Urban Exploring gets me High!: The Thrill of Uncovering Hidden City Gems

The Thrill of Uncovering Hidden City Gems:

There is no high quite like the high I get from Urban exploring. I never feel more alive than when going into an abandoned building and talking photos.

What is Urban Exploring?

As most of the Internet knows already from click bait links, urban exploring or urbex is about going into abandoned places and seeing what is not commonly seen. On the whole the places are abandoned, decayed or in the process of decaying. Some of these places have been vandalised by kids with nothing better to do or street artists who see a blank canvas to paint on with some of these structures.

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How I First Got into Urbex:

I was on a train and saw an old run down factory out the window. It wasn’t big or anything special. It was just a double story factory with broken windows and graffiti.

I made note of the location and the next day I decided to have a look on the inside. As I parked my car near by I noticed more of the factory that I hadn’t seen from the train. It was a pretty big place. I jumped a fence and walked around and inside the buildings.

It was a bit of a thrill to be somewhere where I wasn’t meant to be. There wasn’t much to see in the warehouse. It was pretty much empty. It wasn’t boring even though the place was empty and nothing to see. It was quite the opposite. It was just interesting to see how a big place like this with many workers just up and left. What happened? Why did it close? Do these people have jobs? These thoughts crossed my mind, also the thought of ‘is there any security here?’

That feeling of trespassing and breaking the law made my heart beat faster and it felt good.

Most people break the law from time to time. A few kilometres over the speed limit, failure to declare income on tax returns or even taking some drugs when out having a good time. Urban exploring feels different. This is a whole new sensation; it is a feeling of being alive. Feeling alive is a sensation I rarely felt often. This feeling of being ‘alive’ took a hold of me. I had to go bigger and into more ‘risky’ places. For a long time, the higher the risk the more alive I would feel. As the years went by I would go into these risky places and it was fun. I was alive. That feeling has now subsided and the quest to find that perfect photo from an abandoned building has taken over. There is no fear, no worries about police, and not a care in the world. I am home in abandoned buildings with the decay and the crumbling structures.

I joined Flickr and did some searching. There was a group dedicated to urban exploring and going into abandoned buildings around Melbourne.

My life changed when I found that page. Friendships were formed and information was shared. When we spotted a new abandoned building we would organise a time and a day for all of us to meet.

There we are 5-7 people just going into abandoned buildings and talking photos and having a good time together. After 4 years we have pretty much seen it all. Running away from security, junkies, close calls with the police, getting arrested, road trips, beers, laughter and many more stories that I’ll share in future posts.

Like most people these days I posted my photos on Facebook. My friends saw these photos and wanted to come urban exploring with me. Most of the time it was for fun and to do stupid photo-shoots.

One of my favourite explorations of all time was when we went to Buzludzha in Bulgaria in 2012

Urban Exploring Conclusion:

Urban exploring is a passion that takes me to extraordinary heights, both literally and figuratively. The rush of adrenaline, the unveiling of forgotten histories, the escape from the mundane, the expression of creativity, and the sense of community all contribute to the allure of urbex. It’s a journey that transcends the boundaries of a city and delves into the depths of human curiosity.

The pursuit of hidden city gems will continue to get me “high” with the excitement of every new adventure I go on.

Remember to explore responsibly, respect the places you visit, and let the passion for urbex lead you to new heights of discovery.

Happy exploring!