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Mainbrace converts warehouse for Amazon

I recently had the opportunity to photograph the newly converted Amazon warehouse at Chullora, a massive facility that speaks to the scale and precision of modern logistics. This project, delivered by Mainbrace Constructions, highlights their reputation as one of Australia’s leading builders, known for managing large and complex retail and industrial projects across the country.

Walking into the site, I was immediately struck by the immensity of the space. The vast interior is laid out with bays for trucks, an intricate system of conveyor belts, and a network of machinery designed to ensure the smooth and rapid movement of parcels. Every detail is engineered for efficiency—an invisible but vital backbone of our daily lives in the city.

I chose to shoot into dusk, when the fading light softens the enormity of the structures, and the artificial glow inside the warehouse begins to dominate the scene. The interplay of natural and industrial light creates a calm, almost cinematic atmosphere, balancing the sheer scale of the operation with a sense of quiet focus.

Complexes like this are essential services that underpin the way we live. They allow the seamless flow of goods—everything from household staples to urgent deliveries—that we’ve come to expect as part of our fast-paced urban lives. Photographing this site was a reminder of how these unseen logistics hubs keep our cities moving, even if they’re tucked away in industrial zones on the edge of town.

Photographing ESR’s Wetherill Park Development

I was recently commissioned by ESR, a leading developer, owner, and manager of industrial and logistics real estate. With projects spanning across the Asia-Pacific region, ESR creates the kind of infrastructure that underpins how our cities function — from the warehouses that store goods to the distribution centres that keep supply chains moving.

My latest shoot for them took me to Wetherill Park, where ESR has completed a new warehouse complex made up of four distinct buildings. These immense structures rise from the western Sydney landscape, commanding attention not just through their size but through their purpose — serving as vital arteries in the logistics network of a growing city.

I began shooting in the afternoon and worked until dusk, when the light grew softer. The quiet transition from day to evening is one of my favourite times to photograph; the stillness of the outer west makes you pause and reflect on just how much infrastructure is required to sustain the concentrated population closer to the city’s centre. For most of us, this vast logistical framework remains invisible, yet it is essential to the way we live and work every day.

From a technical standpoint, photographing warehouses of this scale demands careful attention to form and structure. These buildings are geometric and monumental, so framing becomes about emphasising clean lines, proportions, and the relationship between the built form and the surrounding landscape. Light is another critical consideration — harsh midday sun can flatten the details, while late afternoon and evening light adds dimension and mood. Managing exposure is also key: balancing shadow and highlight to preserve detail across such expansive façades.

I enjoy photographing these structures which are neither decorative nor ornamental. They embody purpose, efficiency and scale – qualities that, when seen through the lens, reveal their own quiet beauty.

Warehouses and the colours of the Australian landscape

The zone around Eastern Creek and beyond has become the “home of the warehouse” … a broad stretch of land covered with severely functional, industrial buildings, reminding us of our need to supply, store and coordinate the comings and goings of products for the daily requirements of our urban populations.

I imagine that most people are unaware of the enormous scale of this area of infrastructure, perched on the out-skirts of Sydney. It’s not really a destination …”let’s take the kids to see the warehouses at Eastern Creek”. If you live in residential enclaves in the vicinity, you may only see the warehouses in passing. But most inner-city, latte-sipping urbanites have no idea of the alternate “cities of large boxes” that inhabit the periphery of our cities.

This warehouse complex was built by Prime Constructions for ISPT, the developer, by whom I was commissioned to make these images. I like this type of shoot, since it allows me time to walk around these enormous structures, completely alone in the industrial landscape, capturing the sharp angles of these dislocated icons as the sun starts setting. I usually keep shooting into the twilight, for about half an hour once the sun has gone down. I then pack up my equipment, hop in my car and drive 40kms back towards the inner city.

Mainbrace – installs charging stations at Eastern Creek

Mainbrace Constructions, a well-known, Melbourne-based construction company has recently installed a series of high-tech charging stations for “Team Global Express” at Eastern Creek.

I headed to the facility situated amid western Sydney’s growing industrial estates to document the new infrastructure, set up to furnish a sleek new fleet of battery-powered delivery trucks.

My photographs show the regulated lines of vehicles positioned at the automated power stations, providing an impressive, almost futuristic look as they are “re-fuelled” for the next day’s work.

Together with my drone operator, Aymeric, we took wide-angle video footage of the site as well. See footage below:

Drone photography, fast-food and Prime Constructions

Drone shot at Seven Hills for Prime Constuctions

On a recent job for Prime Constructions I organised drone photography to be shot at one of their sites. It is hard not to feel like you’re revisiting your childhood with such technology … you know, a bit like when dad and you made one of those remote controlled planes. Fortunately the drone is a bit easier to fly than the bungled attempts I remember trying to get the plane off the ground.

Prime is regarded as one of the leading building contractors in NSW. It was established in 1983 by Ron Masters and Phil de Gail. Paul Christopher and John Drake joined the company in 1988 and 1989 respectively and both became joint managing directors in 2010.

Homebush Logistic Centre
Homebush Logistic Centre

I also captured some images of a recently completed logistics centre by Prime Constructions at Homebush. While I was working until dusk, waiting for the light to become more seductive, it was a welcome surprise to find that there was a fast-food van next door with outdoor seating. Of course I couldn’t resist trying the “Little Weiner cuisine” in between shots.

The fast-food van on Parramatta Road

“Sod-Turning” & smoking ceremony at Prestons in NSW

You may well ask….what is a “sod-turning”. I did. Well it is when a construction company starts work on a new project and the occasion is marked by a mound of dirt being turned ceremoniously with a shiny new shovel. This marks the beginning of the construction work on the site.

Aunty Gail

It is common to also include a smoking ceremony as a mark of respect to the traditional owners of the land with an Acknowledgement of Country. The smoking ceremony, according to the traditional owners, is a way of cleansing the area by smouldering native plants to create smoke which wards off any “bad” spirits and at the same time purifying the area both physically and spiritually. This is performed by an elder of the indigenous community. Today it was Aunty Gail. She was joined by Brandon and Jetsyn who were also part of the Gandangara Local Aboriginal Land Council.

Hansen Yuncken (construction), One Five One (developer) and Chemcorp (client) celebrated the start of their new warehouse project at Prestons in NSW in mid-July. Their brand new warehouse will be completed by February 2023 and Chemcorp will have a state-of-the-art facility. The project involves construction of two new warehouses, with over 22,000m², designed to achieve a 5 Star Green Star rating.

CHEP warehouse – Eastern Creek

Logistics of any kind is a big industry on the western periphery of Sydney. CHEP’s new warehouse in Eastern Creek, built by Prime Constructions, is no exception.

CHEP is a company dealing in pallet and container pooling services, serving customers in a range of industrial and retail supply chains. Founded in 1946, it is a subsidiary of Brambles.

Shooting in an industrial landscape at dusk can sometimes be quite surreal. The architecture takes on a futuristic geometry, devoid of the human figure.

New addition on Euston Road by Prime Projects

Near the Alexandria entrance to the newly opened M8 tunnel a dynamic new industrial landscape of warehouses and offices is emerging. Prime Projects (NSW) Pty Limited have just completed the repurposing and repositioning of an existing industrial asset for Goodman in Alexandria.

The development and construction project by Leffler Simes Architects with consulting engineers Triaxial and Sparks + Partners, includes the new facade and fit-out to 3 showrooms, new service infrastructure and service upgrades to the warehouse portion, as well as internal walls.

134 Euston Road, Alexandria by Prime Projects Pty Ltd