REALLY SideTracked - Katoomba - The Incline
About SideTracked Caches
This cache belongs to the SideTracked series. It is not designed to take you to a magical place with a breath taking view. It's a distraction for the weary traveller, but anyone else can go and find it too. More Information can be found on the SideTracked Series website at www.sidetrackedseries.info
A Bit of History
This railway/tram line is the steepest industrial railway in the world! The track descends 315 metres from the Top Station and carriages moved at a speed of 4 m/sec. on a 52 degree gradient.
The railway was originally built in 1878 by J. B. North to haul coal and oil shale from the mines below in the Jamison Valley. This short, steep section of the track was originally known as The Incline and at its end joined the track known as The Shoots. The Incline was an amazing piece of engineering designed to overcome the difficulties of the terrain. It was part of an extensive track system which had branch lines going out to the Ruined Castle and into the Megalong Valley. The siding joined the main line at Katoomba in 1882 and the first load of coal was hauled up from the valley in 1883. The system was worked by using steam winching engines established at the top of the cliff and the surrounding area became known as the Engine Bank. By 1903 coal production had declined and price of coal and shale had decreased, so the mines were then closed.
Photos and information: Blue Mountains Historical Society
The Cache
This cache is available 24/7.
If you wish to do it at night it would be good to take a torch.
To claim a find on this cache you MUST do TWO things.
At GZ you must take a photo from this viewing area of yourself or your caching name and attach it to your log. Here you can see the where the Top Station of The Incline was, as well as spectacular mountain and valley views. This viewing area is accessible 24/7.
At WP1 you will find some equipment used for the hauling of carriages. This equipment room is accessible 24/7 for viewing.
Please message me with the answer to the following question.
How many round red buttons are there to the right of the telephone on the control desk? Do NOT include this answer in your log.
Parking is available in the nearby free carpark (2m height) or there is also street parking nearby.
Any Found It logs that do not fulfill these requirements may be deleted.
Happy caching and enjoy your time in the Blue Mountains!
Virtual Rewards 5.0 - 2026-2027
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between February 3, 2026 and February 3, 2027. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 5.0 on the Geocaching Blog.