Daylight Katoomba, New South Wales, Australia
By Bushrat on 07-Sep-03. Waypoint GCGVNB

What a great cache, found this by accident on a trip through the tunnel. TFTC

passed by this entrance today, it was just too late in the day, i had a lot more walking to do and i was solo.if any of the 22 watchers haven't found this and want to have a crack, hit me up.

After a long hike came to the tunnel. Walked through the tunnel, a lot of water and freezing water but still walkable. 2 or 3 stand-able areas but no cache, possible the coal on the sides fell on top of it. Kept walking until it was so low we couldnt walk anymore and no sight of the other exit. Soon bats came and we decided to head back.

We set off to find this one, but unfortunately all access to it was closed off due to landslides. A bit of a disappointment as we were really looking forward to this one.

děkuji za log cache

Super fun adventure to get to the cache thanks for showing this spot! We probably looked for the cache for 2 hours in total. My biggest tip is *read instructions carefully* unlike us (even though we read them a million times anyway). Our first attempt we left the bags including phone under a log outside, first mistake as after 30min of upturning every rock we realised we underestimated the cache and needed more clues. We returned with our bags, and spirits revitalised, new clues in hand by reading comments carefully, we thought we surely had a chance. Once again each rock was upturned, every single one, twice, even thrice as the 2 of us doubled over the rocks the other had already upturned. We eventually decided there was no way it was where we were looking but felt like continuing through to the other end to satisfy our need for adventure... it was here that finally, it was so obvious that the cache would be nearby. Within a few minutes we found it! But our adventure didn't end here, we emerged through the other end, DAYLIGHT, then realised what the owner meant by this entrance being more difficult- cliffed out above and steep slippery slopes below. Too stubborn to go back the way we came after walking up and down searching for the cache for at least 2 ours, we decided to bush bash along the base of the cliffline and exit via Devil's Hole, racing against the setting sun, then walking along Narrowneck Rd back to the car. A fantastic spontaneous round trip adventure! I will note that exiting via Devil's Hole is a decent bush bash with steep drops and shouldn't be attempted unless very experienced AND with a GPS/GPS App as we had. Tftc!!!

Some plans to meet up with a few others and grab some select caches. No power trail stuff for us today. A huge day with over 35000 steps and over 300 flights of stairs as we hit D6, Daylight, Bottle Neck Pass, Tomb Waller and High Tide. On the move for 12 hours, pulled over by the cops (no ticket) and 4 waded crossings of the Cox’s River up to thigh deep at some points so long walks and no drive bys with temps into the mid 30’s.
d6 was first and we descended into the devils hole with Crash2079 as the others had already done d6 and Daylight. A great walk down and kept cool in the shade. No problems with the find for d6.
It was then off to Daylight which we last went through precaching in about Year 11. It was pretty much as remembered but not as much orange mud or depth. Last time it was close to waist depth at points. They always say to bring a Canary to check for coal gases but As Team Canary has completed Daylight a number of times said he would meet us further down the track. There was a fair breeze at the tunnel entry so Crash and myself did not feel we needed The Canary. Plenty of bent over crab walking and no problems making the find. Bottle Neck Pass next.
TFTC.
A favourite point.

#2836
A great weekend of caching planned with Team Canary, B@W and Noodles22. B@W and I decided to start a bit early on a few caches that the others had already done. Having made our way down the Devils Hole track to D6, we continued along and then followed the Water Board Rd to the western entrance. Plenty of uphill as the temperatures already exceeded 30 deg by mid morning.

After changing into appropriate attire including old bike helmets and head lamps, we were very pleased to enter the tight but cool and breezy access into the tunnel. While there was plenty of orange mud on the floor, it was not anywhere near as bad as I had been expecting. Very glad to have brought the helmet though as it received plenty of bumps while crab walking through the low sections. Found the container without doing any counting and were surprised to see some familiar names in the log within the last 24 hours. After replacing, we ventured a little further into the tunnel before retreating and squeezing back out into daylight - and uncomfortable heat.

Good news is that the track was all downhill from here and we headed out along the six foot track where Team Canary generously picked us up - but not before we made use of a puddle to remove as much excess orange as we could.

What a fantastic experience and great to be able to touch some history.

TFTC Bushrat

This cache has been on my to do list for about 10 years and when a chance chat with Martin cousins about doing this cache and getting some advice from a previous finder, we made a date and decided to attack this terrain early in the day after knowing it was going to be a hot one. Got to the top of the stairs at about 9am and quickly made our way to the posted co ords and change into our dirty gear and in we went. Back breaking stuff and we soon arrived at what we guess was GZ. searched around a bit and soon had large cache in hand. The cache is in good condition and I did the legals and replaced as found. Making our way out, I worked out why this cache is called daylight. TFTCM
Cheers dkmacca
FP awarded

OCW DKMacca; Amazing adventure that started at "flutterby squishy's event " on New year's Day. Date set for 4/1 and onwards to DK's residence at 6am. Picked up 3x hides upon route from the Sydney plains in "convict hole, history of Katoomba, and my Chemical romance".
Parked above "stairway to heaven" admired how from up top, no canyon floor giant treetops were seen due to the layer of low fog.
Took no notice of the warning sign just inside the cavern and continued in knee deep water for approx 50m at where you were able to scuffle along in 1.3m high space, gaining a stretch of the sorry back at a further 100m, continued on to where flutterby squishy's tower was seen, from there we searched away, gaining CIH a short while later.
Absolute gem of a find, TB taken, where I realised later that I left the TB at DK's place.
Grabbed #21 stairway to heaven on the way out before the staircase assault to the carpark.
Thanks for the experience Bushrat, fp

