Newnes

Newnes is an abandoned oil shale mining site in Wollemi National Park that was operational in the early 20th century. It was originally built by the Commonwealth Oil Corporation. The company built the 50 km Newnes railway line through very difficult country, particularly where the line descended into the Wolgan Valley from the plateau above. This railway is no longer in use and the rails have been removed. A 600 metre tunnel on the railway has survived as the Newnes glow worm tunnel, which has become something of a tourist attraction. Ruins of the old town and its industrial section remain in the bush.

This fascinating site is all that's left of a large-scale industrial complex that operated between 1906 and 1932, and finally closed down in 1937. It was one of the largest shale oil production schemes in Australia and encompassed mining, processing, distillation and associated manufacturing industries. The ruins include the coke ovens complex, paraffin sheds, oil washing tanks and the distillation area, as well as the former railway line.

On-site you can see the remains of 90 coke ovens which were used to fuel the boiler plants and shale retorts. These unique beehive-shaped kilns were built before 1907 and in use until 1911. As well as being used on-site, the coke was exported along the railway line to the ironworks in Lithgow and the copper smelter in Cobar. Coal was hand-mined uphill from the ruins and the remains of one mine can be seen on the Glow Worm Tunnel walk.

A series of retainer walls are evidence of the challenge raised by the steep site. From the top of one of the retainer walls you can see the foundations of the exhauster house and the remains of atmospheric condensers used to distil the crude oil. The shale oil was processed into products including paraffin for candles, crude oil, kerosene, blue oil and lubricating oil. One of the largest relics is a five-room complex where paraffin was produced. The heavy oil was cooled to form solid paraffin, filtered and pressed into cakes. These cakes were then treated in a sweating plant and refinery, and finally made into candles.


To produce the different types of oil, the shale oil went through a series of chemical washes including sulphuric acid and caustic soda to remove impurities, followed by a distillation process. A long, brick stairway takes you down to the distillation area, where you can see the remains of four distillation benches and the brick-lined flues that carried the gases from the stills to the chimneys. The flues are unstable and should not be entered. You can follow the route of the old railway line from the ruins site to the car park.

Newnes township at its peak probably housed around 2000 people. It originally extended up the slope on the hotel side of the river and included the main camping flat. There is very little left at the site as most of the building materials were removed and re-used during and after World War II. Two brick chimneys are the relics of a schoolhouse built in 1910, closed in 1940, to cater for the miners' children. Some concrete remains near the road are all that are left of the main group of shops, located along the Wolgan Road in the clearing to the south of the NPWS information bay.

The location of the Newnes railway station is marked by the stone-faced platform across the river from the main road. The railway was constructed in an impressive 18 months by Henry Deane, who overcame such obstacles as 100 to 200 metre cliffs, tight curves and steep grades. At its height the station consisted of a timber-faced platform constructed in 1907, a ticket office and waiting room and a wooden footbridge for crossing the river which was washed away in 1910. There was also a goods shed and siding. The railway closed in 1932.

The Newnes Hotel was originally located near the existing ford on the river, and moved to its current location soon after massive erosion of the riverbank in 1986.



Pipeline track - 9km each way (one-way route); grade - (hard, 1 day each way): Follow the historic pipeline that went from the Newnes oil shale processing plant to Glen Davis. You'll head for Glen Davis through the rugged sandstone cliffs that characterise this part of Wollemi National Park. At times you'll be able to see remnants of the old pipeline close by the track. After following the Wolgan River from Newnes, the track climbs some old stone steps and passes through a narrow rainforest valley. Just before you reach the top of the escarpment you can take a 50m side track to a lookout for excellent views over the Wolgan River.

Directions: from the Capertee camping area at Newnes follow the river downstream on the same side. The start of the track is signposted and is around 100m past Petries Gully on the northern side of the river. You will see some stone steps, follow them up to the top of the escarpment. Follow the track for a further 5km down Green Gully to Glen Davis, keeping to the left at the fork. Some sections of this track are easily obscured by vegetation regrowth, so a map and compass are essential.
You can stay overnight in the council camping area on the edge of the town, and return by the same route the next day.
Access: for the Pipeline Track at Glen Davis is via Tooral Street; from Newnes is via the Wolgan Valley.
Getting there: cross the Wolgan River at the 4WD ford 100m north of the old Newnes Hotel. Turn left and pass several camping sites before reaching the Ruins car park. The signposted track begins at the locked gate.

Wollemi National Park is the largest wilderness area in NSW, Wollemi is a maze of canyons, cliffs and undisturbed forest. Descend to the Colo River on Bob Turners Track and enjoy the inland beaches in one of the state's longest and most scenic gorges; or there are historic ruins at Newnes and the Glow Worm Tunnel; Dunns Swamp has easy walks and plenty of opportunities for canoeing. There are many aboriginal sites within the park including cave paintings, axe grinding grooves and rock carvings. In 2003 the discovery of Eagle's Reach cave was publicly announced.

Access Wollemi National Park via Wolgan Road, off Castlereagh Highway, north of lithgow. Access Glow Worm Tunnel via State Mine Gully Road from Lithgow.

Newnes Glow Worm Tunnel, an abandoned railway tunnel

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