Old Helensburgh Station

sandwichamwin · 21st January 2011, 3:56 PM

I've wanted to shoot here for ages and thought I would stop by since I was out that way already. I found it really difficult to shoot with all the shadows and patchy bright sunlight (argh, why did I go at midday?). Really wish I had a tripod too because some of the shots were stupidly slow. Didn't stay long either because I made the very fatal mistake of wearing thongs and it was very wet. Actually, it was pretty much a creek and you had to walk along the sleepers/rail or you were swimming

#1

Old Helensburgh Station by tomj123, on Flickr

#2

Tunnel at the old Helensburgh Railway Station by tomj123, on Flickr

#3

Old Helensburgh Station by tomj123, on Flickr

#4

Old Helensburgh Station by tomj123, on Flickr

#5

Old Helensburgh Station by tomj123, on Flickr

#6

#015 Old Helensburgh Station by tomj123, on Flickr

Next time I'll wear old clothes + gumboots and get down low

.

Aratama_Bashi · 21st January 2011, 5:39 PM

this place is cool and your shots are awesome to the maxxx.... cn't wait for the next time you head up there! my fave would be the tunnel one

lench · 21st January 2011, 6:28 PM

i've been meaning to go there for ages now but cant find the bloody thing on google maps
give us a hint?

Goobers · 21st January 2011, 6:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lench

i've been meaning to go there for ages now but cant find the bloody thing on google maps
give us a hint?

hows this for ya

http://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?hl...6528d89caf34cd

I used to live just up the road from it for 8 years

there used to be a small wooden house built in front of the entrance at the south end of the north tunnel, the northern tunnel was barricaded by a wire fence on both ends but was cut so you could get in and out freely, the tunnel and small shack was filled with copious amounts of broken Styrofoam, not sure if it was dumped there or was being stored and forgotten, sometime in 2004 they demolished the shack cleared out all the Styrofoam and erected solid steel bars on both ends, not to sure how it is now though, ive been gone from Hburgh for a year and a half, as far as im aware the coal mine owns the tunnels, and the old shack that was demolished.

cool site if you can get there, bring gumboots, the water in the southern train tunnel makes it impassable as it goes right the way up to the roof of the tunnel, but there is a good 100 meters inside the tunnel full of glow worms and all kinds of crazy before the water starts.

sandwichamwin · 22nd January 2011, 1:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lench

i've been meaning to go there for ages now but cant find the bloody thing on google maps
give us a hint?

The guy above pointed it out nicely. It's really easy to get to, especially if you have a GPS (great for adventures like this). Plenty of spots to park too right at the entrance.

It's worth making the trip imo. Even if you don't live south you can make a day of it and hit up the Royal National Park and whatnot.

HumbleBum · 22nd January 2011, 1:08 AM

Thats cool.!

Amazing that its just there, signs and all.. Thanks for sharing op! In your comments re shadows, maybe a subtle HDR?

sandwichamwin · 22nd January 2011, 1:17 AM

The sign was actually put up recently (within the last few years?) by the community as part of a effort to restore the site.

HDR (subtle!) was what I was thinking at the time, but I didn't have a tripod and some of the shots were taken with a 1/6s shutter so there wasn't much hope.

Will definitely be going back though and having another crack one day.

PeterB666 · 22nd January 2011, 1:07 PM

They are excellent photos. I have been wanting to do this spot for a while and then sort of forgot about it.

I guess the only way to overcome the lighting issues is for a dull-cloudy day but then everything will be flat. HDR may be of some benefit.

Quite frankly, I think this series is as close to perfect as you would get.

Creekin · 22nd January 2011, 1:18 PM

great shots!

know the spot well

doubt you would have got such great colour as in 2,3,4 at any other time of day...
2 is NSFW!

5 is art

Danske · 24th January 2011, 11:52 AM

Woah what a cool looking place.

Great shots mate, thanks for sharing.

21st January 2011, 3:56 PM	#1
sandwichamwin Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Sydney Posts: 2,493	Old Helensburgh Station I've wanted to shoot here for ages and thought I would stop by since I was out that way already. I found it really difficult to shoot with all the shadows and patchy bright sunlight (argh, why did I go at midday?). Really wish I had a tripod too because some of the shots were stupidly slow. Didn't stay long either because I made the very fatal mistake of wearing thongs and it was very wet. Actually, it was pretty much a creek and you had to walk along the sleepers/rail or you were swimming #1 Old Helensburgh Station by tomj123, on Flickr #2 Tunnel at the old Helensburgh Railway Station by tomj123, on Flickr #3 Old Helensburgh Station by tomj123, on Flickr #4 Old Helensburgh Station by tomj123, on Flickr #5 Old Helensburgh Station by tomj123, on Flickr #6 #015 Old Helensburgh Station by tomj123, on Flickr Next time I'll wear old clothes + gumboots and get down low .

21st January 2011, 5:39 PM	#2
Aratama_Bashi Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Melbourne Posts: 6,139	this place is cool and your shots are awesome to the maxxx.... cn't wait for the next time you head up there! my fave would be the tunnel one __________________ FS/WTB: Nothing right now. Watch this space. PENTAX K5 • DA 35mm f/2.8 MACRO LIMITED • FA 50mm f/1.4 • DA 12 - 24 f/4 • SIGMA 18 - 125 F/3.8 - 5.6 HSM • Tamron 70 - 300 F/4 - 5.6 Gadget List: Sony Xperia acro S • Nexus 7 • iPad 2 3G 64gb • 2011 Mazda 3 MPS • Some computers too

21st January 2011, 6:28 PM	#3
lench Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Sydney, Five Dock Posts: 2,003	i've been meaning to go there for ages now but cant find the bloody thing on google maps give us a hint?

22nd January 2011, 1:08 AM	#6
HumbleBum Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Melbourne... Posts: 14,374	Thats cool.! Amazing that its just there, signs and all.. Thanks for sharing op! In your comments re shadows, maybe a subtle HDR? __________________ The world is broken. We are the last choking embers of a fire waiting to burn in. Long before your grandfathers and their fathers before them. We started pulling our planet apart in the name of progress and blind ambition. The greed of man has devoured this earth until there was nothing left. We watch as time eats us alive - A generation born to witness the end of the world

22nd January 2011, 1:17 AM	#7
sandwichamwin Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Sydney Posts: 2,493	The sign was actually put up recently (within the last few years?) by the community as part of a effort to restore the site. HDR (subtle!) was what I was thinking at the time, but I didn't have a tripod and some of the shots were taken with a 1/6s shutter so there wasn't much hope. Will definitely be going back though and having another crack one day.

22nd January 2011, 1:07 PM	#8
PeterB666 Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 254	They are excellent photos. I have been wanting to do this spot for a while and then sort of forgot about it. I guess the only way to overcome the lighting issues is for a dull-cloudy day but then everything will be flat. HDR may be of some benefit. Quite frankly, I think this series is as close to perfect as you would get.