Surprise Drain, Mortdale

Where:
East from the Corner of Roberts Ave and Depot Rd on and towards
the Budapest Club side. Go down hill behind elevated box drain.

Log:
8th January 1995
January 2006
1st time Howie, Mustang and Jace.
2nd time Howie (Photos only)

Photos:
Yes.

Interest:
4/10

Warnings:
Don't go if its raining or looks like rain.

Description:
Dunno why they call it Surprise Drain. Pretty Lame rating from all
3 of us who went down there. (Update, reason it was called surprise
was due to the original explorers gaining entry via a small 2ft round
pipe and dropping into the main box section.
From the corner of Roberts Ave and Depot Rd head downhill behind
the elevated box drain. There is a faint short track to the
bottom. Here you we come across a creek going to your left and
the drain entrance to your right. Lots of overgrown weeds, etc.
Easiest way in is the most direct. Get as close to the vines and
weeds hanging over the right side of the entrance. Slip in behind
them (We pushed them aside for now) You might get one foot wet.

Now you are in a 8ft high round drain. Following this along takes
you past some interesting stalactite fomations especially the one
hanging down from one the the entrances from above the drain. Also
note the crystal clear globes of water seeping through the cement
from the top of the drain. The tunnel then turns to a 8ft high
rectangular drian ankle deep in water. Just as the drain changes
shape and the water level rises, notice the two pipes in the left
and right hand side of the rectangular drian at ground level.
There are deeper holes oposite where they exit. Make sure you
jump over these spaces. Maybe the surprise is your supose to fall
in???
Along this drain there is alot of yukky looking water with pieces
of metal reinforcing rods lying around. The drain stays the same
height but gets deeper as you near the exit. Look for baby crabs
on the walls of the drian. Also you might spot small eels. Dont
worry about these they are thin and yellowish, no longer than your
30cm ruler. Nearing the exit the water level gets up to below the
knee. Near the exit there was a MASSIVE!!! Spider on one of the
walls of the drain, friggin HUGE!, bigger than my hand. I
recommend not walking to close to the wall. We stayed on the right
hand side of the drain and there where no more hidden drops, etc.
Look for our footprints in the sediment in the rectangular section
of the drain, here the water harldy moves and is a bit stagnent.
You finally exit onto the Hurstville Council Public Golf course
and there is a 5 par walk back to where you came in. Exit from the
golf course by way of the gates which are wide enough apart but
locked which are on the left hand side of the fairways back
towards the direction in which you came. Or walk back through the
way you came.
If you go to the end of Depot Rd, there is an adjacent drain from
the one in which you entered. Couldnt manage to get down to it in
the dark as well the torches batteries where going flat. EOF.

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