Work Bench at Macquarie Boys Technology High, a Joplin 2½-inch semi-steel bench vice sits bolted to a heavy timber workbench.

Series · 29 prints

Macquarie Boys Technology High

Photographed 2015
Frames 29
Camera NIKON D7000
Location New South Wales, Australia
Status Demolished 2018
Years 1958 to 2009
01 ABOUT THIS SERIES

Series story

Map · Mapbox · OpenStreetMap

Macquarie Boys Technology High School began in 1944 as Parramatta Boys Junior High School, was renamed Macquarie Boys High in 1956, and added the Technology suffix in the early 1990s to emphasise a technology-focused curriculum. The campus moved to its final site on the corner of Kissing Point Road and James Ruse Drive at the end of 1957. Enrolment peaked at 850 in the 1990s before reputation problems and falling student numbers prompted the Department of Education to wind the school down. Years 7 to 10 were discontinued at the start of 2008 and the last Year 12 cohort finished at the end of 2009. The site has stood empty since. A 2016 arson attack severely damaged the school hall. As of late 2024 the site was the subject of a Property and Development NSW market sounding for redevelopment.

03 PRINTS

Prints in this series

Work Bench at Macquarie Boys Technology High, a Joplin 2½-inch semi-steel bench vice sits bolted to a heavy timber workbench.
Work Bench
Wheat at Macquarie Boys Technology High, dried stalks of rice hang in the foreground, their husks pale and papery against deep shadow.
Wheat
Volleyball at Macquarie Boys Technology High, its leather skin is cracked and peeling away in dry flakes, the surface split to expose layers underneath.
Volleyball
Teachers Office at Macquarie Boys Technology High, a timber desk sits against the wall, drawers pulled open and emptied.
Teachers Office
Student Records at Macquarie Boys Technology High, a filing cabinet sits against timber shelving inside the records office at Macquarie Boys Technology High.
Student Records
Sports Storage at Macquarie Boys Technology High, a low-ceilinged basement room with sandstone block walls.
Sports Storage
Science Hall at Macquarie Boys Technology High, a corridor runs between classroom doors, narrowing into flat grey light.
Science Hall
Science Class at Macquarie Boys Technology High, a laboratory bench sits at the centre of the room, its laminate surface thick with grey dust.
Science Class
Playground Walkway at Macquarie Boys Technology High, green steel uprights line a covered walkway, their paint still holding.
Playground Walkway
Piano at Macquarie Boys Technology High, an upright piano sits with its front panel removed, exposing the full row of hammers and dampers behind the keyboard.
Piano
Library Walkway at Macquarie Boys Technology High, a covered walkway runs along a row of classrooms, its green steel posts spaced evenly beneath a flat roof.
Library Walkway
Gas Taps at Macquarie Boys Technology High, chrome gas taps line a timber-topped laboratory bench.
Gas Taps
Filing Cabinets at Macquarie Boys Technology High, steel filing cabinets stand against the right wall, drawers pulled open, emptied.
Filing Cabinets
Electronics Drawers at Macquarie Boys Technology High, a timber parts cabinet sits against the wall, its drawers pulled open at different angles.
Electronics Drawers
Dark Room at Macquarie Boys Technology High, a long steel bench runs the length of the room, its surface coated in thick grey dust.
Dark Room
Basketball Court Panorama at Macquarie Boys Technology High, a two-storey classroom block curves around an empty basketball court.
Basketball Court Panorama
Art Room at Macquarie Boys Technology High, a teacher's desk stands centre-room, its white paint chipped and dull.
Art Room
Laboratory Tap at Macquarie Boys Technology High, one of the taps in a classroom and some schoolwork over the sink.
Laboratory Tap
Blackboard at Macquarie Boys Technology High, one of the industrial arts classrooms.
Blackboard
Art Storage at Macquarie Boys Technology High, a sun flare cuts through the darkness of this storage room.
Art Storage
Flower at Macquarie Boys Technology High, the entire court is strewn with broken glass and metal objects you can see glistening in the blur.
Flower
English Block at Macquarie Boys Technology High, a hall running along what was the English classrooms, with music and drama classrooms at the end of the hall.
English Block
Art Class at Macquarie Boys Technology High, wooden stools sit upright around long laboratory-style benches.
Art Class
Assembly Hall at Macquarie Boys Technology High, someone actively used this space.
Assembly Hall
Classroom at Macquarie Boys Technology High, you almost get the feeling it wasn't left that long ago.
Classroom
First Aid Kit at Macquarie Boys Technology High, you can see a stack of old school photos on the left.
First Aid Kit
Library at Macquarie Boys Technology High, part of the school library.
Library
Chemistry Set at Macquarie Boys Technology High, some almost empty chemicals containers and equipment left over in the science class storage area.
Chemistry Set
Football Field at Macquarie Boys Technology High, a burnt out car sits on the edge of the now overgrown football field.
Football Field
04 ABOUT THE PRINTS

How they’re made

Paper

Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm. Metallic Gloss 260 gsm for acrylic-mounted prints.

Sizes

Five sizes, XS to XL, from $100. Open editions in XS and S, limited editions in M, L and XL.

Print tiers →

Production

Made to order in 5 to 10 business days.

06 PRESS

In the press

See press coverage

This series has been covered by external publications. The full archive lives on the press page.