The waterlily pond on the Great Western Highway in Faulconbridge is a lovely spot to visit, especially in summer when all the waterlilies are flowering.
The pond started life as a quarry, when sandstone was removed from the site & used in building the railway between 1864 and 1865. The quarry was used again in 1909 to build up the railway line and to build stone buttresses on the embankment near the line. This was needed to cope with the heavier freight trains on the line after the opening of the blast furnace in Lithgow in 1907.
The quarry would fill up with water, and was used at times by locals as a water supply and by the Council for providing water for steam rollers. When quarrying was in progress, water was drained via a deep cutting. In the 1970s this rock-cut channel was permanently blocked to prevent water loss and the ornamental waterlily pond was established.
There is plenty of room to park safely off the highway, and a picnic table, to the right of the pond. This is nice spot to take a break if you are driving west.
When the water level in the pond is low, you can easily walk between the pond and the fencing. At the moment the water level is up, and it is easier to walk on the highway side of the fencing to get to the hide location.
The cache is an ammo tin, tucked away out of sight of casual observation but should be an easy find. Please replace it back as deep as you can.