Fremantle : Freo's Best Tourist Attraction - South Fremantle Abandoned Power Station Part 2

Built 1946, abandoned 1985. 34 years of life for a power station seems kind of short. Call this part two, as most of this building has been featured before on 6000times. A trip back down to Fremantle really was worth it just to view the North West section of the structure, which I hadn't previously seen. Yes, Fremantle. Home of John Butler, Luc Longley, and about 24 thousand freaks. Far out man. I haven't seen that many freaks per-capita since my trip up to Two-Rocks, visiting abandoned-Atlantis.

Read more »

Perth : Abandoned Old Treasury Building, St Georges Terrace - Photo Tour

Old Treasury Building, Perth. Built 1874. Abandoned, finally, in 1996. Perth's first ever Government office complex. Victorian Second Empire and Federation Free Classical style, designed by state governement architects GT Poole and RR Jewell. Over the last decade or so, the building has been left derelict. Amazing design, ground zero location. When distances are measured from Perth to anywhere, this is the starting point they are measured from. Perth to Hong Kong - 6012 km's (the official Hong Kong marker being Larry Wong's Chinese Laundry and Dry Cleaning, on Wan Chai Road).  At this time, it is looking likely that the old treasury building will be transformed into a new five star hotel. For now, it remains empty. Enjoy the (extensive) set of photos of perhaps Perth's finest abandoned building - Ye Remarkable Old Abandoned Perth Treasury Building.

Also, this is important. Cocktails and Mexican food are at stake. If you are interested in improving your skills with the camera, I should point out that I have a secret weapon. I talk all about it here. Cheers.

Read more »

Perth : No Place for Metrosexuals

I was just reading about Dorcia Fridays "no metrosexual attire" policy. Amusing for sure, and I see where they are coming from, but it does put the promoters into the same class as every other night club with a dress code. Dress codes are a remnant from the 1980's. Bunbury has dress codes. Kalgoorlie has dress codes. Rockingham has dress codes. Night clubs that have dress codes, are, usually, full of douche bags.

Read more »

Perth : Skyscrapers, Abandoned Railway Tunnel, Iwan Iwanoff Update

Perth remains a construction site. The view is changing every day. 140 William is looking amazing, I am looking forward to the street level connections. This city  is adding buildings at a faster rate than ever before. In the burbs, at ground level, a small Iwan Iwanoff update. Golovin House, 1959, has had a 2009 makeover, and is looking more and more like my lotto dream every day.

Read more »

Perth - Is It Time Yet?

Perth has given me a strange feeling lately. Its telling me - move on. Weird, because I love this city. I feel at home here. I'm always busy. Checked out Martin's "Territory Twelve" exhibition at Kurb Gallery, fantastic. Checked out Ben and Si's as well, at Turner - amazing. I watched the Pyrophone Juggernaut at the Northbridge Piazza opening, a musical instrument spewing fire-balls and beats into the warm Perth air. Went to see the huge travelling jade Buddha at the museum, very peaceful. Had a bunch of friends around for a pretty typical Perth night-in - beer, cocktails, and pizzas. A random lady pulled her pants down and urinated at my front gate, but thats just part of living in the city (I tried to get a photo for this blog, but wasn't quick enough). The one night boredom came to town last week, I roamed the city late at night taking most of the photos on this page.

Read more »

Top Winter Destination

Despite only just waving goodbye to winter, now is as good a time as any to start planning where you might like to go this year. Winter is the perfect time to experience something a bit more unusual, be that a new snow sport or a funky ice hotel. Here are a few different ideas to check out before you decide where to go.

Lapland

While it’s famous for being Santa’s unofficial place of residence, Lapland breaks have a lot to offer any winter traveller looking to get away from it all. Literally! This region of northern Finland covers just over 98,000km and has a population of around 183,000; that’s just about two people per square kilometre! So if you’re looking for a ski trip without the mammoth queues of the more popular resorts in mainland Europe, Lapland is certainly worth thinking about.