#1000.
Found stair way to heaven quickly. Arrived at entrance and swap pants and took socks off and put on gum boots that I carry in my bag.
Counted 150 steps. Walked a bit more. Reached first space I could stand up in. Desperately search for cache.
Walked in further. Still searched. Still no container. This should not be that hard. Walked out in frustration.
Waded back in count my steps. 50... 100.. 150. Walked further in. Turned over every rock. Still no box. Hmmm.
I was here for 2 hours plus searching. Praying.
I could not see box.
But considering I was in there a while and literally look every where and slightly disappointed I didn't spot the container I've kept this as find #1000
I'd be very happy to return, and so I did, a week later better armed with equipment including a bicycle helmet (Very good idea considering last time I almost did epic damage to head), washing up gloves thus keep my hands slightly cleaner then last and several plastic bags filled with warm change of clothes.
Wore gum boots all the way in. Drop my big bag at entrance camo it with logs under a rock shelf taking only swaps and pens in. Tried my blue light torch but switch to phone torch for better lighting. Literally marched in through know from golden stairs I'd be here 15min. Kept march. Sore. Stretch. Mud glorious mud. I know where this is. Railway sleepers. Down him a bit. Ooh ever closer. Saw the other pool of water .. this 1 harder cos muddier and almost lost my gum boots.
Saw the other end. Fresh air. Stretch. Food. Back in. 150 steps. Oh this is promising....
Cache found. Thank goodness. Swaps in include CD, tengram, small toys. Swap for the toy snail racer.
TB in.
TB out.

First time injured.
Second time sore back.

Thanks for the adventure and challenge.
I've enjoyed the first 1000 - travelling, challenging, exhausting, streaking...
If you see a rock cairn your very close. Re camo with 3 bits if wood.

Tftc

Was keen to check this one out. Unfortunately I was a little unprepared for the ankle deep water of the mount rennie tunnel. Will definitely be back to get this one.

Was sitting at home drinking wine and found this after discovering Geocaching and becoming immediately addicted only yesterday. Grabbed water, torches, apple and a banana. Caught the train down. Walked in the beautiful sunshine. Found the entrance, hid my trousers and went for it. Counted 150 steps and thought WTF. Continued to the space and found and made entry in the cache. 3 hour round trip. Now I'd better pick the kids up from school!

Left Paul (trackable) there to recover from his recent honeymoon.

Really enjoyed it! TFTC

We have done caches in structures like this (natural or man-made) before. The ones in Germany and Washington were much more comfortable. The one on Canary Island was much more wet and longer.
But this one holds the record for the complexity of the approach and gear.
I bet Madeye&Moody and me were the only ones to ride the scenic cable railway with waders in their backpacks.
After the short hike down the Federal Pass trail spotting the entrance was easy.
Soon we reached gz and signed the log.

Thanks for the adventure.

#2530

In preparation of our holidays in down under, Destinator discovered this one on the map. I was very excited, because we did some similar caches in Washington/US and at Tenerife before! In any case it was great to see the "daylight" at the end of the tunnel!
The needed equipment was really huge and the journey to gz was adventurous. We startet in Sydney with the car, than took the railway and last not least reached this location after a nice walk through the Blue Mountains. Yes, we did it and it was really great!

Thanks for hiding and showing.
Many greetings from Germany.

In: FP
Out: a lot of fun

#2675

Had a great time getting to this cache. A very satisfying find. TFTC.

Wow, wow, wow! What an experience! We'd planned this one out a few weeks ago and today was the day to go forth and conquer! Sandysa, P1ccolo and I started our journey down into the valley from the Three Sisters and made our way along Federal Pass until the small entrance revealed itself to us. We got out our head lamps and helmets and made our way into darkness. Each step taking us closer to the cache and further from daylight. But we were on a mission, so there was no turning back. We eventually found a place where we could stand up. Some physical relief, but more importantly, we found the cache!! We logged and replaced it and made our way out the other end. Wow, what a brilliant cache! And the journey wasn't even over! We found an old set of ladders not far from the exit which we played went up for a view. Then on to the Devil's Hole to make our way back out. Thanks for the cache! I would never have known to come here without it. Definitely worth a favourite point. In fact, it's now my favourite cache of all time.

Came to the blue mountains with Anominous Sign and P1ccolo specially for this one. Anominous Sign and I did a bit researching and planning in advance. Therefore we were well prepared and really excited about this one.

We took the scenic route to the echo and down the giant staircase. Tracking along federal pass found the entry without any dramas. With headlights and bike helmet, we stepped into the cool rusty water and started making our way into the tunnel.

Inside the tunnel was a bit chilly. However the terrain was not as difficult as we imagined. No local residents inside today. We made it to the GZ and found a cairn. It kind distracted us from the search. Luckily Anominous Sign spotted the cache not very far. We were not going to leave the tunnel without signing the log.

After squeezed out the other end, we went to explore the waterpipe ladder and Devil's Hole before heading back to the station.

I have to say this is a very special cache and definitely one of my favourites. Thanks so much for the cache!

I passed the entrance to the one today, but knew in advance there was no chance to grab it - maybe next time I am in the area! Looks like fun!

Found on a weekend of adventuring in the mountains. Came down the golden staircase and headed for the cave. Somehow the water seemed deeper and the tunnel smaller when this time... The water was really cold. Thank god it was over after a couple of minutes as any longer and we probably wouldn'tve been able to feel our legs! The rest was really cool, and it was interested to look at the coal seams on the walls and notice how light and "plasticky' the coal was, as well as being able to identify the shale in other places. Not too hard to locate GZ as there's only 2 real spots where you can easily stand! Cache was easily found, and although the ground was wet at the start it was drier up the other end.

A really, really cool spot for a cache, brings people to an amazing place to have a great adventure. A true ammo-tin adventure, definitely favorite worthy. A really enjoyable cache!!

Found with Vydra20. TFTC

It was a great variegation at the end of our hike. I liked this historic place very much! TFTC!

Another fun through trip, while guiding Delloro to the western entrance. Missed the turn off at first but eventually found our way back up from the firetrail.
THIS TIME I REMEMBERED TO BRING SWAPS! Though I forgot to bring a new trackable I had in mind. Brought another two along for an interesting trip. It was a leech Fiesta! Pulled off at least 5, two of which left their mark. One even hitched a ride back up to the visitors Centre... beware tourists!

I last did this tunnel about twelve years ago, well before caching days, and have always wanted to do it again. So when the offer came up from noodles22 I was there like a shot.

