It's not very often you get to explore a hidden piece of Sydney history, but I was able to do just that the other week.
I entered an Instagram competition run by NSW Transport where you had to enter a photo utilising the Sydney Train network under the hashtag #trainyourlens. From 1300 entries, I made the final cut of 40 entries, then along with 14 other winners, earned a spot to explore the tunnels.
The Winning Shot.
The St James Tunnels are long unused. Lost to the passage of time. It's filled with huge pools of water, branching tree roots, rubble and messages left behind by soldiers. The tunnels were originally meant to be used for trains, that ended up not happening. Then as World War 2 rolled around, as Darwin was being attacked, it was used by soldiers as a shelter from what could come. After that, it was left alone, only to be explored by select people and adventurers.
Myself and my partner in crime made our way to St James to start the tour at 10. We met up with a bunch of other winners, and after a few handshakes and warm welcomes, we went behind a very unassuming door, into the past.
Right away, I noticed how much it felt like the place was stuck in a certain moment of time, almost like it was frozen many years ago. We chucked on our gumboots, grabbed our cameras and began the tour. Our guide walked us through the waters, into the first room, where a bell layed in the middle of the room.
The bell and her splashing around.
We continued on into darkness.
The further we went, the more isolated we felt from the outside world. The torches came out, and we see the history left behind. Graffiti left from all the way back in the 1940s until only a few years ago litter the walls. Messages, notes, dates, anything. It was rather fascinating seeing all these weird messages left on the walls with no context to some of them.
The tour lasted about an hour or so, but as we headed back, our guide had one last surprise for us.
This area was apparently used for some sort of occult ritual or sacrifice. The graffiti left as a lasting sort of shrine to what happened down there. It was awesome to see, if not a little terrifying to think what happened down here.
Overall, I was really glad and fortunate to see the hidden tunnels. It was an experience into a part of Sydney I never thought would be there. If the opportunity came up again, I'd jump at it.
Brendan.