2004.

With the proposal rejected by council, it was back to the drawing board for developer Quay Development Corporation. The Global Financial Crisis did not help matters, with parent company City Pacific starting a spiral towards collapse in March 2008, only to be forced into receivership in August 2009.

The end of the line came in February 2010 when the site was offered for sale by commercial real estate firm CBRE:

City Pacific liquidator instructs CBRE to sell iconic Geelong site
25 February 2010

One of Geelong’s last key gateway sites has been listed for sale on behalf of City Pacific liquidator Armstrong Wily. CB Richard Ellis has been appointed as the exclusive selling agent for the former Ford chassis component plant, under instructions from Armstrong Wily liquidators David Hurst and Andrew Wily. The substantial 309-343 Princes Highway property was formerly owned by City Pacific subsidiary Quay Development Corporation. The Geelong property is being offered for sale via Expressions of Interest, with a deadline closing date of Thursday 8th April, 2010. The campaign will be steered by CBRE agents Dean Hunt and Tom Haye.

After sitting on the market for over a year, a buyer was found in September 2011 – local carpet manufacturer Godfrey Hirst:

Godfrey Hirst buys old Ford plant
15 September 2011

Local carpet manufacturer Godfrey Hirst is planning to expand into the old Ford engine plant. It is understood the company bought 309 to 341 Melbourne Road earlier this year before applying to the City of Greater Geelong for a permit to accommodate carpet manufacturing there.

Godfrey Hirst has since moved into the empty warehouse, refitting the interior for their needs, and apparently annoying the neighbours with a dull rumbling noise:

EPA ‘silent on noise’
John Van Klaveren
19 October 2012

Nothh Geelong and Rippleside residents are frustrated at EPA inaction over their long-standing noise complaint.

A neighbours group of more than 20 residents says it has been working with the agency for more than 12 months to rectify the “deafening” noise.

She said the main noise culprit appeared to be a Godfrey Hirst factory in Corio Quay Road.

I guess the death of Australian manufacturing has been overstated.

Sources

• Timeline of the planning scheme amendment
• Council meeting minutes, 24 May 2005
• Council meeting minutes, 27 June 2006
• Council meeting minutes, 12 June 2007
• Documents relating to the planning scheme amendment
• FInal report of the Independent Panel

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The answer was Reddit – the massive social news website where people posts links and comment on them. In my case somebody posted a link to my January 2012 blog post about Melbourne’s empty skyscraper to the /RedditDayOf subreddit, where the topic for August 13 was ‘abandoned buildings‘.

Sometime around midnight Melbourne time people upvoting the link promoted it to the front page, where I got 313 hits on the evening of August 13, and another 594 hits on the morning of August 14.

Unfortunately for me traffic from Reddit is a fickle beast, with the traffic to my blog dropping back to normal when the link disappeared back into the depths of Reddit. Such is life… but at least my website appeared to avoid the Slashdot effect!

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Meanwhile at the next station over, some vandals managed to make their way into Parliament Station after the last train, and spray paint the walls with graffiti.

So how the hell did the the vandals get in there? Getting in via the tunnels after the last train has run is the most likely explanation, since this security vulnerability has been frequently abused by both graffiti vandals and urban explorers since the City Loop has opened.

The evidence of previous trespassers inside the tunnels is easy to see from a slow moving train – many tunnel walls have are covered with scrawled graffiti instead of bare concrete. You can also see the evidence on websites dedicated to urban exploration in Australia, where I found a dozen or so photos taken inside suspiciously familiar looking railway tunnels.

An example of urban explorers making their way into the City Loop is this photo, supposedly taken back 2004, showing a Connex liveried Comeng train at the junction of the Clifton Hill and City Circle Loop tunnels, just a short distance from Parliament Station. (to avoid any unwanted attention I’m not going to link back to the original photographer)

So if someone back in 2004 got into the City Loop tunnels, why aren’t we seeing every man and their dog down there today? The reason is a round of security upgrades carried out in 2005/06 for the Commonwealth Games.

The most obvious change was the addition of dozens of new CCTV cameras at each underground stations and the installation of new directional signage inside the tunnels themselves. Another less visible change was the upgrade of alarm systems to each emergency exit, and improved motion detector systems to pick up trespassers trying to walk down the tunnels.

So did the security upgrades work? The number of people sneaking in to take photos seem to have dried up, but Wednesday’s vandals still found a way to get in. The security arms race continues…

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