The walk in through a very misty Devil's Hole was just beautiful, with the recent rain making the whole area look fantastic. Into the tunnel and it was just as much fun as I remember - muddy and wet - what better way could you spend a Sunday morning! Made lots of new friends on the way out of the bloodsucking kind, and got to amuse a few tourists with our elegant appearance.

A huge thanks to noodles22 for taking me along and to Bushrat for this great cache.

Thought we'd missed it but actually found at the opposite end to the coords. A muddy & not particular pleasant passage, but one that had been on our bucket list for a while exited up the old water board ladders back onto narrowneck. TFTC!

Unfortunately nothing for a day tourist after a rainy day at the forest. Wearing nice boots but the "lake" in front was much too deep.
Thanks and maybe next time? Greetings from a german traveller
Ingo

Another trip through the tunnel. I forgot to bring any swaps, bit i did find a geocoin.

I just had an interesting day out in the mountains. My outdoor group got permits to abseil and climb at Boars Head today. We managed to squeeze past a commercial group for the abseil, but due to the rain we decided to not risk the climb. Since our trip finished early the others thought why not try to find the western entrance to Rennies Tunnel as I will be running a trip through there in a months time. I didn't have my gps with me, but following clues from all the previous logs I could remember we made our way around the high track and found the climbers wall.
With no obvious tunnel anywhere, we then managed to get down the half-ladders and instead found the waterboard track below. Knowing it was somewhere in between we soon found it. However only I was willing to go in and check it out (and find the cache) armed with only a pen light and my mobile phone light app.
Found it once I checked out a few places. The swap contents are a bit dated and worn. I may bring some replacements the next time I come through.
A great place for a cache. Thanks for bringing me here.

The walk through Daylight Tunnel was the highlight of a great day exploring around Narrowneck. Started with a look at Boar's Head then down Devil's Hole. Rather than going all the way down to Megalong Valley we traversed around and somewhat fortuitously walked to the tunnel entrance at exactly the right level.

I was the only active geocacher in our group of five. I was bent over double to squeeze through the tunnel, keeping close to the southern side, and had no trouble finding the cache.

Then we continued through the tunnel to Federal Pass. It took us around 50 minutes to get all the way through, with rust coloured water up to 30cm deep and the occasional freaked out bat making life interesting. It was so good to be able to stand up straight again when I finally emerged.

Afterwards we experienced the culture shock of Scenic World and climbed the Furber Stairs before visiting the somewhat secret and truly awesome Orphan Rock Lookout.

Thanks Bushrat. The cache is in good shape, still dry and well preserved. Found at 11:27 am.

Found with Synlapse

Went down with Redledge Pass with my two boys to take a shot at it from the Western side. Finally found it. Was a tricky find but got there in the end. TFTC. Ben swapped trinkets. I must say after spending two consecutive weekends in Rennies Tunnel I won't be disappointed if I never get there again.

Tried to find on Sunday 23 March with my wife and three young Scouts. Went in from the eastern side and out via Nellies Glen.

Unfortunately DNF.

We are locals so will try next weekend.

Doesn't need maintenance.
It's as good as its been lately. I'm still not doing it.
A lot of damage along the trail before and after the correct waypoint but the actual spot is the same as two years ago.

Sunday 16 June 2013 - a superb sunny winter's day with the perfect crisp cool temperature for lots of walking on and around the mountains.

Unfortunately a landslide over the area, and cache direction, sometime this year makes it too dangerous to attempt. See pictures.

Found on a beaut afternoon walk with DazRascal, Marcus Vitruvius & Big Matt.

When the phone call came through from MV to get to the Blue Mountains as early as we could to complete this awesome cache - it was all systems GO!
We drove from Albury to Blackheath, got changed and straight out the door!
Big Ez feeling a tad nervous , but no time to back out, it was into the tunnel, and being 6'3 it wasn't easy on the back, but well worth it.
Both Big Matt & Big Ez were happy to be standing up again!

Lit up with torches and the camera rolling it was all hands (& knees) on deck searching until MV & muggle Steve headed in that bit further and made the find.
Knee deep rusty colored water, leech bites, scratches & bruises - but one of the best caching experiences to date.

A special thanks to Daz, MV & Matt for the encouragement to complete this amazing cache.
A huge thanks to Bushrat for the cache placement.
One that will not be forgotten.

TNLN SL & took quite a few pics before making our way back up the Golden Staircase.

Reperio at 1830.

Well the day had finally arrived...no not that day (that was tomorrow)...no the day when I could finally make the journey down to this well known NSW cache. I rang Big Matt, Haveanez and DazRascal to see if they were keen for this one...and without a second thought...they were in. We headed down the golden staircase and stopped by grab '#21 Stairway To Heaven', and then it was on to the tunnel. We headed into the unknown, and soon came to a spot that seemed to match the description...but there was no cache to be found there. Together with a muggle friend who came along for the walk, we headed further and further along the tunnel until we came to another spot that seemed likely...and this time...the cache was found.

Once the signing of the log book was done...there was a thought to wander through to the other side...but time was getting away on us...so we headed back out the way we came...and then back up the golden staircase. It's such a great feeling to find a cache I've had on my list for a long time...and I thank my companions for making this experience all that better. This cache is certainly a unique adventure, and I loved every minute of it.

Gratias Bushrat.

#2302 with Marcus Vitruvius , Big Matt, Haveanez and muggle Steve.

What an awesome experience this cache was. I hadn't heard much about this cache but apparently it's one of those "must do" if your in the area type of caches.
It was briefly described by Marcus via text and a quick call, and seeing as we were all in the Bluies we thought we'd make a party of it.
My imagination led me to believe this was an abandoned train tunnel, with maybe a bit of a puddle to walk through that the big steam trains used many many years ago, with a type of abandoned trail to it, much like the disused lines that make up Rail Trail for bike riders these days, and the golden staircase to be some sort of ladder of sorts to access the trail.
Must admit I didn't look too much into it after discussing it, until talking with big Ez the night before about it, then I thought I'd have a good look at the cache page to see what this was all about.
How terribly wrong was I when I looked at the cache page and past logs and photos. It wasn't anything like I had pictured, it was wayyyyyyy better
A bit of a walk in the mountains on a narrow and steep track, through heavy tree cover with some fantastic views and some big drop offs if you didn't watch your footing, and with the adventure of a tunnel for midgets and knee deep leech infested cold red slosh to wade through in the oldest clothes and shoes you own (and to be disposed of once finished), and bats flapping right in front of your face, all this awesome stuff before you even find the cache !!!

