I've been meaning to write something about drain exploration for a little while now, not because I'm the most experienced person in this field or because I have some special insight, just because I love drain exploration and I suppose this is a way to be involved even though I'm stuck at home right now.
I should note that what follows pertains specifically to the Australian drain exploration community, even more specifically to the Melbourne drain community. While drain exploration occurs worldwide, I don't believe anywhere else boasts a scene as active or extensive as Australia's. I attribute this to two main factors.Firstly, Australia inexplicably hosts some of the largest drain tunnels globally, both in terms of length and diameter. Of course, there are a lot of small ones too, actually many more small ones than big ones. But in comparison to a lot of the world, Australia has a plethora of sizable drains. This is not to say we have the biggest though. Certain cities in the USA most likely hold that distinction, notably Los Angeles with its insane amount of very large drain systems leading into the LA River, and of course, there's the largest stormwater management project in the entire world, G-Cans in Tokyo, Japan.
Another thing that should be mentioned is the age of some of Australia's tunnels; some of them date back to the mid-late 1800s. In comparison, the LA River and the drains that run into it didn't start construction until the 1930s, and G-Cans didn't start construction until the 1990s. This results in a portion of Australian drains being made before concrete was used for absolutely everything storm water related and gives us drains made of bluestone, red brick, sandstone, slate, among other things. It also gives us some odd features and design choices from before everything was regulated to hell and back. So while we may not have the biggest drains in the world, we may have the most interesting, and they're still quite big!
Secondly is the fact that in the mid 80s a group called the Cave Clan formed in Melbourne Australia and pioneered the scene. This is much earlier than drain exploration groups in other parts of the world and therefore has given the scene more time to be established and grow. Why did the Cave Clan start so early? Why did they're group gain so much traction? Undoubtedly, the abundance of large and intriguing drains played a significant role. But why didn't this happen in LA? I think it was the right people in the right place at the right time, a beautiful occurance!
I'd also like to clarify for readers who may be unfamiliar with the activity that when I mention 'drains,' I am specifically referring to stormwater tunnels, not sewers. These locations do not contain sewerage - they are solely designed for managing stormwater runoff.
Now, I don't really have much to say on the actual process of finding and exploring drains that hasn't been said by someone else before; there's plenty of documentation online about how to find and explore drains, notably the notorious approach doc written by <predator> (which can be found Here) And there are many discussions on various forums throughout the internet on the topic. However, I do think I have something to say about less objective matters; namely, why?
Why do we explore drains? Why do some of us have this deep desire to go where most people have no intention of ever going for any reason? This is not some innate trait everyone possesses; otherwise, everyone would be doing it, and we wouldn't have to deal with people yelling at us when we pop out of manholes. It's not solely for the thrill; otherwise, we'd be surfing trains and hanging off skyscrapers. Okay, admittedly, there are quite a lot of people who explore drains that do those things too. However, I do not believe anyone is going into a drain for an adrenaline spike, at least not intentionally. No, I think it's the opposite.
Drains, assuming you're not in them when it's raining, are extremely calm places. In a world that's constantly buzzing with activity and noise, the drain becomes a sanctuary of stillness. It's a unique escape, not just from the outside world, but from the constant clamor of our own thoughts. The tranquility found within the walls of a drain is, to me; unlike any other.
Traversing the passageways, the only sounds are the subtle echoes of your own footsteps and the distant drip of water. The play of shadows on the walls becomes a silent dance, and the cool, damp air seems to envelop you in a gentle embrace. The outside world, with its rush and demands, is momentarily forgotten. It's just you, whoever you're with and the splish slash of your shoes in the shallow water.
There's an odd beauty in the simplicity of it all. The walls, worn smooth in places by time and water, the graffiti, often decades old tell stories of a world and culture left in the past but with one thread that undeniably ties them to you, you both went there, you both stood there for some reason that perhaps neither of you could answer but nonetheless you share common ground through you're strange desire to go to such places, you can relate to them.
Let's be real, we're fucking weirdos, a collection of oddballs navigating a world beneath our feet, and yes, that includes you. Now, being a drain explorer doesn't inherently mean we're antisocial or devoid of lives outside this peculiar hobby. Many of us hold down jobs, have families, and maintain friendships that have nothing to do with this world of subterranean delight. But, despite these external connections, there's an undeniable truth that we want to go into those tunnels!
