I went and visited the Port Kembla’s Hill 60 bunkers near Wollongong here in Australia. I was worried that the complex would all be sealed up and the long drive down the coast would be for naught. But I am happy to say, we got in and got to check out a large chunk of the underground.
The bunkers are located directly under the sea rescue office/tower which is manned. So be good if you go visit.
The area around it is also very popular with the hang gliding folk so you wont be lone. As we got there, we checked out a large white bunker sitting on the top of the hill. Unfortunately this one is sealed with brick and there was no way to get inside.
Ah Wollongong. Such a pretty place.
As we searched for the bunker entrance, we spotted this fence sticking out of the vegetation and a wall which lead us down to it.
The wall has a total of four entrances. Two for each tunnel. Most of the doors are completely rusted through but sealed, but one was completely removed allowing easy access.
This here is the entrance to the left of the opening. All sealed with welds, but rust through with massive holes.
The tunnels lead down straight from the entrance. A set of stairs on the left and set of rails on the right. No doubt these where used to transport goods like ammo as they lead all the way down deep into the complex. No doubt, being Australia they would have been used for awesome shenanigans too.
No action was ever seen at these bunkers.
The tunnels are big. Easily the biggest and widest I have seen so far around in my adventures.
At the end of the first tunnel we were greeted with the only locked gate we found. This lead into the gun emplacement overlooking the ocean. The gate prevented us going into the area.
The layout of the bunker is pretty simple. Two parallel tunnels leading to gun emplacements. In between these and connecting the two tunnels are a series of rooms and cross tunnels. Think of a capital H.
Passing the iron door into the rooms connecting the tunnels.
An part of the ventilation system. This is pretty much all that there is. These tunnels have been stripped bare of all fixtures.
All of the rooms have piles of debris swept into the center. Someone has tried to clean the place up. But it just makes the place a bit eerie. No matter how much glitter is messed up in it.
Pardon the camera strap.
The largest room we found. Could easily hold a rave party as observed by my accompanying adventurer.
Some of the only fixtures I could find. Right above a heavy iron door. (shown below)
An entrance to a small room.
We crossed into the second tunnel. This is the other side of the entrance doors seen in the beginning. Most of those holes are rust. This place obviously sees a lot of water.
Same set up as the other tunnel. Stairs and rail down to the gun emplacement.
Both tunnels narrow and have a section like this. No doubt to stop the concussion of the gun firing from deafening everyone. While the first was clear, this one had a lot of debris and trash.
At the end they open up and on the left and right are a series of rooms.
Finally at the end of the tunnel we find another gun emplacement. While this was open, it was a pond of water. Complete with frogs.
To the right though, we find one of the biggest a left overs. A huge, cast iron gun shield.
While we were phaffing about on the hill we spotted another bunker poking out of an adjacent hill. So we bush bashed it (Aussie term for barging through the bush with no trail) and found it. But the oddest thing was during this trail blazing we found a second bunker, half buried in the sand dunes.
A very small door leading into it.
I crammed my camera in the gap and took this shot. It looks like someone set up home in there as it was full of bedding materials.
Further along we had to crawl through a trench cut into the hill. We spotted this old Aboriginal shell midden.
Finally we got to the structure we spotted.
Unfortunately there was nothing to see except broken concrete and twisted rebar.
Bloody great view though.