We had a great time of it. Managed to spot a couple of Lyrebirds scuttling off onto the bush as we walked along. The tunnel was great. Took some time in finding the cache as half the party insisted in looking in what suited as a Gz given the description, but was found by the 2 that went further on then came back some time later on to tell us exactly where it was so we could go find it.

This IS one of the "must do" cachers for those that like a bit of adventure and something different. Certainly don't come across to many of these caches, and this one wont be forgotten in a long while.
Definitely a fave point from me.

TNLN, Cheers.

Our 6674th overall find. Found with Team Haveanez, DazRascal, Marcus Vitruvius and muggle Steve.

It took me a while to log this one, I had to wait until I could walk again to get to the computer [^] We headed off the escarpment on the golden stairs side at about 5pm. After eventually finding the nearby two dogs cache we moved on to this one. The portal at the listed coordinates was soon spotted. After stashing our bags near the entrance and a few photos, it was a case of cue the video and in we went. As the two tall blokes in the pack Haveanez and I were the last two in and it was a low ceiling that greeted us from the outset. We slowly made our way in and then it went wrong, we searched 150 steps from the wrong entrance for quite a while, and then we realised the error of our ways and had to head further into the belly of the beast. After traveling much further and almost swimming I eventually got to stand up and find the cache. Now I just have to get out...

I must say I probably wasn't having a whole lot of fun coming out of this one but looking back it was a great cache and I'm glad I gave it a go. I certainly knew I was alive as my legs were quite sore for a few days.

Thanks Bushrat for the cache.

Woohoo! (Ooops... quiet!.... wouldn't want to bring the roof down!)
What a great adventure!

The morning was perfect, just overcast and little breeze, to abseil off Malaiti Walls (almost 200 glorious metres in 5 sections, beautiful exposure and lots of overhangs)! From here we wandered down Federation pass until the tell-tale iron-oxide signs told us we were in the right place.
I laughed (at us) when reading the previous logs about leaving the backpack at home... instead we were heavily laden with all our climbing gear and there was no way we were coming back through a second time, so we re-organised our gear to keep it off our backs, but out of the water (not easy!) and into the bowels of Narrowneck we went.
I had been warned that my toe-nails would be orange for months... but I still wasn't prepared for what lay in wait for us. The 3 inches of 100 year old ooze at the bottom of those ponds was certainly a new experience If it weren't for caching, I don't know where else I would find so much fun.
It was a longer trip than I anticipated... our time-keeper says that we were under for almost an hour ?! and I certainly started looking for the cache too soon. Funny... there were quite a few places that fit the description
Eventually we got to the right place. My two muggle mates didn't mind stopping for a cache given that it wasn't much of a deviation from our chosen route... but they did insist that we not sit at GZ... if you have a look at the ceiling there, you might agree
Finally squeezed out the other side and proceeded to make our way back up. It seems that there are even less of the water-board ladders remaining than there were a decade ago, but the way is still passable with a bit of effort.
And I'm feeling that effort today after a night's sleep.

Many many thanks for a fabulous cache, Bushrat.
Oh, and that 'Needs Maintenance' attribute, (probably from the last DNF?) is completely unnecessary. The cache is fine and dry and will probably be so for ANOTHER hundred years or so!

Please look deep and hard, up & down and side to side - if you don't find it, don't feel bad, because we also didn't. We covered the hillside in a 50m radius of the coordinates in an hours worth of climbing and slipping, finding nothing but the miniature 10m tunnel next to the trail - maybe the entrance got covered up in a landslide?

Ever since I discovered Red Ledge pass a month and a half ago, I had been keen to do a circuit of narrowneck that descended via Red Ledge, went through Mt Rennie tunnel, and ascended via the Golden Stairs. But Mt Rennie tunnel is not somewhere I would want to go solo; a dropped torch or minor bump could be seriously bad news.

So I was quite chuffed when The Hancock Clan mentioned they would be making an assault on Daylight this weekend, even more so when they agreed to the route I proposed, namely
- walk out from the locked gate on Glenraphael Drive
- cut across the top of Corral Creek to the Red Ledge, then follow it for about 200m to a point you can drop through a slot to the bottom of the escarpment
- follow the ridge down next to Corral Creek to the ruins of the Glen Shale Mine
- pick up the old tram line from there, and follow it all the way to the western portal of Mt Rennie Tunnel
- through the tunnel to federal pass
- up the golden stairs in time for tea.

Actually I am not sure I was that explicit, although I did say there would be a lot of mud. And there was. Also, snow and bats, but fortunately no leeches.

I had a blast. Thanks to The Hancock Clan for letting me crash your 4K celebrations!

P.S. I had always thought this cache was misnamed, since it is in the Mt Rennie tunnel, not the Daylight tunnel (which is nearby, but blocked off). But after crab-crawling through the muck for the better part of an hour, and letting out a joyous shout on seeing a distant pinprick of light, it all made sense...

Our 4000th geocache!

This turned out to be a super choice for a milestone cache and one we will certainly remember. Thanks to Jonnosan who was our tour guide today, we made a great circular walk out of it, along Red Ledge Pass and descending deep down into the Megalong Valley side of Narrow Neck before following an old tram line back towards the tunnel. We then went all the way through to Federal Pass picking up the cache along the way. As Jonnosan said, stooping over with backpacks and crawling in places for the best part of an hour made the sight of 'daylight' very welcoming!

Shortly after escaping the tunnel we headed towards the Golden Staircase and on the way passed several walkers who must have wondered what we'd been up to! Mr H jokingly said to one of them that it was very muddy further along the track and got a look of horror with the reply: "oh really?"!

