Sydney waters heritage expert phil bennett says the top of the tunnel is just 1. Tess chatted with tony eid from sydney trains to see if theres any truth to that rumor, and other spooky stories. Going underground to the deserted tunnels beneath hyde park. St james ghost tunnels under hyde park australia history. As a result, st james has several abandoned tunnels, one of which has flooded and produced an underground lake. In 1848 lieutenantcolonel james gordon developed a definitive plan for the defence of sydney town which involved 30 heavy guns located at inner south head and middle head, 9 heavy guns at sow and pigs reef, 2 heavy guns at pinchgut, work at bradleys head and changes to the dawes point battery. St james tunnels, the set of a horror movie 30 metres.
They are seen here making their way to the tunnel floor on 15 january 2008. Several urban legends have arisen from the tunnels, including that of an albino eel said to reside in the st james tunnel lake. A nondescript green door at sydney s st james station is the gateway to a hidden world where rail lines, scribbles from war time servicemen and witches covens meet. A feature of these lines was the underground tram terminus at wynyard railway station the only one in australia, and the tracks over the sydney harbour bridge. A new purpose for sydneys unfinished train tunnels atlas obscura. If you live in sydney you probably know theres a whole underworld sitting right underneath our feet well, foot path. The unused tunnels at st james station when they were being discussed as part of a possible new metro system in 2008.
Tony eid, who is the director of operations with sydney trains, told. Anyone know anything about abandoned underground tunnels in. Urbantwilight is photographing the underground tunnels, abandoned buildings, rooftops, and hidden industry that most people would never normally get to see. Some tunnels were named after london landmarks including petticoat lane and saunders corner. In the 1830s, john busby engineered a tunnel to funnel water from the swamps at the site of centennial park into sydney. Join sydney wie for a site visit to the historic st james tunnels explore one of sydneys oldest stations and some of its tunnels as you learn more about sydneys transportation history. Exploring the depths of sydneys flooded ghost tunnels. In 2007, the new south wales government pulled plans to utilize the water in the disused underground train tunnels beneath sydney s st. The remaining two are stubs, which lead some way off from the station but then abruptly end. Even if you dont like science fiction you might still enjoy this book. St james tunnels and sydney s transport heritage expo. St james tunnels and sydneys transport heritage expo 2ser. There are a few disused railway tunnels near st james, also a system of small tunnels used by telstra for. Former train worker reveals haunting secrets underneath the.
Nov 15, 2014 sydneys abandoned underground rail tunnels. Its a world of tunnels and war, of movies and witchcraft, of tree roots and vandals, of dark and damp and dust. St james is unusual in that it has two platforms which were never used. The secret tunnels of sydney, australia alternate history.
The unnerving reports from beneath central station are paralleled by similar. A secret underground railway platform running alongside st. And like the city above, underground sydney has its own unique architecture, defined by a maze of mythical passages, some of whose existence has never been proven. It flowed over 3 kilometres along oxford st and hyde park to reach macquarie st. A tunnel is said to link the two david jones city stores at the basement level. To celebrate 90 years of australias first underground railway, lucky members of the public can be part of a guided tour of the ghost platforms and tracks of st james station. Former train worker lifts the lid on the dark secrets lurking below. St james station tunnels show a world beneath sydney. And apparently theres a maneating eel that lives there as well.
For this reason, the empty platforms and tunnels have been used for a variety of purposes over the years. The classical mosaic tiling in st james station hints at the vintage of the tunnels throughout the station but the real mysteries are hidden from view. The stub from the up shore track was never even started. The story follows will burrows, a 14yearold archaeologist, who stumbles upon an underground civilization called the colony. Water that pools in the st james station train tunnels and. Opened in 1926, the underground railway station was based closely on londons underground, and almost a century later the green and cream tiles still line the walls on this city circle line station.
It was initially selfpublished as the highfield mole in 2005, and rereleased as tunnels by chicken house in 2007. The secrets of sydneys underground tunnels radio national. Jul 25, 2015 built between 1884 and 1886 and abandoned just a few decades later, these disused and flooded tunnels have created a challenging and daring site for these three professional divers. A world beneath sydney st james station tunnels experience the world beneath sydney that few know about and nobody ever visits. The tunnel supposedly terminated in a lake, where an albino eel.
From time to time, sydney trains provide guided tours of and access to the st james tunnels and central stations ghost platforms. Apr 03, 2018 deep below sydneys bustling streets and archetypical highrise buildings lies an eerie underworld of structures and a network of tunnels hewn out of the sandstone bedrock. As a terminating station, st james was equipped with a small signal box and two dead end sidings, located in the tunnel stub at the north end of the station. I heard that it was going to have been made into a movie at one point, but was really disappointed when it got canceled, however, this is a book that one must read. One pair of lines would go to watsons bay and the other through paddington and randwick towards botany. The station is beautifully constructed and elegantly proportioned, tiled in cream with green borders. Workers down here said they would hear kids playing and, thinking they were vandals, would go and investigate. Theres a world hidden under the streets of sydney that nobody ever sees, that very few even know about. The secret tunnels of sydney, australia alternate history of the. The hidden tunnels underneath sydneys historic train stations have. You can now walk through sydneys hidden tunnels urban. Sydneys abandoned railway tunnels public transport.
