I created Lost Collective to document neglected and now rarely seen places that once played important roles in their communities. From a derelict power station in central Sydney to an elegantly decaying Japanese hotel, these sites still unite the people who made them matter

It was like hell on earth; everything coated in red dust and rust. The noise was immense, with steam and chemicals belching from all over – at one point I walked into a cloud of ammonia without a respirator. It was a massive nickel refinery and I was there to help shut it down.

I’d started my career as an apprentice fitter and turner in a hot and dirty workshop in the north Queensland city of Townsville. It was such a shit job – every day was stinking hot and we were working on heavy machinery smeared with grease, chemicals or both. But I wanted a trade to fall back on so felt compelled to stick it out. The nickel refinery was one of my first onsite jobs and one I’ll never forget.

Clockwise from top: Eveleigh paint shop, Kandos cement works, women’s wards at Callan Park

Waterfall sanatorium; below: Terminus hotel, Pyrmont

I wandered in, camera in hand, and that moment was the unofficial beginning of Lost Collective.

The boiler house at White Bay

One of my goals is to compile this information into a book.

Clockwise from top: the lounge of the Kinugawa Kan hotel, Family School Fureai’s gymnasium, a former snack bar in Yubari

White Bay’s turbine hall

The control room at White Bay