You’ll also have the chance to witness the Northern Lights, which is a fantastic, ethereal spectacle that keeps visitors coming back year after year. Here, you can stay in a unique glass igloo and fall asleep under the swirling glow of the lights before heading out for a fun-filled day of ice fishing and dog sleigh racing; a perfect winter escape!

Iceland

Anyone keen on diving might have thought about making an escape to a tropical paradise to explore the coral reefs as the weather turns colder, but have you ever considered a wintery dive over in Iceland? The Thingvellir National Park offers divers the chance to swim between tectonic plates in the Silfra Rift. What could be more thrilling than swimming the gap between the continents of America and Eurasia? Make sure you pack your dry suit though; water temperatures are usually between -2°C and 4°C. The visibility is unsurpassable, even at 100km depths and the National Park has been declared as a world heritage site, so definitely worth a visit.  

Bulgaria

If skiing and snowboarding aren’t for you, why not give snowshoeing a try? For keen hikers, Bulgaria’s Rila mountain range is the perfect place to trek if you’re hoping to get away from it all. You can take in the stunning mountain vistas first hand, allowing you a great sense of freedom, though it’s best to go with a guide so you can avoid any danger areas. It’s probably best to have a little walking experience before you go and a decent level of fitness so you’re able to keep up. Whether it’s the magic of Lapland, the thrill of swimming in a rift or trek through stunning forests and mountains, a winter break can be every bit as inspiring as a summer one.

 Andy King is a travel writer who specialises in European travel and has a passion for winter sports Pic credits Northern Lights by Deirdre and Tristan used under creative commons licence Snowshoeing in Bulgaria by John Spooner used under creative commons licence

Hong Kong - Food, People, Buildings, and Yellow Fever

Hong Kong Part Two - the final chapter. With a few photos left over from a recent Hong Kong trip, there is no reason not to show a few more.  I will kick off with a revelation. The guy above gave my girlfriend yellow fever. We crossed paths in Sham Shui Po, a fairly typical  Hong Kong neighbourhood. Locals know it as a cheap district to get electronic goods. To me, it's the place where I recognised that females get yellow fever, just as bad as males. Clearly, he's a movie-star. The film crew were onto it, location wise - Sham Shui Po is visually one of the most amazing city areas I have ever seen. The urban decay is well progressed. Many buildings now have illegal "shacks" built on the roofs. A prevailing sense of controlled anarchy left me with a strangely comforting feeling.

Read more »

Perth - Nasty Nas Spotted on Aberdeen St, Construction Update, more CBD Laneways

The rise of Northbridge, Perth's best suburb, continues. Not too many places in the world you can enjoy a bowl of chilli mussels, and watch american lyricist and actor, Nas. Having been a fan of Nas since his Live at the BBQ days, it was always my dream to sit in an Italian restaurant on Aberdeen Street, eat chilli mussels, and watch a delivery of raw poetry from one of the most intelligent and influential hip hop artists of all time.

Read more »

Singapore - Perth's Asian Cousin

Singapore. Imagine your straight-laced uncle. He gets married to a hooker, and has two kids. One kid is a total career minded overachiever - respectful of authority, wants to settle down and raise a family, and has been brainwashed since birth that spending 80 hours a week for 27 years just to get to assistant manager is a good thing. The other kid is a dirty, alcoholic, artist who can cook like a demon. At the moment, the nerd is getting all the attention. But, that kid, that dirty, alcoholic, artist, is the real future of the Singapore family. What makes the whole thing work, is the entire family gets along fine. Both kids wear thick glasses, take photos, enjoy chicken rice, fish head curry, and bak kwa. That, is Singapore. The whitest of all Asian cities

Read more »

Hong Kong - Tales From the Far East

On the vibrancy scale, Hong Kong makes most large international cities feel like Bunbury (bumfuck, nowhere). I just spent a few weeks in the far east. I'm not new to that part of the world, having visited multiple times before. As I stated in my last post, Asians + skateboarders + graffiti writers = vibrancy. Hong Kong has plenty of all three. 

