Urbex Meetup

Joined Sydney Photo Fun, yet another photography group and attended an urbex shoot at Callan Park.  

 

Garry Burton has some great shots of the extensive grounds if you're thinking of planning a trip there. We were only there for two hours which is not nearly enough time to see everything. I would recommend going by car in order to do justice to the visit.

As always, trees are like a  magnet for me and there are certainly some magnificent examples.

 

Where The Jacarandas Bloom

The cycles of Nature create endless photo opportunities. Jacarandas are a most popular subject for photographers and it can be challenging to locate a beautiful tree in a picturesque location. Most of the well publicized locations are a substantial distance from Sydney so my only option so far this Season had been the occasional tree which soars above its brothers and sisters in suburbia.

 As always my eye is drawn to the detail.

 

Alerted to the existence of a large jacarandah situated in the quadrangle at Sydney University I was motivated to make a special trip into the city with a friend and return via Callan Park where I had previously seen some other lovely specimens. 

Continuing our journey we explored the extensive grounds at Callan Park . There were quite a few trees but the difficulty was excluding unattractive rooftops or vehicles.

Callan Park Mental Hospital

In keeping with my fascination for abandoned buildings, orphanages and asylums I visited the Callan Park location.

 "............... The facility formerly known as Callan Park Hospital for the Insane (1878 to 1914) is located in the grounds of Callan Park, an area on the shores of Iron Cove in the Sydney suburb of Lilyfield in Australia. In 1915 the facility was renamed Callan Park Mental Hospital and again in 1976 to Callan Park Hospital. Since 1994, the facility has been formally known as Rozelle Hospital. In April 2008, all Rozelle Hospital services and patients were transferred to Concord Hospital. The Callan Park (Special Provisions) Act 2002 restricts future uses to health and education but the New South Wales Government has not revealed its intentions for the site. The former facility is now occupied by Sydney College of the Arts, the fine arts campus of Sydney University........." Gary Burton

My thanks to Garry Burton from Gary Burton Photography who provided great information and images on the following site

View Callan Park Tour by Garry Burton in a larger map