What was your first explore?

Mirror · 10 Jan 2017, 11:24 pm

For me it was an abandoned furiture store(?) in Ashfield. The structure is/was a large concrete building made up of a two(?) levels with a large number of thick pillars on each floor. Last I past the location a digger was midway through tearing it down.

Nearly a decade before that stories of an abandoned high school on the northern beaches where artroom mannquins were repurposed as corspes and hung from the ceiling by nooses piqued my interest, but I never visited the school before it was levelled.

iso · 12 Jan 2017, 2:20 am

Technically I guess the woodwoork room at Monash High (now long-gone). There was still a first aid kit from the 70s on the wall and the original light timber construction buildings were complete.

Then many years later I did a few special topsides and later Maze on a Cave Clan newbies expo and I've been drain-obsessed ever since.

Panic! · 12 Jan 2017, 3:51 pm

As a little kid, probably less than 7 we used to roam around the inner city and just play at whatever. One day we were playing in a car park and climbed a chain link fence on to the roof of a building beside it. I noticed the roof had a hole in it, letting water in. We looked through the hole and saw a set of shelves which we climbed down. It turned out to be a tiny old abandoned church and the shelves were full of plates. We used to visit it reguarly to just chill out.

We also used to ride our bikes down along the Yarra and in the late 80s we found a MASSIVE tunnel entrance along the bike track. It was huge. We had no torches, but explored it as far as we could. Later on, that was named ANZAC drain.

Will-043 · 12 Jan 2017, 5:44 pm

My first drain was one that runs under Sunnybank called Wiggly and the disused underpass in Salisbury/Coopers Plains as a teen. Have no idea how far I got through Wiggly, but I got a good distance, maybe 300m before the graffiti and tags started to stop appearing and the claustrophobia started to set in...

Nuggs · 13 Jan 2017, 12:42 pm

Abandoned farmhouses all over South Australia

Echo · 13 Jan 2017, 2:57 pm

My first explore was Anzac drain using an iPhone as a torch, not checking the weather and enjoying myself thoroughly even when my phone decided to die while I was in the chamber so I had to feel my way out along the tunnel to the Yarra. Mind you this was before they installed the dam so it was much easier. I sorta miss those days when I was completely naive to exploring. I was exploring as much as I could, 5+ places a week. Super keen newbie

These days it hardly seems as exciting. I mostly explore for the people now, the social side of things.

lolzyouz · 13 Jan 2017, 8:36 pm

My first place was the hornsby quarry. God last day of school, being a newbie i was like a super alert ninja every time my friend step on a piece of plastic or glass we would go into a super state of alertness. I miss those days

Rantallion · 15 Jan 2017, 9:35 pm

the old australian reptile park. apparently old mate eric worrell had a lovely house there with reptile tanks built into the walls and whatnot, but i never saw it. ragret.

Sylar · 16 Jan 2017, 8:36 am

Mine was the drain hexadus.
I don't know about you guys but hexadus is easily the slipperiest drain I have ever explored. on top of that there is this big puddle at the start of the drain that u have to wall run or do the splits or what ever to get past.
I walked through it cause I couldn't be fucked. (;

maggot · 16 Jan 2017, 5:03 pm

We used to go inside a rail bridge as kids. It had a catwalk made of steel mesh running the length. We'd just walk along staring down at the water far below and hopping over the gaps where the panels were missing, zero fucks given. I returned here a few decades later with a group of adults. Even though all of the panels had been replaced, the majority of the explorers I was with were shitting themselves. Pretty funny.

mrbolano · 19 Jan 2017, 9:52 am

Can't remember my very first but first memorable one was the old Camperdown Children's hospital. They had starting to redevelop it already but it was wicked with overgrown ferns and plants like a scene outa STALKER Shadow of Chernobyl with signs pointing to Radiation Therapy hidden in the bushes. Had to leave when staff in the development offices spotted me. Worst part was I only had 12 of so frames left on my film camera. Have to find those negs and scan them.

Always meant to go back but by the time I did it was all gone. That taught me that you've gotta be quick once the developers start.