Over a thousand photos taken, and randomly, this is the one that shows up first. Homeless man asleep at the pier, with a nice bit of art from a NYC guy who's name escapes me at the moment. This photo isn't juxtaposition, or commentary. Its real life. I did wake him up, to pay him some cash for modelling for me. He was very happy, and I had perhaps my happiest moment this year, seeing the look on his face.


I was drunk when I took this next one, and I swore to my co-traveller "this will win me a fucking Pulitzer". He promptly informed me "I'm pretty sure that's a prize for journalism". A picture tells a thousand words, dude. Man eating noodles, Kowloon alley.

Asians have really bad eye-sight. Everybody wears glasses. Everybody. Takeaway restaurant, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.

Hong Kong literally has thousands of skyscrapers. This is currently the tallest, Two International Finance Centre, at 415 metres tall.

With all the amazing food available, the only use for a McDonalds is the public toilet. Even when they offer a Double Pork McSpicy burger, or something like that.

The Mongkok Bird Park is where old Chinese men take their pet birds to hang out with other pet birds. You can purchase live insects for the bird to munch on, sit him next to other birds for a chat about HK city life, or just allow the bird to chip away at the guilos (white ghosts) cameras. Its all good, bird.

Its hard to describe just how good Mongkok is. Often described as the densest part of HongKong, it is actually on the main land, not Hong Kong island. It is possibly my favourite suburb on earth. Containing the famous "sneaker street", "bird street", "fish street" and my favourite - "ladies street", Mongkok is Hong Kong's premier destination in my opinion.

The thing about Hong Kong crowds, is that nobody ever says sorry for bumping into you. Whats the point? Typical Mongkok crowded street. Great whitey ratio! (®).

So, what can Perth learn from Hong Kong? Here's a start: a lot. I'll try to bring some sense to this in the next few posts. For now, I need to recover.

Perth - Winter, Heritage, Nightclubs, Skateboarders, Graffiti Writers, and Asians.

Perth is currently in an eternal winter. Now I know what English summers feel like. Terrible. The leaves on that tree may never grow back.

Should it be heritage listed? No, not the Perth Entertainment Centre. The sea container combined with the Today Tonight billboard. The PEC has to go, sooner or later. I like the PEC. However, the huge shed sits on the prime real-estate of the soon-to-be Northbridge Link project (soon-to-be as in probably never). Personally, I believe the PEC has huge cultural significance. Twenty years ago today, it was the spot where I got angry at a movie for the first time, watching Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing. Even then, the PEC's Lumiere cinema seemed like a run-down cinema. But it will be a sad day when the most perfect commentary of all - "FEDUP" written below the Today Tonight billboard, finally disappears. Thanks FDP crew, for providing an intelligent piece of public art, at no cost to the rate-payer.

Since its been raining, a lot, its time to reminisce about the Perth of old. Seems like a bit of a cop-out, but fuck it, I haven't taken many photos lately.

The Underground was the best night club I ever went to in Perth. Three levels, a run-down federation building, and a train carriage. Drink specials, free entry. These days, its a back-packers hostel.

Many people don't know that Tony Hawk, professional skateboarder, would frequent Karrinyup shopping centre. Yes, THE Karrinyup Shopping Centre. Yes, that really is Tony Hawk. This was shot around 87 or 88. Yes, it was a really shitty camera.

The Firm was a great establishment. Now its the Old Melbourne Hotel. Back then, it was the OLD Melbourne Hotel. The nightclub was upstairs, and the floor would genuinely bounce. Structurally, that place was a nightmare back then. People would try and make the floor collapse. Fortunately, everybody was too drunk/high to really care. Like The Underground, it was a very popular place.

Even in Osborne Park, skateboarding was huge. This was taken around 1990, at the rear of a surf store that no longer exists, on Scarborough Beach Road. Chris Miller, and Natas Kaupus, are in this photo, somewhere!