Before long we ascended the staircase and reached the car park from where we'd started. It was a great adventure and well worthy of a major milestone cache. We even had snow at one stage! Thanks again to Jonnosan for the company and excellent navigation, oh and also for putting up with our arguing teenage kids!

Took the apt 'mining disaster' geocoin to move on. Thanks Bushrat for a super cache!

Cheers,

The Hancock Clan

A fun filled but serious geoadventure to celebrate Baktraks 1000th find. When Baktrak began discussing the options for his milestone I knew I wanted to be there, but I did have some doubts about the low height, the water, and my fitness!

As it turned out a great team had been assembled for the event and we made good progress getting to the entrance under the expert guidance of those who had previously partaken. Once there, pjmpjm wasted no time before dissapearing into the darkness. The rest of us took a little longer to 'prepare'.

I had originally thought about wearing a small backpack, but soon realized this would be unhelpful. So with a bike helmet, headlamp, torch and jeans rolled up above the knees, I too entered.

After getting used to the underground we went forth into the water. And it was cold, ... very cold! But like everything else about this adventure, the most difficult parts were before the cache - the leeches, the climb, the squeeze, the darkness, the low height and the cold water.

Once at the cache there was no water (only mud!) and we could stand upright. Baktrak made his 1000th find and discovered his special coin. Photos were taken and a great sense of achievement and relief were had by all. And then the exit seemed much easier - the water was still cold and the ceiling low, but we knew what lay ahead - daylight! Or was that behind us?

Congratulation Baktrak, and thanks for finding enough caches to make this event possible. And special thanks to pjmpjm and Team Canary for leading the way, and to Alfyboy and  Purplepeopleeater for being part of the daylight team. Thanks too Bushrat - definitely worth a favourite.

#1227 - Another Alfyboy Adventure

The team established, the cache decided, the meeting place arranged. The only thing that we couldn't control was the Mountains weather.

We met at Blackheath at what is fast becoming the 'usual' breakfast spot. Bacon n' Egg rolls and coffee had, we then drove down the Megalong valley till we could drive no more. With our packs, rain gear and 'old' clothes we started our walk to find the entrance to Daylight. Lucky we had some veterans along for assistance.

We walked and talked, jumped puddles and creeks and even saw some wallabies, and horses. Then after a little hill climb the GPSr still showed hundreds of metres. Pjmpjm then metioned his entrance coords. I punched them in and look at that...35m away. We gathered and started the steep climb to find the way in. Pjmpjm and I found the entrance and then soon after everyone else joined us. This was going to be fun.

Some of us changed into our 'older' clothes and shoes and one by one we descended into the darkness. WOW! We waited for everyone to get down and then started the 'walk of wet knees' through the ICY water. Lucky it didn't go all the way along. We came to a red muddy semi dry place, where PPE nicely hid Baktraks 1000th coin for him to find. We waited till he reached us and all applauded once he discovered the coin and cache.

Photos were taken, the log was sign and TB's were swapped. We then replaced everything and made our way back though the ICY water and out the entrance. The walk back had us debriefing the cache and talking about more caches and stuff. We made it back to the car, got changed and went for some hot lunch.

A great adventure! Thanx to - pjmpjm and Team Canary (plus 2) for coming a second time and helping us find the tunnel. Congratulations to Backtrak for 1000 finds. Thanx for the journey to Purplepeopleater and sjamp. A wet but very enjoyable experience and the tunnel was awesome. I most definitely recommend it. Just DO IT !!! OH, and bushrat......TFTC.

Pictures to follow!

After pondering what to do for GC #1000, Daylight became the prime choice. It’s iconic, at least a little bit challenging, and attracts many of us looking for something different.
Over the past few weeks a few esteemed geocolleagues agreed to come along for the milestone. So I was honoured to be joined by Alfyboy, Purplepeopleater, sjamp, pjmpjm and most of Team Canary. The latter two are both mountains locals and Daylight veterans.
Despite the weather on the day, enthusiasm pushed us on and we headed down through fog into the Megalong and up Nellies Glen Rd as far as we could, before commencing the final bushwalk up to the entrance.
Canary kept us on the right path at each fork and in time we arrived somewhere below the entrance, where a little cairn has been made. Here the group split and took a couple of different approaches to the tunnel opening but the direct route, straight up the hill, is a s good as any. The youngest Canary had what he thought was a near-death experiece on a slippery hillside, but survived unscathed.
We changed into tunnel gear and backed down into the entrance one-by-one. There’s no other way to do it. The water was cold but reasonably clear; nothing like the red sludge deeper inside.
Most of the group had made it to the dry, higher area when I arrived and started my search. The first spot wasn’t it but right next to it looked much more promising. Ah, success! But something extra on top. A beautiful gold 1000 find coin. It’s very nice. Thanks guys! We all did the formalities, took happy snaps and then made our way back.
A top day continued despite the adverse weather. As PPE had correctly remarked, “nothing like a bit of adversity to make things memorable”, and memorable it was. Thanks to the group for the day, Bushrat for the cache and the shale miners of the The Australian Kerosene Oil and Mineral Company for creating the location in the 1890s.
#1000! and a fave too.

Congratulations to Baktrak on his 1000th find!

A group of us gathered in Blackheath today to join him on his quest to log this iconic geocache, via the Megalong route, and reach the magic millennium.

Although the west end of the famous tunnel was a lot wetter than when I last visited, entry was possible and we all made our way successfully to GZ, sloshing along above our knees at times.

(Full marks to the junior Canaries for their efforts.)

What a great adventure! I'm glad I came along.

What a fabulous caching adventure!! And a very fitting one for Baktrak's 1000th find expedition. Well worth the cold and the squeeze and the mud:)

We were given the royal tour by previous finders Team Canary and PJMPJM so finding our way there and indeed the entrance was made easy. The initial squeeze and crawl however was not so easy:)

Really great fun - highly recommended.
SL and left GC
TFTC Bushrat

I returned to this iconic, cache this time with my youngest (again) and middle sons to mark Baktrak's 1000th GC find. Congratulations

Well done to Alfyboy, Purplepeopleater, pjmpjm (for the second time) and sjamp too.

I wish I could add a second favorite to this fun adventure-filled cache!?!

