April 2023 - bridge closed for maintanance - not expected to reopen until 2024
National Park notice about bridge closure
Bowtells Swing Bridge spans the Cox's river and was built by 3 Troop, the 'Tunnel Rats' of the 1st Field Squadron of the Royal Australian Engineers in 1991. It was named in honour of CPL Bob Bowtell a former member of 3 Tp. Bob was born in Katoomba and he died in Vietnam. He was one of the famous 'Tunnel Rats' and he died in a tunnel clearance.
The bridge is on the route of the 6 Foot Track, originally constructed in 1884 as a bridle trail between Katoomba and Jenolan Caves. Many people do the entire 6 foot track as a 3 day hike, although it can also be visited in shorter sections, and a return trip to the Cox's River from Megalong Valley Rd makes a nice easy day walk (about 2 hrs each way).
In order to log this cache, you will need to include a photo of your GPS, your backpack, or your feet/shoes, in the middle of the bridge. Don't drop anything please - it's a long way down! (NB photo does not need to include your face).
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.