These days, the Perth City Council feels a need to inject "vibrancy" into the CBD. The solution? Spend tens of thousands of dollars on a jazz band and a tent in Forrest Place. Back in the early 90's, there was a cheaper, easier, more effective solution - just allow visiting professional skateboarder John Cardiel, and a few locals, to run riot.

Is there a point to all this? Maybe. Skateboarders, Graffiti writers, and of course Asians, are the signs of future vibrancy. All three cultures utlilise sections of the CBD for their own enjoyment long before the masses cotton on. Long before there were bars in Howard Lane, there were skateboarders and Graffiti Writers in Howard Lane. Head into the CBD on any weeknight, and observe - Asians. You get the point.

These cultures are the future of our city, and I for one, like that future. If you don't know, now you know.

Perth - Atlantis Abandoned Marine Park, and Iwan Iwanoff Again

Atlantis Marine Park. Or was it Atlantis Sun City? In any case, this was Perth 80's theme-parkery at its finest. Constructed in 1981, at Yanchep (just past the other side of Walcott Street) it has been abandoned for the last 19 years. Sadly, in 1990, the entire troupe of dolphin trainers disappeared without a trace, leading to the financial collapse of the theme park. King Neptune still keeps an eye towards the unique town centre of Two Rocks. Around the grounds you will see tunnels, bridges, exotic fauna, weathered statues, and locals taking the dogs for a walk. Big dogs.

Read more »

Perth - Abandoned Hopsital - Menora - Oy Vey!

Maybe, there's been a bit too much emphasis on Perth's abandoned schools, TAFE colleges, hospitals, warehouses, hotel/motels, power stations, and federation era buildings lately on this blog. Maybe not - abandoned buildings are just SO good.

In any case, the latest installment here is an entire abandoned hospital, located in Menora - Perth's Jewish heartland, and suburb of death. Surrounding the hospital are blocks and blocks of apartments and small villas. Formerly a retirement village, the whole area is now in the process of demolishment. These photos were taken literally moments before the demolition crew got to work.

As far as architecture goes, I did take a drive to Guilderton yesterday, to take photos of a suspected Iwan Iwanoff beach-side house. These stylish chairs would have looked perfectly at home on the front deck, overlooking the ocean.

As with the Abandoned Campus of Death, it was like the old Jewish folks just got up and left. Plenty of paper work and hospital records remained. I was told by the helpful demolition artists that their first job was to securely destroy all paperwork.

Mornin' Ralph. Hello Sam.

Plenty of dark hall ways to explore.

Not too much in the way of graffiti, this place was very abandoned.

Plenty of equipment remained (now gone). Beds, TV's, machinery, ovens, and most remarkable of all, in this Jewish wasteland - a cash register.

You vant I should clean the floor? Oy Vey!

The organ was cool, as were the anodised 1950's bedside lamps.

Just think of the meals that would have been served under these lids. Matzah Ball soup and bagels spring to mind. According to the IFOCE (International Federation of Competitive Eating), Joey Chestnut holds the record for eating Matzah Balls. 78 in 8 minutes. Nice job, Joey Chestnut.

Oh yeah, the black and white thing? Well, the place looked so much nicer in B&W. Rat-bait is green, blood is red, and well, lets just leave it at that.

Perth - Abandoned Hopsital of Doom in the Jewish Suburb of Death (teaser)

In a wealthy Perth inner city suburb, full of herculoidian Iwan Iwanoff houses, lays the abandoned Hospital of Doom. The year, was, 24th of November, 1995. Three billion human lives ended on that day. The survivors of the nuclear fire called that day, Judgement Day. They lived only to face a new nightmare, the war against - the Machines.

The halls echoed with ghostly voices - "I need your clothes, your motorcycle, and your wallet".

You think you're alive and safe, but you're already dead! Everybody! You, him, everybody...you're all fucking dead. You're the one living in a dream, Silberman, not me! Because I know it happens! IT HAPPENS!

More on Perth's abandoned Hospital of Doom in the Jewish Suburb of Death, soon.