I was in the 7th Coburg Scout group which was based beside the public swimming pool in Pascoe Vale. In 1969 or 1970, four of us had to go on a two day hike as part of an achievement award.
I can’t remember where the hike started from but by the time we reached our destination Hurstbridge, we were very tired. We decided not to take one of the last few trains home as it was getting late. Safety first. It was very cold and wet that night and we weren’t too keen on pitching our tents. Instead we cheated and set up under the bridge outside town on the Hurstbridge-Arthurs Creek Road. It was dry and drafty but there was a serious problem as none of us could sleep on a level surface. We kept sliding all over the place. Not good. So we packed up and started to walk into town and find a decent place to sleep in.
Near the railway station was a red brick sub-station. It was unlocked and we went inside. Luxury. It was dry, cleanish, hardly a draft and safe. The building itself was unused.
We even built a small fire on the concrete floor to cook a meal with. As we were preparing to turn in for the night, the door opened unexpectedly.
A group of youths, a little older than ourselves, wandered in. We were concerned for our safety straight away as we didn’t know what was going to happen. As it turned out this group of about six were curious as they’d seen the firelight from outside and got curious. We had been chatting for a while when the door opened again unexpectedly.
This time a policeman walked in. The group shot through and the copper stayed behind to have a chat with us. He advised us of the danger of staying in such a place and that we were lucky the youths didn’t cause any trouble, as they had done many times before. The group had a bad name in town. We told him why we were in the building resting after a long hike. He was understanding but wouldn’t let us stay there. Instead he barked, “The last train is leaving in 20 minutes and I want you guys to be on it.” The copper then left, possibly to keep an eye on the group.
We packed up our gear again and made our way out of the building. We didn’t feel like going on a train at that time of night.
Instead we returned to the cover of the drafty and dry bridge and slept as well as we could. We caught the early train home to Pascoe Vale.
