Hallo! (another new member from Vic)
As a lot of us did, I grew up exploring my local area, abandonments, a few short drains (more for the acoustic properties than the idea of seeing what was at the end,) and so on. In my late teens to mid 20s I was the most active, but never got into the idea of draining-- I mostly haunted places such as the one that made little rectangular things with 'BRUNSWICK' stamped on them, building sites etc. Never really got into group expeditions other than with friends.
I was drinking very heavily through those years (I sort of remember climbing to the top of one of the towers at said rectangle factory in order to let off a steel wool spinner, I'm pretty damned sure I climbed that thing with a beer in my hand...) but have now been sober for 5 years.
The thought of urbex has been on my mind a lot lately, particularly given that I'm now in a semi-rural area which undoubtedly holds many secrets; there are rumours of underground military tunnels (WWII era) and the like which have piqued my interest. I'm also relatively close to a factory, which isn't an asylum, but has a similar name, and existed purely to satisfy the breakfast needs of Australian rugby players and cricketers in the 90's. To be honest, I think it's heavily guarded these days if it isn't already being developed, but I hope to check it out next time I'm in the area.
In other news, I'll be starting a job next week which legitimises rooftop expo, with the potential to earn my keep whilst hanging out on top of some of Melbourne's premier educational facilities. Mint.
My camera's a bit fecked (a lot fecked,) but I hope to get that fixed or a better one soon enough. If I find any of my old photos I'll post 'em for your viewing pleasure.
EDIT: Fun fact- when I was in primary school I used to chat with this dude named Predator via Telnet. I remember him mentioning CC and talking about urbex, drains in particular. 'When you're older I'd be happy to show you around.' Strange world eh?
I know modern phones are incredible in regards to image quality but I do love the weight of a camera and shooting in manual... even if my SD cards end up full of the same shot with gradually increasing exposure/aperture settings 
I thought the Brunswick brickworks was largely apartments these days? Or was that just on the outskirts of the property? It's been 4+ years since I lived in the North. I'm currently sitting on the urban/rural boundary and my explorations are leading me further East in that regard.
Looking forward to capturing and sharing some novel semi-urban decay; there's heaps of it out here, and the more I think the more I remember... In a lot of ways it's a lot less stressful to explore vs the city, but I'm far more likely to be pursued by buckshot and/or randy livestock than the 5-0 so I'll be selecting my spots with care
