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Beaconsfield TAFE
Challenger Institute, Western Australia’s oldest technical education institution, was established in 1898, with its earliest evening classes held at the Fremantle Boys School. Over time, the institution underwent several name changes. It was first South Metropolitan Technical College, then South Metropolitan College of TAFE, before adopting its current name, Challenger TAFE. The name “Challenger” is taken from HMS Challenger, a 28-gun sixth-rate Royal Navy warship which played a role in the establishment of the Swan River Colony in 1829 under the command of Charles Fremantle.
Very little publicly accessible historical information exists about the Beaconsfield Challenger TAFE site itself, beyond repeated references to the Heart of Beaconsfield redevelopment project. In simple terms, the project proposes the demolition of a large portion of Beaconsfield — an area that has historically included significant social housing — and its redevelopment at higher density. While approximately 30 per cent of the new housing is proposed to be retained as social housing, the majority of dwellings would be delivered to the private market.
The Beaconsfield TAFE complex appears to have been constructed around 65 years ago, placing its development in the late 1950s, and it ultimately closed in 2018, marking the end of its role as a technical education campus.
December 2020
The first time I went to Beaconsfield TAFE was no more than a couple of months after I started losing my fear, for reasons I won’t go into.
It was a dark night, with no moon in sight. Strong gales came and went, harsher than the usual Doctor. I was alone and unsure what to expect, other than having been warned about a number of cameras around the abandoned TAFE. I didn’t expect a security guard to be present but as always, it paid to stay alert.
Once inside, the noise was constant at times. Doors banging, loose panels flapping, the building reacting to the wind. A Spectur STA6 camera sat in the central quadrangle, its light flickering on intermittently in response to the violent swaying of the nearby trees. Not my favourite camera, with its long-range 4K thermal imaging, multiple sensors and all the rest, especially when compared to the relatively harmless HD5 units, which often feel more decorative than functional.
I kept the use of my handheld torch to a minimum, moving through the darkness as the cold air wrapped around me, growing sharper as the night edged closer to midnight.
It felt like not many people had been there yet and I sure hoped it would stay that way for a while. Eventually, streams of urbexers, painters and others would no doubt pass through, opening up more areas as locked doors were forced or bypassed. But at that moment, much of the place still felt sealed and untouched.
The atmosphere was eerie. A heightened sense of anticipation with every corner, every corridor, every unknown space ahead. Strangely, it didn’t bother me. Back then, I used to say I loved the night because it felt like everyone was dead and I could finally enjoy the world. Darkness was a blanket over this munted place, smothering its noise, its drama and its egos. Abandoned spaces made that loneliness even more compelling.
Every step I took was quieter than a mouse. I never saw the point in entering unknown territory and making unnecessary noise, especially somewhere you weren’t exactly welcome. Silence felt like a form of respect. The same as not touching, moving or damaging anything. Being alone meant nothing got in the way of my photos, which suited me just fine. Of course, it’s also one of those rules people frown upon in places with very real risks.
I only stayed for two hours. It wasn’t my favourite site, probably because it lacked a personal feel to it. Abandoned houses carry intimate stories, traces of lives once lived, which makes every detail feel important. Institutions like TAFEs tend to feel interchangeable, no matter where you are. Still, any abandoned place can be interesting with the right mindset. In that respect, it mirrors life.
December 2020
February 2021
