Tunnel Vision

It's always exciting when serendipitiously a new location rears its head. Patience has never been one of my virtues so when I read a blog post which featured yet another tunnel at Helensburgh, I was keen to venture down the coast immediately to investigate. Approaching the tunnel I had no misgivings as access was clear and it was a short walk from houses.

From reading the blog post I knew the tunnel was extensive but had no intention of exploring  the depths by myself. Call me paranoid or a pessimist, I'm happy to accept either, but I don't intend to take risks for a photograph and with no mobile reception and no one knowing where I had gone, I was keen to simply locate the tunnel and do a cursory examination. 

Once past the initial gates there was yet another entrance but the floor was very uneven and the feeble light from a  headtorch with draining batteries was unable to display enough of my surroundings to make exploration viable.

I ventured only as far as one more entrance and then it was back to the open air and daylight.

The view from inside the tunnel looking back towards the entrance

The Tram Graveyard

I'd previously read about the graffiti covered trams which used to be housed in the former Rozelle tram depot, located in Glebe and as they've since been moved I was unable to get to see them. I have fond memories of tram travel as a child when I went out to visit my grandparents at Randwick. The following video provides a snippet of historical information .

It remained a great mystery as to where they've been taken and I was still on the hunt for them as they represent a wonderful memento from Australia's early history. The following video shows them before they were rehoused or perhaps many of them were simply destroyed.

Thanks to Alex Taylor (Visual Cocaine) another member of the Focus Group, I was alerted to the location of a few other old trams. As luck would have it the location was only a 15 minute drive from home. Alex had provided some great background and advice on his blog so I went very well prepared. I guess it's always a risk going to these places alone but everybody else was out celebrating Australia Day and I'd decided to visit mid afternoon so I was pretty sure it would be deserted.

Looking back through the images today I'd like to try and create a slideshow as a type of homage to these old veterans of the track. Everyone has their processing preferences for digital images and I think it's important for viewers to appreciate the intent behind the images. Many people dont like vignetting but I think it can be used to achieve a purpose. This is a secret location in many ways and the trams are only partially visible when the doors to the shed are slowly opened. I think vignetting is a method of doing a partial reveal which suits this location.

 I was quite saddened by my visit as the trains stand like prisoners crammed together side by side and susceptible to all forms of attack by vandals who have scant respect for their historical value. They stand in the dark littered with human detritus, scars of a myriad of attacks on almost every surface. Paradoxically, a few hundred metres away at the Loftus tram depot, their indulged cousins are housed in relative opulence and lovingly maintained by a league of volunteers. I wonder why some have been assigned to the graveyard and others have been championed ? I do admit to feeling a little uncomfortable in the dark alone and I wasn't inclined to attempt to board the less accessible vehicles, so I've probably missed out on some great shots. Spookily, after I'd left the sheds and was walking towards the exit there was a loud bang from inside, the source of which shall have to remain a mystery.

After 3 successive visits, one with company which was the most enjoyable shoot, I'm still working on processing the hundreds of shots I captured. I've also heard from a photo buddy that the trams share the shed with some brown snakes which has somewhat compromised the attraction of any future visits. I've recently uncovered some images of the transferring of the trams to this location and am somewhat surprised it attracted no media attention.