Ranger Headquarters at Waratah Park, the front entrance to the Ranger Headquarters depicted in the Australian television.

01 Waratah ParkDuffys Forest2017

ISO 1001/160f/9.020mm

Series · 24 prints

Waratah Park

Photographed 2017
Frames 24
Camera NIKON D810
Location New South Wales, Australia
Status Wildlife rehabilitation facility; Aboriginal-owned since 2014
Years 1967 to 2006
Heritage NSW SHR 01944
Specs 12.6 hectares (31 acres) · Skippy the Bush Kangaroo filming location 1967 to 1969 · Ranger Headquarters purpose-built as TV set
01 ABOUT THIS SERIES

Series story

Waratah Park sits on 13 hectares at the top of Cowan Creek, adjoining Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Between 1967 and 1969 it was the filming location for Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. 91 episodes were produced; the role of Skippy was played by between 9 and 15 different Eastern Grey Kangaroos. The series became Australia's first international television export, sold to the UK, Germany, Norway, the United States, and as Skippy le Kangourou in French Canada. After the Skippy production, the site operated as a wildlife tourist park until April 2007. The Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council and the Duffys Forest Residents Association are now working to restore the bushland and the Ranger Headquarters film set.

03 PRINTS

Prints in this series

Hand-signed limited editions, printed from the original RAW file. Editions run from 100 down to 25 and are not reissued once they sell through.

Ranger Headquarters at Waratah Park, the front entrance to the Ranger Headquarters depicted in the Australian television.
Ranger Headquarters
Stairs at Waratah Park, concrete steps which led from the upper part of Waratah Park down towards the train station.
Stairs
Walkway at Waratah Park, a concrete path pushes through a thick layer of eucalyptus leaf litter.
Walkway
Walking Track at Waratah Park, a narrow track cuts through dense bush at Waratah Park.
Walking Track
Waiting Room at Waratah Park, a timber-floored shelter with pale rendered walls and a corrugated iron roof.
Waiting Room
Regeneration at Waratah Park, sandy ground breaks through tufts of green grass and dried-out clumps of dead kikuyu.
Regeneration
Picnic Grounds at Waratah Park, concrete slabs sit in rough grass where picnic tables once stood bolted down.
Picnic Grounds
Macropods Poster at Waratah Park, a crumpled educational poster clings to a wall inside an abandoned building at Waratah.
Macropods Poster
Ku Ring Gai Chase at Waratah Park, a grass clearing opens on a ridge above dense bushland.
Ku Ring Gai Chase
Entrance at Waratah Park, wide hardwood floorboards run the length of an empty hall.
Entrance
Bbq Area at Waratah Park, a red-painted timber cabin sits on a wide concrete paver courtyard surrounded by eucalyptus bush.
Bbq Area
Balcony at Waratah Park, a wide timber deck wraps around a dark red weatherboard building.
Balcony
Back Steps at Waratah Park, timber steps descend between two raised decks, their boards split and grey with weathering.
Back Steps
Aviary at Waratah Park, a mesh-walled aviary sits on a gentle slope, its olive-green steel frame darkened by shade cloth.
Aviary
Front Door at Waratah Park, facing outwards through the front door of the Ranger Headquarters.
Front Door
Ranger Headquarters Office at Waratah Park, inside what was once the Rangers office during the filming of Skippy.
Ranger Headquarters Office
Office Window at Waratah Park, the window in the office of the Ranger Headquarters.
Office Window
Deck at Waratah Park, view from the rear deck of the Ranger Headquarters, looking over Ku-ring-gai Chase.
Deck
Sonnys' Bedroom at Waratah Park, the bedroom of Sonny from the set of Skippy The Bush Kangaroo.
Sonnys' Bedroom
Train Station at Waratah Park, a sort of balcony area surrounding the train station.
Train Station
Train Stop at Waratah Park, a seat where visitors would wait in front of the station for the train for a ride.
Train Stop
Depot Roof at Waratah Park, another shot from the side of the train depot.
Depot Roof
Depot at Waratah Park, a storage area where the train would be stored overnight.
Depot
Station Entrance at Waratah Park, an overgrown walkway leading to the former train station, from which visitors could catch.
Station Entrance
04 ABOUT THE PRINTS

How they’re made

Made to order by Brett in Sydney, from the original RAW file. Each print is hand-signed and numbered before it ships.

Paper

Ilford Galerie cotton rag, 310 gsm. Acrylic on metallic gloss, 260 gsm.

Editions

Open in XS and S. Limited in M (100), L (50), XL (25). From $100.

Print tiers →

Lead time

Unframed: 5 to 10 business days. Framed and acrylic: 10 to 20.

06 PRESS

In the press

Holding a solo exhibition in one of the spaces I've photographed would also be a dream, particularly at a site with a strong community connection - so the images can be enjoyed by the people who made it matter.

The Guardian

Brett Patman·2019

theguardian.com

On the LC archive.

I'm not trying to make out like I'm some kind of mysterious urbex badass. Lost Collective isn't about me. It's about the places I shoot and even more about the connection that the people have to the sites.

Broadsheet

Brett Patman·2016

lostcollective.com

On the LC archive.

Often I'd find myself looking at the machines and architecture and challenging myself to find one single object designed purely for aesthetics. Craftsmanship made way for efficiency in engineering long before I'd even left school.

The Guardian

Brett Patman·2019

theguardian.com

On the LC archive.

See press coverage →
08 BY POST · NO SPAM

Read the full story

Articles when they're published. The history behind a place. The day of a shoot. The work between prints. No marketing, no schedule.

You're subscribed.