Tunnels is a subterranean fiction novel by british authors roderick gordon and brian williams. Sydney s original harbour tunnel, from balmain to greenwich, was constructed between 19 and 1924 in order to carry electricity to the north shore. Feb 21, 2014 this pin was discovered by the history spot. Sydney ghost tunnels on track to nowhere daily telegraph. It has a fantastic plot which constantly keeps the reader into it. Oct 01, 2018 the st james tunnels were built as part of a never completed rail line from the citys eastern suburbs to northern beaches. Transport minister gladys berejiklian said the spare tunnels bypass the central spine of the cbd and head in the wrong direction to provide any. The best known of these are those leading out of st james station. Yep, open sydney is back for another year and this time youll be walking through the st james tunnels, the big tank stream stormwater drain under the cbd and so much more. A nondescript green door at sydneys st james station is the gateway to a hidden world where rail lines, scribbles from war time servicemen and witches covens meet. Eerily silent and pitch black, the lake is thought to be a kilometre long, seven metres wide and up to six metres deep, and populated by albino eels.
Anyone know anything about abandoned underground tunnels in the sydney city area. A guided tour of st james station tunnels under sydney s cbd. John oakes, a former high school teacher and current arhs member, has written a book on sydney s forgotten railways. Sydney s abandoned underground matrix st james station lies beneath sydney s leafy hyde park, close to the centre of the city. This tunnel flows right through st james station in the centre of sydney s cbd. Australia out water that pools in the st james station train tunnels and st james lake located under macquarie street will be recycled for use in parliament house. James station was designed to support four tunnels, but only two were ever constructed. Did you know theres a lake under sydneys st james train station. Anyone know anything about abandoned underground tunnels.
Oct 06, 2015 st james station tunnels show a world beneath sydney. The plot involves an emaciated humanoid, a monster in the lake and plenty of blood. Experience the world beneath sydney that few know about and nobody ever visits. Bondi waste water treatment plant manager tony williamson left and production team leader daniel toole right. We are 30 metres beneath hyde park in the disused railway tunnels beneath st james station. In 2007, the new south wales government pulled plans to utilize the water in the disused underground train tunnels beneath sydneys st. The images contained on this site have been shot in sydney, adelaide, melbourne, canberra, hobart, and countless country locations inbetween. The station is beautifully constructed and elegantly proportioned. Explore one of sydney s oldest stations and some of its tunnels as you learn more about sydney s transportation history. There is a horror movie set in the st james tunnels called the tunnel. Similarly provision was made for the eastern suburbs railways by stub tunnels at st james. General macarthurs wwii headquarters part of the arc of the northbound siding tunnel from st james station which was intended for the gladesville line is believed to have been used by general macarthur as his wartime headquarters and the fighter sector. The tunnel runs north to the cahill expressway and south through hyde park.
The st james station tunnels are open to the public during the sydney open event in november. St james station is notable for the abandoned tunnels connected to the station. Kleut, and james caitlin in a documentarystyle horror story set in the underground network of abandoned railway tunnels in sydney, australia. Here youll find current best sellers in books, new releases in books, deals in books, kindle ebooks, audible audiobooks, and so much more. Exploring sydneys abandoned rail tunnels news news. Jul 16, 2017 a lake monster kills the crew off one by one. For this reason, the empty platforms and tunnels have been used for a. Great series, received the book in excellent condition. The books homepage helps you explore earths biggest bookstore without ever leaving the comfort of your couch. Tony also told us about the awardwinning heritage transport expo, starting.
The inner platforms were built to service proposed eastern and western suburbs lines which were never built. There are also several disused tunnels and platforms on the eastern suburbs line, which like st james station provided for the possibility of four tunnels even though only two are in use. The tunnels under st james station contain a former bomb shelter and, surprisingly, an underground lake. Sep 12, 2012 photos of sydneys unused rail tunnels and ghost platforms. One of the grandest is an unfinished rail tunnel with a huge pitchblack lake at one end and a set of bomb shelters and an raaf operations bunker at the other. James railway station, sydney has many tunnels theres one beneath north sydney railway station for a proposed line to manly and pittwater. St james railway station is a heritagelisted underground commuter rail station that is located. Grace brothers delivery trucks are known to have travelled via underground tunnels from elizabeth st, via market st and up to the old george street store. Circular quay, a disused shunting neck and the infamous lake st james and large body of water and a shaft, remains of an entry for building of the tunnels. It is called st james lake, and it is right underneath the heart of sydneys cbd, stretching over a kilometre with more than five. Its the station under the station, the city beneath the city, the lake below the streets.
