Clarence Tunnel

The Clarence Tunnel is a railway tunnel that was originally part of the Main Western railway line across the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. It is 539 yards (493 m) long.^[1]

History and description

The tunnel -- located to the west of Clarence -- was built by William Watkins and opened on 18 October 1869. The tunnel is almost entirely straight apart from a curve at the Clarence end and is the highest railway tunnel in Australia. The tunnel was closed on 16 October 1910, after being by-passed by a new deviation. After the tunnel's closure, it was utilised for growing mushrooms. In 1944, during World War II, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) stockpiled chemical munitions in the tunnel. The facility was known as No. 4 Sub Depot of No. 1 Central Reserve RAAF and was vacated by the RAAF in 1946. The tunnel was reopened in 1974 and forms part of the Lithgow Zig Zag tourist railway.

References

↑ "NEW SOUTH WALES PARLIAMENT.". The Sydney Morning Herald LIX, (9560) (New South Wales, Australia). 9 January 1869. p. 5. Retrieved 29 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.

Blue Mountains topics

Towns, suburbs and localities	Bell Berambing Bilpin Blaxland Blackheath Bullaburra Clarence Faulconbridge Glenbrook Hartley Vale Hazelbrook Katoomba Kings Tableland Lapstone Lawson Leura Linden Little Hartley Medlow Bath Megalong Mount Irvine Mount Riverview Mount Tomah Mount Victoria Mount Wilson North Katoomba Shipley Springwood Sun Valley Valley Heights Warrimoo Wentworth Falls Winmalee Woodford Yellow Rock Yosemite

Mountain peaks and ranges	Banks Bell Bindo Boyce Erskine Hay Irvine Narrow Neck Plateau Kings Tableland Piddington Solitary Trickett Wilson York Bell Explorers

Tourist attractions	Evans Lookout Hartley Jenolan Caves Katoomba Scenic World Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum Perrys Lookdown Three Sisters Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum Zig Zag Railway

Valleys	Grose Valley Jamison Valley Kedumba Valley Megalong Valley Wolgan Valley

Waterfalls	Kanangra Falls Katoomba Cascade Katoomba Falls Leura Cascades Leura Falls Linda Falls Victoria Falls Wentworth Falls

History	1813 crossing of the Blue Mountains Clarence Tunnel Glenbrook Tunnel Lapstone Zig Zag Lithgow Zig Zag

National parks	Blue Mountains Gardens of Stone Kanangra-Boyd Nattai Thirlmere Lakes Wollemi Yengo

Rivers and creeks	Bargo Bedford Capertee Colo Coxs Du Faur Erskine Grose Hollanders Jenolan Jooriland Kedumba Kowmung Little (Oberon) Little (Wollondilly) Macdonald Nattai Nepean Tonalli Wingecarribee Wolgan Wollangambe Wollondilly Blackheath Blue Gum Bowens Breakfast Bungleboori Burralow Cedar Galong Glenbrook Glen Erskine Govetts Koondah Linden Megalong Nayook Ovens Pulpit Hill Putty Queen Victoria Wentworth Werriberri Wollemi Woodford

Miscellaneous	Fantastic Aussie Tours Greater Blue Mountains Area (World Heritage Site) Hydro Majestic Hotel Cascade Dams Greaves Creek Dam Lake Medlow Dam Woodford Creek Dam

Disasters	1999 Glenbrook rail accident 2001 Black Christmas / Warragamba bushfires 2013 bushfires

Coordinates: 33°28′42″S 150°13′06″E / 33.478337°S 150.218253°E / -33.478337; 150.218253

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