T: Blue Gorilla TB

Thanks again for the cache.

Further to my recent 'Found it' log, noting we went in 150-200m , I note that I have since read that the tunnel has a length of 175m with an average height of 1.4m. It was completed in January 1892 and during the term of the surrounding mines 20,000 tons of shale were dispatched through it! Of course its real name is the Mount Rennie Tunnel.

I've planned this cache for a long time and when the walking the bluies event came up I had to take the opportunity and my daughter didn't take much convincing to join the adventure too. After making our way halfway through the tunnel descussion went the way of us having passed the cache. I suggested that we had had come far enough that it was worth going to the other end anyway, Hoogie agreed and we set off with a few others following while some decided just to head back and search. Once at GZ Hoogie went a little too far while I followed behind and spotted the cache. Completed the caching duties with the full group that continued on before heading back to let the others know they had further to go, with everyone finding it in the end. Will have to return another time and make it all the way through.

Thanks for a great adventure Bushrat.

I have always wanted to take on this adventure after hearing about it about a year ago. A local event had been organize where we past this location, so me and along with others in the event took this opportunity to find this cache. All prepared with helmets and spotlights, we took to the tunnel.

The water in the tunnel was about just above ankle height, but all prepared with old crappy shoes didn't present a worry for any of us. Well maybe the coldness of the water, but you did acclimatise quite quickly. A few of us had reach a spot where we thought the cache would be, but a quick search made us believe we werent close enough. We continued to a narrow section which we then though we may need to go back to the previous spot. But that few and I continued on. I lead that few to find the location that matched the described area of the cache. I had moved on a little more to let the others search and in doing, they had found the cache!

We grouped up to rest the backs while we each had a chance to log our adventure to claim the find on this infamous cache known to many but maybe only completed by the select few. This really was a incredible caching experience. I cant describe enough how fantastic this adventure was. It was cold wet and muddy, but extremely awesome and rewarding. This is one of those caches that will only come around very rarely and it really does add to the excitement in the search for this cache. Simply remarkable!! TFTC!!

Well, what can I say? This one has been on the to-do list for ever and today I finally managed to log a smiley against it.

Taking the opportunity to tackle the Walking the Bluies- Golden Stairs- Furber Steps event cache meant I might finally be able to get there. We arrived at the entrance and everyone got ready then we were in! Possibly the deepest water at the start then it was hunched over for a while until it opened up a little. We ventured right along probably 100-150m to the next pool and then some turned back not wanting to go through it to the Megalong. But we were wrong! After searching back along the tunnel for some time with one group without success the others eventually returned having found the cache. So our group proceeded back and after more hunching over (owww[B)]) we got to the cache. Wilbert could spot some daylight so he and I ventured right to the end and out to the Megalong!

What a blowout! I can now say I have been through Narrow Neck from the Jamison to the Megalong. Awesome !

Thanks so much for putting on this walk to get us all together, Team Webguy for their guidance and everyone for their company.

I've read a log before where they wished they could award more than one favourite point and thats how I feel but thats how it goes.

TFTC!

Wow, what an adventure!

Came with a group of 10 others (and many bats) and entered from the East entrance. National Parks have placed a sign just within the entrance advising not to enter and warning of unstable ceilings that may collapse without warning. Briefly reflected on having just watched the movie "Beaconsfield" last week-end (about the mining disaster in 2006 in Tasmania) but pressed on anyway.

Because we entered from the East, we had to travel most of the length of the tunnel before someone found the cache (sorry, I missed who it was). By then half the group had thought we must have walked past it and had gone back to search earlier areas where rock-falls from the tunnel ceiling mean you can stand up comfortably. We ran into them coming back and let them know the cache is further in. I decided to return with them. On the return we turned out our torches and can clearly see "daylight" from the West entrance. Two of us went on, I elected to leave that low tunnel to the bats. We all came back out the East entrance together, with free mudbaths/fake tans for a bonus.

Glad I took the opportunity to do this with a group -- I would have chickened out on my own.

This entry was edited by Taiko'sFamily on Sunday, 29 April 2012 at 12:35:05 UTC.

What a great adventure this one is!! Walked in with a large group and started searching after what we thought would be at 150 steps. Nothing, hmm, glad that a few went ahead and returned with the good news of heaving found the cache. We proceeded through another nice orange pool and avoided the bats to get to the final goods.
Once that far in the tunnel, i as well couldn't resist of heading for the daylight on the Megalong side of the tunnel! On my way out I counted my little steps from the cache till the entrance and I counted 573!!
Thanks for a great adventure Wilbert67

What an awesome cache! You keep hearing about those ones that need "specialist equipment" so I'm glad to have finally logged one.

Along with the rest of yesterday's event group we donned our helmets and disposable shoes and ventured into the murk. It certainly gives you an appreciation of how hard those miners had it as we had to hunch over for the vast majority of the tunnel.

A misunderstanding about the distance from the entrance (the wrong one) led to most of us, inlcuding me, turning back when we were almost on there, so we ended up doing a large chunk of it twice! Tiring but well worth the effort. Wading through knee high orange water, hunched over in the darkness with bats circling our faces was certainly an experience we'll never forget! I was certainly glad to get back out into the Daylight.

Chalk up another favourite point for this one.

