Dreadnaught - The Sewer Overflow

The largest one that the Exploring community is currently aware of in Melbourne.

Between roughly hockey field size length and width, this massive underground chamber is probably 3 storeys high and 2 meters underground.

Thankfully, for us explorers, it rarely gets used, hence why its safe to explore! All the same, the ground is covered in decomposing matter. Not the nice kind of matter either...

Read on after the break for more...

This place is unique for explorers (in Australia anyway) and is actually seperated into two distinct sections. The first is the control room.

This room is the key to being able to explore the Dreadnaught safely. Without it, explorers would come to a smelly, toxic end. 

Its job is to turn on the great big exhaust fans and clean the air, making it possible for us to go into... The main chamber!

The problem with this though... Its a huge place, so it needs time to clear the air...

Not a problem... Go there early, kick the fans on, come back a while later and enjoy?

Wrong!
This place is right next to residents who aren't to keen on exploring folk, and this system makes NOISE. And boy. Do I mean NOISE. In the dead of the night, nothing says "HEY LOOK AT ME" like a 3 storey high exhaust kicking into gear...

But hey. That's exactly what we did. We also turned on the lights (no issue with that). And lucky us. We didn't have any problems (people have reported issues though).

Getting into the main chamber (and the control room for that matter) requires popping manholes, climbing down cobweb infested ladders and, in the case of the main chamber squelching around slippery surface and making sure you touch the ground as little as possible.

Anyway, below are shots from the main chamber and the control area. The control area also has 2 walkways over to service the lights. Enjoy!