Drain entrance.

The Mitchell drain shows few signs of being explored by regular drain explorers, though it is probably the fifth or sixth best drain in Urbana, after Secret Squirrels, Belconnen, Gross�s and Woden. Some may argue Sick Puppy�s is the fifth best, but we like drains with navigable exits.

The drain entrance is a triple pipe drain, just beside the national archives, and not far from the chimney of the Totalcare Industries plant. The drain is also only four minutes walk from the E Park drain. We walked up from the bus stop, found the entrance, then walked in. This time we finally had some paint to tag the drain.

Initially this drain seems monotonous, with repetitive cross chambers. There was very little graffiti in the drain, tags from the Cave Men and Fil only.

Grille and split.

Some way down the drain the three tunnels finally come to a chamber with a grille and split.

We could make out an flag on a building outside of the drain. Later when we walked back we found the grille from above.

There are three pipes leaving this grille, heading upstream. The one on the left has some sort of weird concrete or solid mud in it. We walked down it, complaining about the low ceiling and stuff on the drain floor. We came to a bend, walked around it and were stunned by the amazing sight of a "Save lives, learn first aid" sticker. Really weird place to find a sticker. There was another one on a step iron. Amazing. We walked on down the pipe, soon we got pissed off, and reached the end. We walked back to the split. Down the second pipe we found two frogs before coming to a sharp corner. The drain on the right of the main one runs parallel to the main center pipe. It was another low stoopy drain, but with something interesting at the end. From the grille room the main tunnel has some weird looking gutter box things in the ceiling that we wished we had photographed. They were right in the center of the top of the drain. You could look right up to the concrete manholes and see the sky through gaps in the drain boxes. We climbed up into one but it wasn�t all that exciting.

Northern end.

Way up the drain there�s a split, little pipe goes left. We followed the big pipe, which shortly began to get a bit low. We started to feel warm air blowing down the drain, so figured we were coming to the exit that we had heard of from the Cave Men�s old web site. They were spot on with this drain. Had everything right. Finally we reached the end of the drain, right by the Optus ground station.

We really liked this drain. It was great. At last a big drain with an easy to navigate exit upstream. Not like so many Urbana drains that just get smaller and have no exit other than impossible to move manholes under dubious locations. Apart from Secret Squirrels this is the only other drain in Urbana with such an easy exit.

Some drains are particularly slippery which may cause you to fall over. Impact with the bottom of the drain by parts of your body may cause injuries and wetness. Nappies are not sold in drains.

Do NOT enter drains. Read this warning!

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