Answer extracted from the Creatures of the Industry podcast — listen to the full episode below.
What unusual item was discovered embedded in a concrete deck pour on the Long Walk bridge?
A banana skin was left in one of the deck pours during concreting, and years later when Ray Smith and his mate Chuckles inspected the Long Walk railway bridge, the imprint of the banana was still clearly visible on the concrete—a forgotten relic of a moment on site that nobody had thought to remove before the pour was completed.
During the concrete work on the Long Walk railway bridge project, which Ray Smith spent 16 to 18 months on as a labourer and later as a union delegate, small incidents and everyday objects sometimes made their way into the structural work. The banana skin story is a vivid example of how a casual moment on a construction site—someone eating fruit during the pour—became a permanent record embedded in the bridge's deck.
Years after the concrete had set, Ray Smith shares this anecdote in detail in the episode, describing how the imprint had never degraded or disappeared. It stands as a curious testament to the labour that goes into major infrastructure projects and the small, unplanned moments that sometimes become part of the permanent structure.
Ray Smith — Construction worker and union delegate. Smith transitioned into the construction industry in January 2004 from the music industry, starting as a labourer on the Coot Island redevelopment project and progressing through major infrastructure works including the Long Walk railway bridge and Eastlink project, eventually becoming a CFMEU union delegate on multiple sites across Victoria.
The Long Walk bridge project was one of the significant infrastructure undertakings that shaped Smith's early career in construction. Working on active railway corridors presented its own set of challenges and memorable moments—the podcast explores other hazards and site incidents from that period as well, offering insight into the day-to-day realities of construction labour on Victorian infrastructure during the 2000s.
What makes the banana skin discovery particularly striking is how the concrete preserved the object's impression permanently, creating a physical marker of a specific moment in time. When the imprint was later discovered, it became a tangible reminder of the human labour and everyday occurrences that form part of the built environment—something that inspection teams might never have anticipated finding.
See also
What safety incident occurred during night shift work on an active railway bridge construction?
During the Long Walk railway bridge project, there was a night when the overhead power lines for the trains were supposed to be turned off but weren't, creating a dangerous hazard for workers operating on the active rail corridor.
What contamination issues were encountered on the Coot Island redevelopment project?
The site contained PFAS chemical residue from a historical fire, which had leached into the subsoil and persists to this day. The groundworks revealed this hazardous legacy, adding complexity to the project.
How did a music industry professional transition into construction labouring in 2004?
Ray Smith finished his previous life in the music industry and rang Steve Longy asking if it was possible to give him a job as a labourer, intending to work for just 12 months as a break from that career.