Humans (a fair percentage of us anyway) are social creatures, driven by a desire for connection and acceptance. It's natural for us to seek out like-minded individuals who share our passions, even if those passions involve wandering through pitch black passages below ground. There's a unique sense of kinship that forms among drain explorers, a camaraderie born from the shared understanding that what we find fascinating might be utterly perplexing to the majority of people.
In a world where conformity often reigns supreme, the allure of the underground beckons those who revel in the unconventional. We acknowledge our weirdness, wear it as a badge of honour, and find solace in the fact that there are others out there just as captivated by the hidden mysteries beneath the city streets.
This shared eccentricity becomes a binding force, creating a community where acceptance isn't just sought after; it's practically guaranteed -provided you're not a dickhead-. In the darkness of the drains, where most would shy away, we discover a comforting embrace; a place where the peculiarities that set us apart in the outside world become the very threads weaving us together.
Now, this isn't to say ALL drain explorers are driven by the social aspects of the pastime, there are quite a few that only do this on their own and enjoy the temporary isolation from people but for many of us, the social aspects are a driving force, perhaps not why we started to explore but one of the main reasons we continue to. To combat loneliness, not a loneliness born of isolation, but a longing for connection with those who share our strange passion. In the tunnels, we find not just a physical escape from the surface but a social escape, a place where our peculiarities are not just accepted but celebrated. It's a journey into the underground, not only to explore the hidden wonders below but also to find companionship in the shared love for the unconventional and the obscure.
The fruit of the friendships and communities formed through this odd inclination to find and explore strange places is that of teamwork, no one person could find everything or devise and execute plans to gain entry into some of the not so easily accesible places we may find ourselves wanting to enter. But a group of people? With varying knowledge and skills? They can do pretty much anything they set their collective mind to, and this is inherently rewarding both practically and socially as we achieve the things we set out to do and feel a sense of collective accomplishment.
Within the drain exploration community and the furthermore within the individual groups of the drain exploration community there is knowledge kept secret from most, usually locations considered to be of high quality and that those who know of them wish to be kept that way. This can be for multiple reasons:
Some locations do not have Graffiti present in them, there are 2 main reasons for this
1: The location gets traversed by workers and the discovery of graffiti would most likely cause them to make it harder or impossible to access the location. Obviously this is not desirable.
2: The location is in very good condition and usually made out of something that isn't concrete. IE old Bluestone, Old slate or sandstone, and even redbrick. Many of us wish to maintain the condition of these places as these aspects are what make them beautiful to us.
This naturally leads to such locations being kept within trusted circles due to quite genuine concerns that people that don't know any better or simply don't care will end up throwing paint up all over the walls and ruining a good thing in one way or another.
Some locations have locks on them and as with the graffiti mentioned above if a worker or the like noticed a lock had been cut off they'd most likely increase security.
Some locations are actually quite dangerous to those who are unexperienced and believe it or not the greater drain exploration community doesn't actually want anyone to get hurt or die in these places, not only are such instances a tragedy but it will also result in more and more of these places getting a higher level of security. So it is best to keep these locations on the down low so little timmy doesn't go wandering in and getting himself killed.
This withheld knowledge can be a driving force for some to establish themselves as a trusted and experienced person within the community as it will allow them to climb the social ladder within the hobby and be allowed to know the locations most aren't, and can be quite rewarding when let in on some exclusive information. But let it be known to anyone reading this that to be considered one of these trusted people you really do need to prove yourself both trustworthy and capable, as well as have the ability to keep a secret.
Some of people are on a mission for notoriety, whether this is through the act of graffiti or the act of posting the best pictures to social media they wish to be known within the community and perhaps even be cemented within the compendium of urban exploration among other explorers of note, perhaps immortalising themselves to a degree. I must admit this applies to myself somewhat however I do hold the experiences of exploring with people and the memories that are made in higher regard than that of being known among my peers, still there are aspects that I and I'm sure others find appealing in the thought of being known/remembered within a community.
Why not explore abandoned buildings instead? There are other aspects of urban exploration, why drains and not something else?
