Driving into the desolate area known to local Palm Bay residents as ‘The Compound’, is like being plopped into a zombie lurking, post-apocalyptic landscape. One moment you’re in a normal residential neighborhood, and then everything changes to mile-after-mile of abandoned, yet paved, roads. Expecting homes? You won’t find any here — not even a foundation. It’s not as though there were once homes here and some storm or disaster destroyed everything. When General Development Corporation (GDC) laid many of the streets and roads found in Palm Bay during the 1980’s they probably intended for all of their roads to have homes. Instead, GDC went bankrupt in 1991 and ‘The Grid’ or ‘Street Patterns’ became more of a home to birds, ants, mosquitoes and other creatures such as four wheelers, dirt bikes and model airplane flyers. Though I’ve heard rumors of drug dealers or homeless living in the area, I’ve never encountered either.
After work on a cool February afternoon, I decided to explore the extreme northwest and southwest corners of this desolate area. Because the roads are flat and level, with much overgrowth — both beside the road and in the road – it’s very easy to get lost. Though you can find the road names on a map, they are not marked with street signs, or any signs. Intersections can be dangerous. With no stop signs, or street lights you never know if you’ll encounter another vehicle around a blind turn. I turned off my radio, opened all the windows and used both my ears and eyes to warn of any approaching vehicles and soon I arrived at the intersection of Angora St SW and Camilo Circle SW.
This spot was very quiet and I was very aware of the sound of the wind as I strolled over to look at the north/south running canal. Burned remains from a campfire could be seen, as well as garbage and debris left behind by someone. Back at the intersection, I hoisted my DSLR camera atop a paint pole for a high vantage point (See the 5 photos accompanying this article) and took some shots of the barren roadway.
On the way to the extreme southwest roads of Rubin and Kaplan Streets, I decided to take Wingham Drive SW. Wingham Drive is distinctive in that it is has a very long stretch of non-curving road. When you’re on it, and it straightens out, it looks like the road stretches into oblivion… an unnerving feeling at first with nothing but nothingness all around. I stopped at a 4-way intersection for more photos, travelled south further and saw a road-side memorial, and then continued down where it dead ended at St Andre Blvd. It was at this point that I spotted a car and truck headed in the opposite direction. So, there was other life out here!
The southwestern corner of The Compound featured some very tight, almost single-lane spacing. I decided to turn around on Rubin Street with its car snagging drop offs on either side. I ended up having to do a five-point style turn just to get turned around. I wanted to get back to the cul-de-sacs that I’d passed coming in. Though they aren’t named, I still found them to be an interesting subject to photograph. With shots in hand and the sun beginning to set, I was ready to make my way home. I took St Andre Blvd East where it dead ended into Degroot Road. Back to civilization.
If you decide to go…
There are two main roads into the compound: Ja Bombardier Blvd SW (at the extreme southern end of Emerson Drive) and St Andre Blvd SW. It’s possible that the smaller roads of Laika Rd SW, Tara Street SW, Olivia Street or Osmosis Drive SW can be taken, but from the overhead maps I’ve seen, some of them may be blocked. See the links to Google and Bing maps at the end of this article.
Bring a GPS
I can’t stress strongly enough to bring a GPS…and a cell phone. A Wikipedia article claims there are around 200 miles of paved roads in The Compound. Like a garden-hedge maze, after a while, the streets all start to look the same. I used both my car’s built-in GPS and my phone’s VZ Navigator to keep me orientated. Remember, there are no signs and no lights in The Compound, and it gets very, very dark out there at night. If in doubt of how to get out, head East – away from the setting sun.
Don’t speed
Though there are no speed limit signs posted, and it’s tempting to race around fast, I’d recommend treating these like residential streets. Stay under 30 mph. Even though the streets may be deserted, the Palm Bay Police are certainly known to give speeding tickets. Take your time. Drive slow. Enjoy the desolation. (And if the Palm Bay Parkway ends up splitting the Compound, the speed limit will soon be much higher.)
Conclusion
With miles of decaying — yet paved – roads, amid a wild, undeveloped setting, visiting The Compound in Palm Bay feels like you’ve stepped back in time with the first Floridian explorers. You won’t need to hack vines with a machete, or tromp through alligator infested swamps, but you might get that feeling that you’ve left civilization — that you might even be the last person on earth. If you decide to visit, plan ahead. Bring a friend, a GPS and a cell phone for emergencies. Stay aware of your surroundings, have fun… and watch out for zombies!
Maps of The Compound in Palm Bay
The Compound — Google Maps
The Compound – Bing Maps
More Photos
See more photos of my visit at Ron Masters Photography