The former Australian Lithofracteur/Australian Explosives & Chemical Co/Nobel/ICI/ICIANZ/Orica explosives factory in Deer Park in Melbourne's west is closing, and decontamination of the site is underway. this will involve demolition, burning, controlled explosions, excavation of soil, and burial of debris.
There won't be much scope of preserving heritage on the site. Most of the buildings are supposed to be contaminated, along with the ground around them. The factory was one of the most dangerous workplaces in Australia, known locally as "the Blowups", where at least 19 people (including several young women) were killed in accidents (mostly explosions) between about 1878 and 1939.
