Here’s another place I’d never heard of until my parent brought it up, this time an abandoned trainline! I love exploring abandoned and historic places, especially when it’s along bush walks like this. You could really feel the history here, and that’s what made this place so important. I’m always looking for places to walk, as exercise can be a little hard for me sometimes. But trails like this make it so much more interesting and enjoyable, I even wanted to go the long way today so that I could see more!
What’s So Special?
Stockrington State Conservation Area is home to the former Richmond Vale Railway, which transported coal between many mines and collieries in the Hunter Valley. The first section of the railway was built in 1856 connecting Hexham and Minmi, with many more expansions being built later on. The Richmond Vale Railway was the last system in Australia to operate commercial steam locomotives, closing down in 1987. Apart from the old locomotives and artefacts at the Richmond Vale Railway Museum, the only remnants of the railway are the 3 tunnels and 2 bridges, as well as some surviving train tracks in some places. Stockrington State Conservation Area allows you to explore these lost pieces of history.
There was something else interesting about this walk; we saw Jewboy Cave, the rumoured lair of the famous Jewboy bushranger gang. The 1840s group was made up of Edward Davis (Jewboy) and escaped convicts, who would steal from the wealthy to give back to those who needed it more (as well as keeping some for themselves). It wasn’t until one of the members shot a shop owner in retaliation, that the gang was involved in their first murder. This led them to flee, with the police pursuing. Authorities finally caught up to them, and a shootout began, resulting in their capture and hanging. Jewboy Cave is rumoured to be one of the hiding places of the bushranger gang and is only a short detour from the railway.
To The Track!
The track itself isn’t very hard or treacherous. In fact, it would be a great bushwalk for those wanting something easy with a bit of history, if it weren’t for the giant puddles. There were quite a few that were covering most of the path that we would have to climb around and hope to not fall in. Knowing me, I would be the one person to lose my balance and fall into a giant puddle. We were walking along the track that leads to one of the tunnels, but there was a puddle so large that it covered the entire width of the path. We tried to climb up the side to get around it but my mum and I were not as confident as my dad and we may or may not have gotten stuck… One wrong move and we definitely would have either fallen in the water or rolled an ankle, so we had to turn back and just explore the one tunnel today.
So, we continued on to the next sight along the path. I know it has nothing to do with the Richmond Vale Railway, but it’s still a really interesting piece of history! And such a classic Australian story as well; bushrangers hiding from the law in a secluded cave. Even the area surrounding the caves was a beautiful sight without the story behind it. With the little waterfall, sun shining, and pretty purple flowers everywhere it felt like we were in some kind of fairy tale. Apart from the Hunter Expressway being right beside us. But you can just block that out I guess.
Looking down at the caves, I suddenly got a spark of bravery and decided to go exploring. I started to climb down the rocks to get a closer look at the bushrangers’ hideout. I’m actually surprised I didn’t come back with a broken bone, pulled muscle, or even a scratch! I definitely put my new hiking shoes to work. The tread on them is great! Dad brought the torch down so we were able to look further into the caves at the stunning rock formations. We couldn’t really climb in any further or we would be crawling on our stomachs like worms. I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t enjoy walking in the heat with sand stuck to my body. So after taking a few photos for Mum who wasn’t confident to climb down with us, we struggled back up the rocks and kept on walking.
Although it was just a bush walk and not a rainforest or lookout walk, the views were still pretty amazing. Australian flora is so beautiful and very unique. The colours were so vibrant, and we finally had a day when there were no clouds in the sky with the sun shining in its full beauty! There were so many birds chirping and flying around, especially bellbirds and kookaburras. We were also swarmed with so many beautifully coloured butterflies out enjoying the sunshine just like us. It was a perfect day for all wildlife!
We finally made it to the tunnel. A perfectly preserved brick passage, completely dark between each entrance. This is why we brought the torches. The ground was still pretty uneven like the rest of the walking track, so you had to be careful where you were stepping, or if you were me, you just had to trust that you would catch yourself every time you tripped or fell. The tunnel was really eerie, with the feeling that something was going to jump out and grab you at any second. But at the same time, it was almost peaceful. Maybe I’m just a weirdo who loves horror movies too much, but I really enjoyed exploring it. Though, when we were walking back through the tunnel, we heard a giggle at the other end which really freaked us all out. We all stopped and looked around, and I could tell how scared Mum was. It wasn’t until we saw another torchlight at the other end that we realised it was just another couple exploring the tunnel like us. Phew!
Stockrington State Conservation Area really surprised me in terms of its history and what it has to offer. When my parents asked me “do you want to look at some tunnels?” I didn’t know I would be exploring the sight of a huge abandoned railway line as well as the speculated hideout of an old bushranger gang! The world can really amaze you if you just step outside and open your mind.
All photos in this post were taken by me.
The Travel Journal 
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