Rumors of a government coverup started to circulate, as did a series of urban legends surrounding the sudden turn around, which is when journalist natasha warner and a camera crew set. St james tunnels, the set of a horror movie 30 metres beneath. Unusual dive in an underground rail tunnel known as the lake, north of st james rail station in sydney australia. This abandoned tracks documentary looks at the unused platforms and tunnels at central and st james stations in sydney, nsw. We jumped onto the tracks between st james and circular quay after midnight when trains were no longer running on the lines. Around the world, hidden spaces are being converted into unique experiences and we want st james station to be part of that, nsw transport. A few years back i estimate, 5 7, we went in with the cave clan and paddled around the lake down there in a bunch of inflatable boats. In 2008, the station was used as a location for the miniseries false witness.
Sydney s secret train tunnels friday october 21, 2016 written by genevieve every day, thousands of commuters pass a nondescript door between platforms 1 and 2 at st james station in sydney. The st james tunnels were built as part of a never completed rail line from the citys eastern suburbs to northern beaches. Trams ran from blue st, north sydney over a nowdemolished steel arch bridge over the harbour bridge roadway, then over the eastern side of the harbour bridge now road lanes. The tunnels were built in the early 1920s in a kind of open abdominal surgery on hyde park. The tunnel is a 2011 australian foundfootage horror film directed by carlo ledesma and cowritten, coproduced, and coedited by julian harvey and enzo tedeschi. Starts of north shore side of platform behind wall, concourse of tram tunnels do not remain, heads towards menzies hotel, heads through hotel car. James tunnels, the more apt question is what hasnt been hidden within them. At the end of the 19 th century and for the first few decades of the 20 th century, underground tunnels were constructed to conduct the electricity, gas and, possibly, goods required by the growing city. The tunnels were constructed in the 1920s as stubs for proposed eastern and western suburbs lines. The major appeal for him was the atmosphere, unlike anywhere else.
Arhs member, has written a book on sydneys forgotten railways. From the 1990s until around 2005, he helped run tours of the st. It is science fiction, but a different type of science fiction. St james railway tunnels tours in redfern, nsw, 2016. The reason its different from most science fiction books is that it has old inventions, a plague, and and they eat mush, but in modern time. Exploring the tunnels under australias largest city. Did you know theres a lake under sydney s st james train station. More sydney s abandoned railway tunnels strange as it may seem, there are almost as many disused railway tunnels in the sydney area as there are ones in use.
St james train station tunnels the new home for sydney party. The tunnels were constructed in the 1920s as stubs for. Sydneys abandoned underground rail tunnels off track. There were several people arrested for attempting to access the st james tunnels from. The history of st james station is interesting because it was originally intended to have four railway lines, however, with only two lines ever put into use, the other two remain to this day as the ghost platforms of st. The tunnels for all these lines were built but only a few were ever used. Exploring sydneys abandoned rail tunnels off track. Oct, 2015 the st james railway station tunnels and another ghostly railway relic, two neverused platforms at central station, are part of sydney open on november 1, where you can tour more than 50 of our. By josh butler tom compagnoni video by tom compagnoni. St james train station tunnels the new home for sydney. This tunnel flows right through st james station in the centre of sydneys cbd.
Oct 24, 2015 it is called st james lake, and it is right underneath the heart of sydneys cbd, stretching over a kilometre with more than five metres depth in parts. St james railway station is a heritagelisted underground commuter rail station that is located on the city circle, at the northern end of hyde park in the sydney central business district of new south wales, australia. Contain your excitement you nosy little things, because youve just been invited in. Tunnels lake st james at the north end of the abandoned st james railway tunnels. The abandoned tunnels under st james station are hauntingly silent. Tunnels including the whole series is another incredibly wellwritten and plotted series for its age group and genre. St james tunnels, the set of a horror movie 30 metres beneath sydney. St james railway tunnels tours in redfern, sydney, nsw. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. Sydneys abandoned underground rail tunnels off track abc. One of the tunnel s wells in victoria barracks, overflowed in the 1940s after a downpour. They were never put to use, but were used as airraid shelters during world war two. Join sydney wie for a site visit to the historic st james tunnels. Oct 12, 2016 exploring the tunnels under australias largest city.
Minister nathan rees visited the tunnels with john dengate. A new train line and kilometres of underground tunnels were completed in the 1920s, meant to link st james with bondi and randwick, however, wwii and the great depression halted the construction. Before the loop was completed, st james was the end of the line and thus had substantial turnback facilities consisting of a pair of dead end sidings with a small. St james station tunnels show a world beneath sydney huffpost.
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