Tips for finding new sites

DFEX · 04 May 2015, 8:09 am

I will first state- I DO NOT WANT LOCATIONS! That takes away half the fun.

As a newbie to this realm i was wondering if any experienced explorers could give me any tips on researching. I have done a fair bit of research and found info from word of mouth but I want to know what to look for when trying to find drains in particular. Things like: do all major cities have a large stormwater network (i assume they do as it seems silly not too) and how to map my route from underground.

Any other important info appreciated. Thanks

-DFEX

blakjak · 04 May 2015, 2:54 pm

Search Google or your local council's or state's library database (I'm serious), use tag words like "canal" "drain" conduit" "bunker" "tunnel" and include your local area or suburb in the search field.
When walking/driving along roads look out for unusual dips in the road where a creek might have once passed, or weird shaped parks that are unusually long and narrow which were once creeks but are now covered over.

Here's a draining (and urbex in general) guide written by the late great Predator RIP...

http://sleepycity.net/approach-to-draining

I recommend anybody who is into urbex save and study that doc. It's a little bit outdated (written over 15 years ago), but it's still relevant. Save it, and study it well.

Midget · 04 May 2015, 3:26 pm

If you commute a lot, try different routes and look around. I've found an abandonment and a couple other sites just by missing my stop on the bus. Then I decided to take it all the way because I don't have much to do.

DFEX · 04 May 2015, 3:54 pm

blakjak wrote:Search Google or your local council's or state's library database (I'm serious), use tag words like "canal" "drain" conduit" "bunker" "tunnel" and include your local area or suburb in the search field.
When walking/driving along roads look out for unusual dips in the road where a creek might have once passed, or weird shaped parks that are unusually long and narrow which were once creeks but are now covered over.

Here's a draining (and urbex in general) guide written by the late great Predator RIP...

http://sleepycity.net/approach-to-draining

I recommend anybody who is into urbex save and study that doc. It's a little bit outdated (written over 15 years ago), but it's still relevant. Save it, and study it well.

Thanks heaps! I have read that guide multiple times to make sure I got everything from it. I have thrashed google and looked into the council but not state library so that helps as well.

DFEX · 04 May 2015, 4:01 pm

Midget wrote:If you commute a lot, try different routes and look around. I've found an abandonment and a couple other sites just by missing my stop on the bus. Then I decided to take it all the way because I don't have much to do.

I have found a few abandondment from driving to work, taking different routes etc. but I'm looking more for drains in particular which is hard to do while driving to work and as I currently work 7 days I would like to do as much research as possible, make a list and hit as many possible locations in the small amount of time I'm not working.

Echo · 04 May 2015, 4:04 pm

I just go for a work around some of the more industrial areas. If a place has graff on it or looks kinda rundown I might take a closer look.

DFEX · 04 May 2015, 4:19 pm

Echo wrote:I just go for a work around some of the more industrial areas. If a place has graff on it or looks kinda rundown I might take a closer look.

Is that for abandonments? Industrial areas, can't believe i didn't think of that!

I use to dabble in the art of aerosol lol so I have a radar for it!
Thats how I have found the few abandoned places I've been to.

Echo · 04 May 2015, 4:36 pm

DFEX wrote:
Echo wrote:I just go for a work around some of the more industrial areas. If a place has graff on it or looks kinda rundown I might take a closer look.
Is that for abandonments? Industrial areas, can't believe i didn't think of that!
I use to dabble in the art of aerosol lol so I have a radar for it!
Thats how I have found the few abandoned places I've been to.

Industrial parks are good, outer suburbs and stuff tend to have more abandoned places.

Midget · 04 May 2015, 4:51 pm

Slightly unrelated, but once I found what looked like to be an abandoned warehouse because I spied an open doorway from an adjacent building. Dust covered everything, but the calender was in the same month...

DFEX · 04 May 2015, 5:36 pm

Midget wrote:Slightly unrelated, but once I found what looked like to be an abandoned warehouse because I spied an open doorway from an adjacent building. Dust covered everything, but the calender was in the same month...

It depends on the environment but dust doesnt take long to build up, would of been cool to find a fresh location.

theedge · 04 May 2015, 11:40 pm

Read the news if you are looking for new abandos. Even if it means paying for subscription.