For many I think a major factor is the permanence of structures. Old buildings hold a certain allure, but the unfortunate reality is that, compared to things like drains, they simply don't last as long. It's inevitable that they will eventually be demolished, destroyed by vandals, or renovated. The landscape of abandoned buildings is in constant flux; they emerge and disappear regularly. This means that even a short hiatus from exploration, be it a couple of years, or even just 6 months. can render your knowledge severely outdated.
On the other hand, drains offer a stark contrast in terms of permanence. They tend to remain relatively unchanged. While sometimes they are extended or have sections replaced due to erosion, for the most part, the drain network stays intact, with new drains being added fairly reguarly (although newer drains trend towards not being as good as older drains) This sense of permanence extends not only to the physical presence of the drains in that if you knew a drain was there 5 years ago it's a safe bet that it's still there, but also to the graffiti adorning their walls. I've encountered graffiti dating back to the mid 1940s in drains, a testament to their enduring history of exploration. In contrast, most abandoned buildings simply don't endure long enough to accumulate that kind of exploration-related history. Of course there is many of us that do both, but I do believe this to be a contributing factor to some (including myself) prefering drains over other locations.
Another factor as to why some may find drains more appealing than abandoned buildings is, for the most part, they're harder to find. Sure, some are very obvious and can be seen from areas frequented by many, others remain concealed by dense vegetation in less frequented locations. Moreover, certain drains can only be accessed through hard-to-lift manholes that look no different from the many other manholes that have nothing of interest under them at all. This leads to what I like to call the hunt.
Now, not all drain explorers do this; many are quite content just going to places that their friends find or locations they can find listed publicly. But for those that decide to try to find new things, the hunt becomes an activity within itself, and an extremely rewarding one when you find something of interest, especially after a long day of finding nothing. From walking around popping up every manhole in sight to taking long walks down canals and rivers. For some looking for and finding new things might actually be more enjoyable than exploring them, personally I'm quite fond of both!
Want to have a big party? Don't have space at your place? If you throw a rager at the abandoned building down the road surely the cops show up and spoil the fun. What about that chamber way underground!
It's been happening for decades, parties in drains. Really, it's the perfect place for it - hard to find, and unless you're right near a manhole or a grille, no one's going to hear you. From raves to some good old drain bowling, letting off fireworks, and even entire concerts with multiple bands playing. Without the fear of disturbing nearby residents or attracting unwanted attention, drain explorers can enjoy their events without interference. For the most part, anyway. Of course, explorers have been interrupted by authorities, random passersby, and naturally, other explorers. But this is far more common when near a manhole or grille. Or if some nosey grump with nothing better or more interesting to do in their lives see's you entering and decides to call the cops.
Disregarding the many things some drain explorers may find themselves spending money on IE, Torches, Manhole Keys, Rafts (for entry into very wet drains) Spray paint, Markers, Stickers, Ropes, Ladders, New shoes, Waders (for the real hardcore) and of course travel expenses. Drain exploration itself is free (providing you don't get caught and recieve a fine, although this is extremely rare) this is naturally an alluring aspect of the activity as a whole, and most likely a contributing aspect to a lot of peoples first drain experience. Bored? No money? Nothing else to do? How about we go into that hole I saw!
This is more of a secondary reason, I don't think anyone is going down into drains just so they can get some exercise, you can just go for a run around a lake or go to a gym for that, but it is a nice bonus of drain exploration. Walking for kilometres, climbing up and down ladders and in and out of manholes, lifting heavy grilles and manhole covers. Really, Drains are good for you! I'm sure I'd be far less fit if it wasn't for my desire to walk for hours down tunnels. Want to lose some kilos? Get some defined quadriceps and calfs? Do some fuckin Drains!
There's no point in talking about all the reasons to explore drains without addressing the reasons people may have for not exploring them. There's a few reasons people might refrain from such activities, even if they'd actually like to.
As I mentioned earlier, drains can be dangerous; however, the risks involved with drain exploration can be mitigated drastically by precaution. Being conscious of what risks there are and how to approach them can not only prevent you from being seriously injured or dying, but can actually make drain exploration quite safe compared to a lot of activities. A hell of a lot safer than climbing mountains or cave diving, that's for damn sure. And statistically speaking, it's far safer than working in construction or in a factory.
