Following the “Shops” sign usually leads to a small group of retail and hospitality destinations. As I followed these signs through the backstreets halfway between Nelson Bay and Shoal Bay I came across what used to be the Austral Street Shops. Once busy local shops at the beginning of the century, they had quickly deteriorated to a quiet Thai restaurant and a Pharmacy (probably supported by the abundance of retirees in the area). I arrived early in the day looking for a coffee or a pastry, the disappointment of finding neither soon became an intrigue into why this place even existed. Communicating the intrigue without further context I think is the best way to present these images.