Luckily my work has a subscription to the fairfax papers.

I prefer the paper edition over the online one btw.

Dynamite · 05 May 2015, 12:48 am

The only bad thing about newspapers is everyone wants to read it over your shoulder.

I still buy one every morning.

Midget · 05 May 2015, 2:52 am

I can't read newspapers on my commute because it's almost as big as me. I have trouble keeping everything together.

DFEX · 05 May 2015, 7:46 am

Midget wrote:I can't read newspapers on my commute because it's almost as big as me. I have trouble keeping everything together.

Exactly why i veiw the online version hahaha

phytrix · 05 May 2015, 6:37 pm

I feel your struggle Midget

This is why I read the online version :3

blakjak · 06 May 2015, 3:50 pm

phytrix wrote:I feel your struggle Midget This is why I read the online version :3

I stopped reading those fish wrappers when my dad stopped buying the Daily Sh1tagrah way back then.
And let's face it, seeing as they get issued at 3am they can only print yesterdays news, which you already know before you go to sleep the night before, and over half of the paper is ads.
You all have fones, use the news feature, or download the app for your favourite news source (I use ABC News for local stuff and Reuters for international news).
In this every changing world you can't plan your day using yesterday's predictions (weather etc).

I do like the MX newspaper you get on trains, did I mention it's free?

I will admit that newspapers make good window cleaning rags, that's about it.

theedge · 06 May 2015, 6:31 pm

I usually rely on the property sections to see if any sales are advertised. But the only one I've uncovered is the research complex that got sold off and demolished a couple of years ago.

DFEX · 07 May 2015, 9:24 pm

theedge wrote:I usually rely on the property sections to see if any sales are advertised. But the only one I've uncovered is the research complex that got sold off and demolished a couple of years ago.

I guess one find is better than no find

kjwx · 12 May 2015, 9:09 am

theedge wrote:Luckily my work has a subscription to the fairfax papers. I prefer the paper edition over the online one btw.

Thank you - and your work - for keeping me in a job.

kjwx · 12 May 2015, 9:22 am

Back to the topic at hand:
Social media/reverse image search: Seen a great urbex photo online but have no clue where it's from? Even if the poster doesn't give enough detail for you to find the address with a standard Google search, you can run that image through a reverse image search engine to see what else pops up. Doesn't work everytime but worth a shot.

Wikimapia: Has an abandoned category, though it's less fun when the location is handed to you on a plate.
Ditto Shot Hotspot and Panoramio.

DFEX · 12 May 2015, 10:59 am

kjwx wrote:Back to the topic at hand:
Social media/reverse image search: Seen a great urbex photo online but have no clue where it's from? Even if the poster doesn't give enough detail for you to find the address with a standard Google search, you can run that image through a reverse image search engine to see what else pops up. Doesn't work everytime but worth a shot.

Wikimapia: Has an abandoned category, though it's less fun when the location is handed to you on a plate.
Ditto Shot Hotspot and Panoramio.

Reverse search is something I didnt think of and if Wikimapia takes all the fun out, i wont be checking that site lol but thanks for the info

blakjak · 12 May 2015, 6:14 pm

kjwx wrote:Social media/reverse image search: Seen a great urbex photo online but have no clue where it's from? Even if the poster doesn't give enough detail for you to find the address with a standard Google search, you can run that image through a reverse image search engine to see what else pops up. Doesn't work everytime but worth a shot.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't that only get you the Urbex name for that location in said pic? (Eg: Fortress, Swoo, etc) You can find that out here by simply asking.
You'd still need to do the research to find out where it is and how to get in, unless at least one person linked to that pic has mentioned those details so in effect you're back in square one.

peterh13 · 12 May 2015, 6:45 pm

If rail is what your into then this web site is just for you. I find it very helpful.

http://www.nswrail.net/maps/google.php

longnecksmasher · 13 May 2015, 4:00 pm

Won't a reverse image search only work if that image is elsewhere on the internet?

kjwx · 13 May 2015, 8:25 pm

longnecksmasher wrote:Won't a reverse image search only work if that image is elsewhere on the internet?

No, it works much the same as the standard Google 'search by image' function, using identifying features in the photo. Sometimes it's worse than useless but I've located several Melbourne sites this way using IG pix.