On Wednesday I finally got to revisit the Richmond Vale Railway Line (*cough* trespassing again..) as I’ve mentioned before on the previous imageboard. All-up, it was 32 kms of riding, and at least 10 kms of walking, and most of the return trek was made in the dark.
Burrenjim Dam
32.87955S 151.57563E
Just a bit to the west and north of Tunnel No.1. A Hunter National Parks newsletter (at www.npansw.org.au) had photos from November 2002 showing the dam being kept empty by a pipe in the wall, which I didn’t see any evidence of.
Jewboy Cave
32.87889S 151.57334E
This was about 50 metres west of the Burrenjim Dam, and not as hard to find as I had anticipated… So named for the legend that the 1840s Gosford-Cessnock Bushranger Edward “The Jewboy” Davis and his gang of six others possibly camping there.
There were no signs of ancient habitation, except for maybe the large amount of charcoal around.
The first photo is looking south from the entrance of the enclosed cave area. Inside, there were a few ‘cottage cheese’ stalagmites and stalactites– nothing too impressive, but this was my first ’self-discovered’ cave. :-)
Sugarloaf Tunnel
32.87813S 151.56561E to 32.87369S 151.56360E
The largest and longest tunnel on the Richmond Vale Railway line. As with the No.1 and No.3 tunnels, the 100 year-old brickwork is still in good condition; however like the No.3, it was flooded right through :-(
Many more photos after the link…
The primary reason for the second bike was to go places where it was impractical or impossible for the motorized bike, due to its petrol tank (forbidden on any trains used to shorten a journey) or its weight (it’s no fun dragging 40kgs through mud bogs..)
Extra Burrenjim Dam photos
The Burrenjim Bunny!
Found in the area below the dam. As a guess from its condition, this was left by the builders of the dam 60 years ago, although the pedestal was made with a chainsaw more recently (”HUSKY”?). There was evidence of camping and a camp-fire at the spot.
Much further down from the dam.
Extra Jewboy Cave photos
The ’secret’ entrance to the cave, looking up the 60 degree slope.
The interior of the cave is inside that dark hole to the left of the backpack. You could easily fit about 5-8 people inside.
Looking down onto the entrance to the cave.
Extra Sugarloaf Tunnel photos
The access to the eastern tunnel exit was flooded was well.
So guess what that means!
The water was freezing! … but seemed clean enough to drink (before I stirred the mud up with my feet).
The condition of the 100 year-old walls.
The condition of the ceiling.
The western exit of the tunnel.
(Apologies for the blurriness– it was nearing sunset and the camera had to use a longer exposure.)
Another of the western exit.
Miscellaneous photos
Typical condition of the railway line corriodor.
Now with more mud and trailbike damage…
The eastern exit of Tunnel No.1
The western exist of Tunnel No.1
I found another of these!
This is the same bridge in the ‘Abandoned Mine’ photos listed below. Again, the low light caused problems with the better photos of this I’d taken.
Links to the Richmond Vale Railway postings made on the previous imageboard
Maps of the Railway line
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=469
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=413
Tunnel No.3
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=383
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=382
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=381
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=380
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=379
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=378
Abandoned Mine (Bridge)
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=377
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=376
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=375
Surveyors Bridge (named after Sir Edgeworth David, responsible for discovering/surveying the extent of the coal deposits in the area)
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=374
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=373
A restored RVRL Guard van at Minmi
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=368
Tunnel No.1
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=348
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=347
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=346
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=345
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=344
http://kildall.apana.org.au/~cjb/mainboard/imgboard.php?res=343
Next time we will have to bring the bathers and flippers and wetsuits!
I remember as a youngster when the railway track still had sleepers all along it before it was decided to rip through there and run a high pressure pipeline.Used to swim in burrinjim dam always freezing cold. My father told me that this railway was used in the 1955 flooding as an alternative to going through mailtland.