Situated on Malta’s eastern coast alongside the main highway connecting Valletta to the popular St. Julian’s, White Rocks abandoned complex is massive, yet strangely easy to miss.
White Rocks is home to dozens of forsaken structures, from tall, imposing apartment blocks to modest houses being swallowed by plants, to a swimming pool-turned-skatepark, and an abandoned bus station coated in paint. The defunct buildings are scattered across a vast area covering 115 acres and are adorned with stunning graffiti art. A paved road runs through the complex, and from atop the buildings, you can glimpse stellar views of the coast.
The White Rocks Complex was built by British forces in the 1960s and was formerly known as the “St. Patrick’s Officers Married Quarters.” It was originally used as military living quarters with flats and apartments for officers and their families. When military personnel left Malta in the late 1970s, White Rocks was handed over to the government and converted into a holiday complex. It was later used by the Secretariat for Tourism as accommodation for language students studying in Malta. It remained in use until 1995.
Over the years, many developments were proposed and pursued to varying degrees, but none panned out. Plans set forth by the government and tourism sector sought to convert White Rocks into everything from a luxury hotel complex to a sports village, residences, and a park. Disputes over the value of the land and other issues prevented any of these from materializing. Today, over two decades later, the complex remains abandoned.