When I go bush, it is usually by myself, as wife likes the caches without steps & prefers flat country. So when this event Walking The Bluies - Golden Stairs - Furber Steps event cache came up with this cache on the list I figured if ever I was going to do this cache I should do it in the company of others. For me a very wise choice made in the end, this 1 just for the safety reasons along. Before going talking to another cacher that has done it The Spindoctors & other muggles that have completed the tunnel I figured what have I sign up for. The advice was where an old pair of shoes & through them in the bin after woods, OK an old pair of steel cap work boots will do the job, which they did, the 1 BIG problem was when I completed the tunnel & taken of these water / mud logged boots with inner sols they ended up being a very heavy dead weight in the backpack & I suffered as I walked out of the valley up the stairs.
1 by 1 we entered the tunnel, yes very wet & low & muddy but going was ok. We went up about ½ way when questions were aired about how many steps we gone in, I was a little reluctant to push further at the time. What happened is a group went forward & a group went back & for me I was left in the middle of them. Suddenly the elder wiser 1 walks past me & pushed on into the darkness, for me it was a decision to follow the wiser 1 or work my way back checking every rock pile for the cache, the wrong decision made in the end, Like usually I had made this cache harder than it should have for me. By the time the front group returned saying the cache is up further I just arrived to back group, that’s the luck of caching, so forward we went, found the cache & taken some photos of our group. Now the return journey out, on the way out I was giving the bike helmet a pounding, a very wise safety gear for this cache.
For me this is what caching is all about, taking you to places that you wouldn’t now off or wouldn’t do it in the 1st place, this is a favorite for me, 1 I won’t be forgetting for a while, TFTC / TFTH / SL

This cache has been on my to do list for a long time. It is a little out of the way though & requires specialised equipment. Today. along with 10 other like minded nutters... um... individuals I finally crossed it off the list.

It was a wet and cramped trip from the waypoint to the cache. We had all read the "150steps" as being from the side we started from and found a likely spot where the count ended. Could find it. We went on. about 600 steps in it was finally spotted. Some of us had turned around by then convicesd we had missed it so they had to do the cache trip twice.

We saw lots of mud and bats. and mud and water and mud
Oh and did I mention the mud? I will be orange for weeks to come.

TNLCoinSL
Thank you for keeping this one alive.
Definitely one of my favourites.

This one turned out to be the adventure I expected it to be. Along with 10 others doing the 'walking the bluies' event we ventured into the cramped and waterlogged tunnel. I had expected the mud to be thick and I wasnt disappointed, the orange tinge on my legs will last a while.

Luckily for me I was part of the group that pushed on towards the other side of the tunnel from where we started so I didnt have to make the trip twice. It was definitely one of the more interesting things Ive done and easily my favourite cache so far. Thanks for the adventure

A few days earlier while looking around at the bottom of the Scenic Railway, "Daylight Tunnel" was spotted in through all the Japanese tourists. This set things rolling, wondering if this cache was attainable this visit to Katoomba.
A couple of days later, feeling invinsible after earlier finding Drop Dead Gorgeous, the whole Browngang headed down to find #21 Stairway to Heaven. Daylight seemed achievable from 1k away out along the Federal Pass.
Once at GZ I took my socks off, changed out of my jeans, and headed over to the tunnel entry.
A relatively recent, small landslip has partly blocked this eastern entry and the water depth appears to vary in depth between 1-2 feet, the whole width of the tunnel, for 20-30m with less than a meter to the roof. This has turned this entry into a swim. NOOOO way, not this time. I had achieved some cracking caches this holiday, Daylight could remain in place this time.
It would only take a small collapsible shovel and about 2 minutes to clear though
and this water would drain out.
Maybe next time. Thanks anyway from Browngang

I had every intention of finding this one today, even brought the right gear from home, but when I arrived and found 2 feet of water at the GZ I thought Id give it a try another day when its drier or I have more appropriate attire.

Actually I didn't even look, but my GPS log of my walk today along the National Pass from Furber to Golden claims I walked on top of it, so I thought Why not. On this cache a DNF is almost as good as a Smilie. One day I'll get the real thing though.I'll need a guide to the back door though.Hint Hint.

Congratulations Bushrat on Daylight receiving the Geocaching NSW Geocache of the Month award for February 2012. http://www.geocachingnsw.asn.au/index.php/geocaching/what-is-geocaching/174-geocache-feb2012

Thanks to Jonnosan for making me do this one. Lots of fun.

I had a Zoolander moment at the end, trying to remove layers of mud and coaldust with little handwipes.

It seems to be a family tradition that a 40th birthday should be celebrated with a very long walk. My choice was to walk the 6 Foot Track from Jenolan Caves to Katoomba, with a few caching diversions on the way, including the fabled Daylight cache.

At the end of my second day of hiking I was pretty stiff and sore when I pitched my tent at Old Ford Reserve and wasn't sure if I would actually make the distance, but by the time pascops arrived the following morning to join me for the last push I was raring to go, so much so that it felt a bit like cheating to drive from the camp to the locked gate at Nellies Glen road. So we compromised - pascops dropped me back at the stile on Megalong Valley road, I walked the 1KM to the stile on Nellies Glen road, and we drove the 2KM along to the locked gate.

And off we went. This was my 3rd day in a row of hiking, but since I had left my big backpack (with tent & sleeping back) in pascops car, I was feeling fine, even when we got to the steep bits. We passed by the old Megalong Village, where someone (the owner I assume) was doing agricultural things in the distance.

As my GPSr said we were close to GZ we were wondering how hard it would be to find the right spot but a big cairn in the road was a useful clue, from there we could see a path has been formed up the hill so we donned our equipment and
followed that path right to mine entrance.

Which was really quite small!

At this point, I was having second thoughts, but having come this far, there was really no option but to go on. So we went on. Down on hands & knees, crawling over wet rocks, then in to the cold, cold, murky, water, with a steady drip drip drip from the low ceiling.

I had completely lost count of how many "small steps" I had taken, but between pascops and I we had enough recollection of the description to know approximately where to look, and the cache was located on the first pass through the area.

I was relieved to find a working pen in the cache, as I had left mine back on the fire trail. I swapped TBs then back to the exit. pascops had a slight mishap with his headlamp, which was a little disturbing, but we were reassured to discover that if all light is extinguished, you can see a glimmer of daylight coming in through the entrance.

Once we'd crawled back out, it was a small matter of cleaning ourselves off, and hiking up about 2 gazillion steps to the Explorers Tree.

A tops day out!

Thanks to Bushrat for the hide, and pascops for being my wingman

Best cache so far that I've seen. It's only no.57 for me, but does it get any better than Daylight?! Challenging to get to, after flirting with Narrow Neck Ladders the water stream tempted us to appraoch from underneath. Who's feeding those horses at the historic site? Might be good to bring some tucker for them. Thanks bikerbuddy and the Canaries for the vid, very helpful.