The main and most obvious danger when it comes to exploring drains is of course rain, being inside a drain when it's raining is a VERY bad idea, and can result in serious injury or death. Fortunately us humans with our fancy modern weather forecasting are quite good at predicting the weather, particularly within a 24-hour timeframe. I should say that forecasts can be less accurate after large storm systems, which can disrupt normal weather patterns. It's best to avoid exploring if there have been major storms in the area within the last few days, even if the forecast predicts no rain.
But for the most part If the forecast indicates no rain on the day you plan to explore, you should be fine. It's also important to check the weather for surrounding areas, as some drain systems span several kilometers. Even if there's no rain forecast where you enter a drain, there may be rain forecast in the surrounding areas. Additionally, always check the sky before entering; if you see rain clouds, don't go in!
By taking these precautions, the chances of being inside a drain when it starts to rain are close to zero.
Some drains are slippery, very slippery, very fucking slippery! If you explore enough drains, you will slip over, it is inevitable. Usually, the result of this is whoever you're with having a laugh (don't worry, explore more drains with them and you'll get to see them slip over, and you can return the favor) and maybe a small scrape or bruise, although there is the potential for more serious injury. I can imagine someone landing on their arm the wrong way and needing a cast for a few months, or worse, hitting their head and cracking their skull open on the drain floor. But such injuries are a risk whenever anyone falls over anywhere.
Concrete doesn't tend to be too bad for this; in my experience, the worst offenders for being slippery are bluestone and red brick. To reduce the likelihood you'll slip over, I suggest walking at a steady pace, watch where you're stepping (if it looks slippery, it's probably slippery), and be wary of bluestone and red brick floors.
This isn't even really a danger but I'll mention it. As a result of looking at your feet to make sure you don't slip over in a hilarious fashion, you might neglect to pay attention to what's right in front of you at head height. It just so happens sometimes there's metal pipes at head height, now because people are usually walking slow in an attempt to not slip when they walk into these pipes it's usually a pretty low impact. A small bump on the forehead; but I wouldn't recommend sprinting down a drain with a low roof while looking downwards. Apart from that just be aware of your surroundings and you should be able to avoid this annoyance.
Some drains actually contain some pretty significant drops in them, some multiple stories high! Obviously, you don't want to go falling down these. As with anything dangerous, the best thing you can do is be fucking careful. If you're climbing up or down a high ladder, be deliberate with your movements, don't rush. If you're at the edge of a drop, move with caution, make sure you're not about to step on something slippery!!! Most importantly, if you don't feel confident in your ability to handle the height IE: You don't want to climb that ladder or go near that edge because you're worried you'll fall, don't do it! I can't speak for anyone else but I certainly won't judge you.
Luckily most drains don't have drops like this, but if you're going into a drain you're not familiar with, be prepared for the possibility.
There is the possibility of certain gasses getting trapped in tunnels, Methane and Hydrogen sulfide for example. If enough gas built up in an area you could get poisoned, and if even more gas built up it could displace enough air to be very dangerous, even fatal. However I don't believe anyone has ever been seriously injured or died in a storm water drain from lack of oxygen or poisoning from other gases, at least not in Australia that I'm aware of. Storm drains are built to have water flow through them, as a result other things flow through them pretty easily too, including air. So air flow is pretty good in these places.
This is probably a lot of peoples main concern when when faced with the idea of entering a dark underground tunnel, but honestly, getting lost in drains is pretty hard to do for the most part; mostly they're straight tunnels with the occasional split, and if you walk in the direction you came from, you'll come out where you went in. There are some exceptions to this; the most obvious is Melbourne's "Maze" drain. However, this drain has many exits, so I imagine it would be pretty hard for someone to get truly lost to the point of not being able to get out.
As for getting stuck, this isn't very likely at all, but there are some drains where it's possible. For example there's one in Sydney that has a very steep, very slippery slide with a grilled-off exit at the bottom. Usually there's a rope to help people back up the slide if they decide to go down it, but if the rope wasn't there and you weren't skinny enough to squeeze through the grille, then you might be in for a bad time.
The other way would be to get stuck in a side pipe that's too small for you to fit through. I can only suggest not going into such pipes.
While there are definite dangers involved in drain exploration, and doing so without knwoledge of the risks and completely unprepared can be quite dangerous. Exploring with risks in mind and taking the proper precautions make drain exploration a very safe activity.
