this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2025
34 points (100.0% liked)

Brisbane

1083 readers
80 users here now

Home of the bin chicken. Visit our friends:

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Found basically in the middle of bushland in suburban Brisbane. To get here requires walking through overrun dirt paths that pretty clearly haven't been visited in a long while.

top 15 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] RedCarCastle@aussie.zone 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

How tall is it? It could be a water sampling station ,I've made similar looking things that sit in the middle of the bush, tapped into the water mains that run underground so they can get water samples for testing, but there usually only waist height.

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Not 100% sure I remember correctly, but I think the "BCC" part might be waist height, with the whole thing being taller than me.

It's quite close to a creek, there are a few big manholes around the area clearly above some sort of water, and I think all those padlocks are doing is blocking off access to the hollow inside of the pole, so you could be onto something .

[–] RedCarCastle@aussie.zone 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

With a small amount of vandalism we could have the answers

[–] CameronDev@programming.dev 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I second the vandalism option. I need to know now.

I'm gonna call the number after hours and see if I get a voicemail that is helpful.

[–] RedCarCastle@aussie.zone 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Call it in business hours, you won't, your scared

[–] CameronDev@programming.dev 2 points 3 weeks ago

Of course I'm scared. The BCC conspiracy runs deep.

[–] CameronDev@programming.dev 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

BCC == Brisbane city council?

Did you call the phone number?

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 7 points 3 weeks ago

Yes, BCC is definitely Brisbane City Council.

Call it, no. But I did search for it. Nothing specific came up, but I did learn that "3403 8888" is BCC's normal contact number, and several other 3403 numbers point to specific BCC employees. So I'm thinking 3403 numbers in general probably belong to BCC.

[–] Tau@aussie.zone 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

My wild ass guess would be that it's a gauge for measuring water levels, with the upper opening part being a scale to read a marker that moves up and down the pole.

Does it line up with anything on this map of Brisbane water/sewer infrastructure? That map seems likely to give you at least an idea of what system it's associated with, and might even give more of a clue about the purpose of this specific point.

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Oh that's excellent. Yes, it's pretty much smack-bang on a "sewer gravity main trunk" from that map.

Interesting that it'd be labelled BCC on QUU infrastructure.

[–] CameronDev@programming.dev 3 points 3 weeks ago

Calling the number put me on hold sadly, no additional info there. But it seems you have the answer anyway, so I am at peace now.

[–] Deanosity@aussie.zone 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It's a flood gauge, it's a very simple gauge, they check it after a flood occurs.

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Interesting idea. What makes you say it's that rather than the sewer sampling station other comments suggested?

How would a flood gauge even work here?

[–] Deanosity@aussie.zone 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

I think it's just like a series of little cups inside, that gets submerged and filled, and then emptied and record the highest point.

I had been told that it was a flood gauge, I think it was from a council officer in Natural Areas, and I know what a lot of Urban Utilities infrastructure looks like.

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 1 points 2 weeks ago

Hmm. IIRC one of the locked tabs was bent/dented back a bit. I might go back and have another look and see if I can see those little cups.