p0stal_b0b's experience @ The Gates of Hell
Into the Long Dark...
First off, forgive the condition of the pics, it’s hard to hold a small camera steady for long exposures in the dark. :)
After doing a recce a week or so ago, I decided spur-of-the-moment to go exploring on Sunday. All my usual exploring buddies were busy, & I didn’t have time to get in contact with Warlust(sorry mate, still keen to meet & explore some stuff some time), so I went solo. Not too bright, but it had been fine & sunny for 3 days previously, & water levels were low, so I went ahead.
After heading down the track from the end of James Cook Crescent, I dropped into the outflow culvert about 30m downstream from the entrance. It’s a huge structure for a drain, about 4m high, plus a railing, with plenty of space inside. Once you’re past the big concrete teeth outside, there’s high room inside, with a ladder on the right-hand side that leads up to nowhere. It appears that there used to be a hatch at some point in the past, but a large slab of concrete has replaced it. The only other feature in the room apart from graffiti is the entrance to the tunnel, about 2m high & 3 wide, it narrows down to join a 1.8m RCP . This heads under the hill on a bearing of 230, or roughly South-West, for about 50m or so, then turns slightly to the right, heading uphill about 5 degrees all the way. The tunnel condition is mostly dry, with a trickle of water flowing down, although some of the pipe joins contain seepage which causes slippery patches on the pipe floor.
Roughly another 100m in you encounter the tunnel’s main feature, a waterfall caused by the junction of a pipe from above intersecting the main pipe. A constant cascade of water flows from above, & you can see a small stretch of the upper pipe before it turns 90degrees & heads straight up. There are some rusted iron spikes high in the junction, & a small concrete ledge on either side, about 3m up. The spikes could be reached by a good throw with a rope, & you could climb into the upper pipe, but I didn’t have rope & was all alone. Also, not suicidal.
Past the waterfall, the pipe continues straight for about 300m or so, it’s hard to accurately guess when you can’t take decent strides for fear of hitting your head or slipping in the slimy watercourse :) At the end of the pipe, it turns 90degrees & heads straight up, there appears to be a grate of some sort about 7m up, but dirty water dripping in your eyes tends to discourage you from extended observation. To get up there, you’d need ropes, harnesses, pitons & a rock hammer. No thanks. The only option is to turn back, & head for the entrance again.
Let me tell you about the noises in this place. There’s a constant roaring from the waterfall, magnified & distorted by the echoes in the pipe, which fades away only towards the entrance. At random times, loud groans, bangs & rumblings pass up & down the pipe, coming from who-knows-where, & the occasional scraping sound which makes you swear you’re being stalked up the tunnel. If you were to turn off your light halfway up, & sit for a minute in the curve of the pipe in the total stygian darkness, I can pretty much guarantee you a case of the Heebidy-Jeebidies. Not huge on features, but spooky sounds, a great entrance & a cool waterfall with the possibility of being further explored with some more gear makes this well worth checking out.
Random Photo
Uploaded by chilimissy
awesome man, i was gutted i didn’t get to go inside due to recent rain – its about time someone went in there and took some inside snaps :D
exploring the upper tunnel could make for a pretty sweet mission!
Good stuff man! cool pics. Pity the drain ends aye ;)
One day I’ll find the Drain That Never Ends… :)