The Richmond Vale Railway was a 4 ft 81⁄2 in (1,435 mm) colliery railway line in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, servicing coal mines at Minmi, Stockrington, Pelaw Main and Richmond Main. It was over 26 km (16 mi) long and passed through three tunnels, and was the last commercially operated railway in Australia to use steam locomotives.
Of the once extensive system, only the relaid former passenger line (Richmond Main-Pelaw Main) and a short section of the line towards Stockrington (Richmond Main-Leggetts Drive) remains, used for touirist trains by the Richmond Vale Railway Museum. The vast majority of the alignment is in situ, and all three tunnels (in impressive condition) and two bridges (dilapidated) are intact. The alignment has been encroached just opposite Leggetts Drive by a private landing strip, and near No. 2 Tunnel by a mining access road, where the cutting has been filled. Some track is still in place across Hexham Swamp and at the former Stockrington Colliery site, though unusable.
There are still some physical remnants along the route, the aforementioned bridges and tunnels being the most recognisable. There are two dilapidated buildings remaining at the Hexham site, though not much else remains there.
There was a proposal to form the Richmond Vale Rail Trail which will provide over 32 km (20 mi) of cycle/pedestrian paths linking Hexham to Kurri Kurri and beyond.
The cache can be found near the end of what remains of a section of this line.