Glen Davis

[Kevin]

Celebrated Oktoberfest with the local Subie Club at Olinda, NSW and had probably more than my share of the variety of schnapps on offer! On the way home we visited Glen Davis and having never been there before I was most impressed with the rugged beauty of the place. Glen Davis – History of Glen Davis Glen Davis was a oil shale mining town which closed in 1952 and only a few houses remain in a very small village and there is a very nice campground on the Capertee River where many of the miners huts and houses used to exist - but no longer.

 

[ABFoz]

I am always fascinated by old mining towns. One could say a lot about the engineering and mining practices during their time.

Oil shale processing in the first half of 1900's?! That should have been extremely expensive and daring, considering the fact that it was so far inland and that coal was just all around them.

 

[Kevin]

It seems they produced petrol from the oil shale: "The plant was designed to produce 10 Million gallons of petrol a year. The best production was around 1942 with a total of 2.5 million gallons." Its history is linked to Newnes where I have camped regularly over the years. Newnes also mined shale and it's decline saw production shift to Glen Davis. Newnes, New South Wales - Wikipedia

 

[duncanm]

yup - don't forget the pipeline across from Newnes to Glen Davis, and there were kerosene shale mines all over the Blue Mountains; Hartley Vale, the Megalong Valley and near the Ruined Castle. There was an aerial cableway which crossed the valley from the Castle to the current Scenic railway, which itself was a later (1920's) effort at shale mining.

Katoomba cable railways, Blue Mountains, Australia

www.infobluemountains.net.au

 

[temmah]

I was just camping there in the middle of September. Nice campground. So dry out there with this drought.

I wanted to explore the mining street, but apparently its private property. They do tours on Saturdays.

 

[Kevin]

Yes, we wanted to have look but, unlike Newnes which is free and unrestricted, it's locked up and you have to pay.