when two become three

Like a lot of people who love taking photos, I really dig old rusty crap. And the Inveresk railyards are full of derelict and sort-of-neglected bits and pieces.

I say "sort-of-neglected" because between the 1960s and the new millenium (still sounds fancy to say that), this area lay abandoned - a bit of an eyesore. However, in the 90s someone (or someones, I'd say) saw the potential for this inner-city industrial scab to become the city's cultural heart. A fair bit of money was poured into the project, and in the early part of last decade it became the sort of place you could go to have a coffee, see a play or football, view some art, play on old trains without fear of tetanus, or study.

It's really a swell place to spend a Sunday afternoon, if you're so inclined. Just follow the train lines...

a house by the train line

A little cottage at the Inveresk railyards. I'm not quite sure what purpose it served, but as it's right beside the derelict line that crosses via a narrow bridge over the North Esk River my guess is it was some kind of toll house or check-in-booth for trains coming to the railyards.

Of course, nowadays it mostly functions as a target for graffiti, an object of curiousity to passers-by, and a subject for daily photo bloggers.

School of Architecture

The School of Architecture and Design at Inveresk. This building used to be another workshop forming part of the railyards precinct. A few years ago, it was "repurposed" as a place for kids to go learn how to design good buildings and furniture. I've been in this building three times, myself - first time in 1999, it was just an empty warehouse; in 2003-ish, it was home to a number of information stalls at the Launceston Show; most recently, I attended a university open day with a friend...the change is rather stunning.