Abandoned Australian Deco power-station, rusting and covered in graffiti

Abandoned Journey visited Fremantle Power Station, a giant, rusting Art Deco building in Australia on the Indian Ocean. The graffitied ruins are spectacular.

Much of the complex is rusting and rotting beyond any salvation, and quite dangerous to explore. The four major chimney stacks have been demolished, leaving a huge gaping holes throughout the complex. This allows rain to get in, which is the worst nightmare for any building trying to remain standing. Combined with the seaside location, and the local winds, the future for the abandoned Power Station is very predictable - mother nature has begun it's relentless reclamation. The daily winds are so reliable and regular in nature, the locals have actually named the breeze the "Fremantle Doctor". As in, "the Doctor is blowing hard today". We explored the complex extensively, and it became apparent that in some areas, we were probably taking far too great a risk. The rusting metal overhead walk-ways did not seem stable at all.
Rough on the outside, and yet with warm hearts and good-will, the locals from the port-side town of Fremantle warned of the danger of visiting this site. There were various tales of unconfirmed murders at the abandoned Power Station. In the dark labyrinth of tunnels beneath the complex, it was not hard to imagine the heinous crimes that could be easily hidden. Genuinely, brutally, this was a spine-tingling place to be. Indeed, there was a feeling of alarm during various traverses of the underground maze. Reportedly, the tunnels extend for some distance, indeed, out to the ocean.

Abandoned 1940's Power Station - Urban Exploration Photos | ABANDONED JOURNEY (Thanks, Dr. Hank Snaffler Jr.!)

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TJBlackwell

What an awesome place! I love decaying facilities – they give you a sense of the brief and transient nature of each generation’s time on this earth and the fading marks of forgotten heritage which they leave behind. When treading through the world of dereliction and urban decay, you feel like a mere ‘blip’ in the lifespan of these old structures.

I’ve posted some pictures to the Boing Boing Flickr pool depicting Thorpe Marsh, another abandoned power station near Doncaster, England.
PurpleWyrm

One of my favorite places in the world. If you get there in the early morning you can have the place pretty much to yourself and the light slanting in from the east is fantastic.

The old cooling pool and shore defenses are also worth a look, and they’re outside of the building for those concerned about the $4000 fines that apparently apply to trespassers (not that I’ve ever heard of anyone being prosecuted)
Anonymous

fear factory shot the video for ‘cyberwaste’ there early in 2004:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ5GdigqMgc
Anonymous

That’s amazing, but even more amazing is Cockatoo Island in the middle of Sydney Harbour. An entire island of abandoned industrial beauty which is regularly used for contemporary art exhibitions – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockatoo_Island_%28New_South_Wales%29
Padraig

Hi there,
The reason it’s called the ‘Fremantle Doctor’ is because the wind appears to come ‘from’ Fremantle and it provides a welcome, relieving breeze during the very hot summers.

:)
sudoLoki

If only it was actually as dangerous and extensive as your description makes it out to be ;)
Dr Hank Snaffler Jr

Thanks again BoingBoing! My server CPU is being throttled, so let me apologise to anyone having troubles connecting properly. Upgrade is imminent!
gd23

Graffiti is memetic fungus.
Michael Smith

Until recently there was an abandoned power station in the Melbourne CBD as well. Nobody wanted to touch it because it was full of asbestos, but a street kid fell to their death one night while looking for a place to sleep and now its being pulled down. It had to be in the CBD because it fed steam to operate elevators around the city center. It had this big steam boiler and when it was shut down at the end of the day they used to flush the pipes out with diesel fuel. One day they forgot to wait for it to cool and increased the diameter of the boiler by about a foot in each direction. Still worked ok, though.
Anonymous

For a similar trip around the station in 2009, try http://www.6000times.com/2009/12/fremantle-south-fremantle-abandoned.html.

There are a surprising number of abandoned buildings around the area, I recommend http://www.6000times.com as the best urban exploration site for the city – he makes a point of visiting places that are just about to get demolished..
Chevan

I’m not really seeing the Art Deco. Looks more standard industrial/utilitarian to me.
japester

Some of the graffiti is really fantastic.

I was down there a few weekends ago, doing a photo shoot with some friends. The power station gets fair busy on the weekends, as people traipse all over it.
Anonymous

I live 5 minutes from that place! It really is a great site. The size of it and the old Soviet style is awe inspiring. It is right on the beach (Port Coogee) and there have been many raves there!
- Anonymous
  
  AND!!! The sunset over the ocean there (About 50 meters away) and it makes a fantastic place to see!!
Anonymous

This place is amazing. I was in it and explored for a few hours with my girlfriend when I was in Fremantle.
There are a few creepy rooms if you go snooping around
Anonymous

I’ll bet those guys from Romper Stomper did this.
Anonymous

This wont be around too much longer as Verve / the government will be selling and likely rezoning the land.