Some people may not want to go into drains because it's illegal. Some quite silly people might even think that just because it's illegal means it's inherently wrong. Really, the only reason it's illegal is so if someone does get hurt or dies, the councils can dodge all accountability and place it all on us "They shouldn't have been there it's illegal!". They can sit up on their high horse and spew rhetoric about how it's for our own safety all day long but it's really just to cover their own arse. We are not children, nor are we imbeciles. We do not need our hands held.
Luckily -In Melbourne and Victoria anyway- the laws regarding entering storm tunnels are barely laws. Really they're city bylaws much like a parking ticket, not actually the responsibility of state police and unlike parking; unpoliced by the council.
However some drains do have signs at their entrances saying not to enter them, and to enter past one of these signs is considered trespassing and can be enforced by the state police. Of course the cops usually can't be fucked with that whole process, and there's always a good chance they have no clue there's a no trespassing sign at the entrance as they look down at you through a grille on the street. And you can always say you entered by a manhole or another entrance that didn't have a sign (It is quite common for only one entrance to have a sign which I find very amusing)
The result of all of this is the cops usually just telling you to piss off.
But there is a very small chance that if you found yourself in the wrong drain at the wrong time and the wrong cop showed up you could face a nasty trespassing charge, which If we want to get into morals I personally think that punishing people for their curiosity and adventurous spirit with hefty fines and court orders is a far greater evil than walking through a tunnel.
Luckily for us, although "illegal", drain exploration is very rarely policed. The main concern is some "good Samaritan" seeing you enter and calling the cops, aside from that the police aren't actively patrolling drains for explorers
For some, there is an aversion to getting their clothes wet and/or dirty, which is understandable. I myself have not gone further on occasion due to the water being deeper than anticipated. I've found that showing up to the drain with the expectation of getting wet helps a lot with this problem. Of course, you can also go the route of dressing accordingly; thongs and shorts are a common occurrence. You could even get yourself some fishing waders if you're really against the idea of feeling soggy. The same goes for dirt and mud; don't show up to a drain in shoes and clothes you want to keep in mint condition.
Then, there are those under the misconception that these tunnels are sewers and have the quite natural thought process of "Why in the fuck would I ever want to go into a sewer?" but as stated in the intro to this text, these tunnels are designed for stormwater management and not human waste management. Still, it should be noted that it's not inconceivable there could be some poop in a drain at any given time. Some drains are connected to sewer overflow pipes so that sewage has somewhere to go if, for whatever reason, the sewer lines do get full. This is not a common occurrence, and if it were to happen, I'm sure you wouldn't get far before you realised. Just don't go into tunnels that smell like shit.
And there is always the possibility some animal has decided to use a canal or grille as their toilet of choice, or even wandered in for a nice dark place to do their business. It's also not unheard of for explorers to have a bowel emergency while two hours deep in a drain. But for the most part, these tunnels not for poop.
(Drain exploration is not the hobby for Mysophobes!!!)
Some may be wary to wander into a dark wet underground hole out of fear of what lurks within. There are various Fauna that can be found in drains
I imagine a lot of peoples main concern is spiders, and rightfully so -fuck spiders!-. But honestly, while spiders can be found in drains they're usually few and far between. They often get washed out when it rains and it's not the most amazing enviroment for them when it comes to food (not many flies down there) But still there are spiders in drains, most common spider you'll see are probably "Redbacks" but this isn't entirely true. There are definately Redbacks in some drains but I've found what is much more common are False Widow spiders or "Steatoda grossa" which have a very similar body shape and in the dark look almost identical to Redbacks; but are far less agressive and far less venomous. Besides being creepy looking they aren't much of a concern.
Actual redbacks on the otherhand are quite worrying and I don't like to spend too much time around them if I can help it. They're only really aggressive when they have eggs or they're fucked with so the best bet is to leave them alone and don't get too close -especially if they have eggs!- their eggs are white balls usually pretty big in comparison to the actual spider itself so pretty easy to notice. I suggest inspecting manholes, grilles, and step irons before putting your hands on them too, just incase there's a redback hiding behind a bit of web.
For the most part Redbacks aren't too much of an issue as long as you don't fuck with them and watch where you're putting your hands. I also suggest looking up pictures of both Redbacks and Steatoda grossa so you can see the difference; Redbacks stand out quite a bit once