This is a round-up of the top 5 urbex locations in Sydney this year for urban explorers and abandoned building photographers based in New South Wales, Australia.
There’s not much else to do other than urbex when it’s lockdown after lockdown, especially when you live in Sydney. The past two years have been very up and down and everyone’s just about it with the pandemic in New South Wales.
But if you’re a Sydney-based urbex fanatic, the lockdowns are actually godsends for when you want to go out exploring. There are fewer people milling around, it’s quiet and peaceful out, and there’s less po-po hiding in the shadows waiting to pounce on all the little rebels that dare climb that fence. “THEY MUST BE UP TO NO GOOD”… *sigh*.
Hold Up, Urbex Disclaimer!
I really hope my website shows the side of urbex which is an appreciation of history, photographing important and historical locations before they get demolished or renovated, and sharing my passion for research and writing.
For the record, not everyone who walks past a “No Trespassing” sign is there with graffiti and vandalism in mind, ok! However, I definitely do appreciate graffiti that’s well-done and looks really cool, like this!
And to set the record straight, I do not like, encourage or do any along the lines of this kind of abandoned graffiti:
Urbex is About the Appreciation of Photography, Not Vandalism.
Urbex is a worldwide genre of photography. There are huge urbex communities in every country of the globe and if you look at many of the urbex-related social media pages, the user-published content is 96.8% the sharing and appreciation of photography! Not posts about “ooo how can we damage more buildings” or “let’s meet at this time tonight to kick some holes in the walls of XX building”.
Alas, I digress…back to the real reason why we’re here – to talk about the top 5 abandoned buildings in Sydney this year.
So, for all the Sydney urbexers, photographers, adrenaline junkies and urban explorers in 2022 who are stuck for abandoned Sydney locations to photograph in 2022, I have a few ideas in mind for you.
Like this…
Check them out below and don’t forget to follow Abandoned World Photography on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube!
Top 5 Sydney Urbex Abandoned Sites to Explore and Photograph in 2022/2023
Here it is guys. I’ve rounded up the top abandoned urbex sites I recommend checking out in 2022. I’ll give you the location names and a few clues to get you in the right direction.
First, here is a list of the locations:
- Callan Park Mental Asylum
- Macquarie Boys Tech School
- Notre Dame Zoo, Mulgoa
- Balmain Tigers League Club
- Asbestos Removal Facility
Stay safe and happy urbexing!
The Abandoned Callan Park Mental Asylum, Sydney
The abandoned Callan Park Mental Asylum in Sydney is by far one of the biggest and most impressive abandoned sites to explore in 2022. The grounds surrounding the derelict wards and rotting mental institution are vast and beautiful and you’ll need a few hours to cover everything. It is, however, a very public area so best go early in the morning or very late at night.
I would recommend daylight as the site is very old and crumbly and not the most stable. For any ghost hunters out there, this place was one of the only abandoned buildings that made me feel uneasy and cut my photographing short because of it. I’ve never seen a ghost myself but for those who say they do…pretty sure you’ll find something at Callan Park.
Access to urbex inside the Callan Park mental institution is easy once you find it. Go for a walk along the side of the park, find the hill and get to the top of it.
Slip through the wire fence and walk down the side until you spot a red brick that looks out of place. Shoulder high. You’ll need to take down this red brick to use as a foothold, just remember to put it back.
Abandoned Macquarie Boys Tech School, Sydney
The colourful abandoned Macquarie Boys Tech school is tucked away off the main highway in the Sydney hills. I’d recommend catching the bus here as it stops right outside. I’m not sure where you can park if you drive but Google Maps will help you.
Thankfully, there are no security or cameras to worry about here so you’re free to roam around. Be careful here as there is lots of broken glass and god knows what else.
There was something very peaceful about the abandoned school in Sydney. It felt like there had been good times at the school when it was up and running, but who knows! I’d love to hear from people who are familiar with the building when it was in operation.
Sadly, I noticed walking around here that there must have been a fire because one area was completely burnt to a crisp. There wasn’t a smell in the air of smoke or charcoal so it must have been set a long time ago.
Check it out below.
Do you think the people who set the fire are occupants of this crack corner? Imagine the conversations of the people who would have sat in those chairs, and potentially still do to this day! In fact, maybe I should prefix this location with an “URBEXERS, BEWARE THE JUNKIES” heading lol. But seriously…be careful going here. :)
Emmanuel Margolin’s Abandoned Notre Dame Zoo, Sydney
The abandoned Notre Dame Zoo in Sydney has been one of the most popular abandoned buildings in Sydney that I’ve posted about. It really seems to be a place Sydney people don’t want to forget and many have very fond memories of it.
Every time I post about it on social media, there is an influx of people commenting about all the amazing days out they had at the Notre Dame Zoo and home of Emmanuel Margolin.
Many also comment about the man himself, and the wonderful atmosphere he created in his little kingdom up in the hills of Sydney.
If you like hiking, this is the perfect to get your hiking boots on and sun-cream out. It’s gonna be a long day. Head in the Mulgoa direction and use the Google forest as your guide.
Abandoned Balmain Tigers League Club, Sydney, Sydney
If you’re a fan of post-apocalyptic movies and hugggge abandoned buildings that take over two hours to photograph and document, the abandoned Balmain Tigers League Club in Sydney is right up your alley.
It’s a breeze to get find and access, just pretend you’re a car and you’ll get in.
The abandoned Sydney football club is massive with sports halls, meeting rooms, function rooms, and entertainment areas.
The last time I was here was over a year ago so I can’t say what the security situation is like at the moment. It is, however, another abandoned location that I’d say be wary of stray animals and people before you worry about the po-po.
When I was leaving the Tigers League Club the last time I visited, I spotted that one of the rooms in the underground carpark had been transformed into a warehouse of mattresses and homeless bodies on the floor. I hadn’t seen this room nor spotted it walking around and I couldn’t even see an entrance into the room. The only vision I had was through a crack at the top of the wall. I can’t remember exactly where it was but it’s not far away from the photo I took below.
Abandoned Asbestos Removal Facility, Sydney
Obviously, I don’t recommend going here unless you have a good asbestos mask because it was literally a place where asbestos were brought to be disposed of. You can buy asbestos masks from hardware stores everywhere and they aren’t too expensive.
Due to the nature of this place and because asbestos really are very dangerous, I’m not giving out any hints on how to gain access to this site.
Soz not soz!
Happy Urbexing!
I hope you enjoyed my round-up of top abandoned buildings in Sydney to photograph in 2022. If you have any other suggestions, feel free to comment below or drop me an email to abandonedworldphotography@gmail.com.