Took us a while in the cave, went through to the Katoomba end after entering on the megalong side, then searched the way back. Neatey cracked 11 leeches, and Howie watered as many trees. After initaially thinking I'd escaped the dreaded leech it was discovered that 1 had travelled with me from the cave, to the car, and all the 2 hours home, making its reappearance at dinner, fat on the floor. Some of us might need a visit to the Chiro after an epic search, and then that strange bit of wood on a buch of rocks made it gold-time and game over. Left TB, took TB.

Putting it out there for ShooterMcG, Zephaniah 3:17, michael'no pikes'neate, and the Howie-monster. Good times brothers. We'll be back to conquer the thrill of the ladder, in the dry times. Now to do all the washing...should I even bother?

Best cache ever!!! We travelled the entire length of the tunnel in what was a difficult and dirty search in the dark for over an hour. Just when we had admitted defeat and begun our empty handed 'crawl of shame' towards the western exit, Spitfire Douglas claimed the prize! Steep climbs, leeches, freezing water, mud, tight spaces and bumped heads... but it was all worth it! Thanks for the experience.

Best Cache Ever!!!
I have only a few Caches to my name but i feel i have started with an experience. Definitely need to attempt the ladders again when its dry. I will need to find a good physio for the back but well worth it. Thanks Spitfire Douglas for organising a great day with the boys!

I have now finally experienced the great cache that is Daylight, so named in the sarcasm that there is little or no light at the location. Anyone else fortunate enough to be able to experience this cache in all it's muddy glory should stop and think about it's cleverness. Thanks for a great cache, Bushrat! TFTC

My best cache find EVER!!!!! Found with Toriaz and had the youngst person to find this cache with us! Had a great time, even with my pants muddy and my shirt wet!!! Thankyou SOOO much for bringing me to this awesome location, I appreciate it a lot. An amazing trip and adventure.

This entry was edited by NickoHeap on Sunday, 06 March 2011 at 01:52:55.

Bikerbuddy's two boys wanted to do this cache, and he agreed to let us tag along and show us the 'easy' way to the tunnel entrance. We'd all watched his video from earlier this year, and no one in the family wanted to be left at home, not even our 4.5 year old. So with her making it all the way to the cache, we're claiming to have completed this one with the youngest person to date in our group.

The walk in was long, but it seemed we chose the perfect day for it, not too hot & not too cold. Tough on little legs, but eventually we all got close the tunnel entrance and just had to scramble up the final slope to make it the entrance. Once we had all made it up, the entrance was easy to spot. We all donned helmets & slithered our way in. My 3 & bikerbuddy's 2 all got in easily & went on before us to explore ahead & look for bats. Then us adults made it in without too much effort & we all set off affter the kid's lights. I was expecting to have to go in much further, so got a surprise at how fast it was to get to the actual GZ. The cache was easy to spot and we soon had it opened and the log signed.

This was a fabulous cache to do & I am grateful to bikerbuddy for showing us the way to the entrance. And an extra thank you to garks for helping look after my little one on the walk in. The kids all had a great time playing the tunnel & even spotted a few bats despite their noise. We all got a bit muddy & the kids all got extremely muddy, but I think that was part of the fun for them. Thanks for placing this cache, it was a great achievement to find it.

With climbing finished at the boars head, daylight was in our sights. A relatively short walk along the northern side of the base line of the cliff line passing all the old rusty carrots on the way . from this side the entrance to daylight is far more exciting and adventurous .
After locating the entrance, the cache was in hand , with rusty red feet , and a smile on the dial…..
Seeing as we had the climbing gear in hand , Dixon ladders come in handy for a quick exit .
Awesome cache , what a great way to end the day.

cheers

Here is the promised video of our trip to Daylight. There is a small amount of spoiler information in it (such as shots of the beginning of the tunnel) but we don't show where the cache was hidden. Mostly what this video is about is our approach to getting to the tunnel, since that has become an issue in the last few years.

Note: Since publishing this video I've had a go at uploading it again, since the processing format I used while editing wasn't suitable for my new camera and the image was very small. The new version is slightly better but not perfect. As a result, Zalgariath's and Spindoctors comments got deleted on Utube. Sorry. (visit link)

This entry was edited by bikerbuddy on Monday, 17 January 2011 at 17:22:14.

Because I do most of my caching with my family, it takes me a bit longer to get to some of the more challenging caches my wife can't do. I was long aware of this cache since I started caching a year ago (to the day - today is the anniversary of my first cache) but it was always one I was going to get around to. Then I saw Banksia777's log about the closure of the eastern entrance and I gave up any idea of doing the cache, until I read the logs by Spindoctors, Zalgariath and pjmpjm late last year.

I was amazed by the route they took. I used to use the water board ladders often when I was younger. The last time I used them was on a walk from Kanangra in 1996. But they've long been put out of service, so the story of their descent and ascent via this route was surprising. I was well aware of the much easier route from the valley that Rogerw3 mentions in his note. It was good that they had resurrected this cache, but I thought if people were aware of the easier route, the cache might get a lot more business in the future.

So this morning Canary and I headed to the Megalong with his son and we walked up from a locked gate along Nellie's Glen Road. It may have been a longer route, but I'm sure we took a lot less time than the previous group. The biggest challenge as we walked up the road was the swarms of leaches that seem to be having a party in this damp weather. As we approached nearer the tunnel we were constantly flicking them off, with up to six or seven leaches on my shoes at a time. I was surprised to find by the end of the day that only one had eventually got to me.

Anyway, we entered the tunnel, which is fairly low for about the first ten metres. After that it opened up to a reasonably comfortable height, and it didn't take too long to get to a section that matches the descriptions given by other cachers - a section where it is possible to stand upright, and not be able to touch the ceiling, even, in parts. The cache was found easily and we read the logs of previous finders. We also rescued the travel bug pjmpjm left here.

We also made a film today of our approach and time in the tunnel. I've edited it together already, but I've got to load it on Utube yet. It looks like that might take some time, but once it's loaded I'll put a link here. I know Webguy, Spindoctors and Wingnut made a video a few years ago, but that was from the eastern side, so I thought a new video was justified to show the approach from the Megalong side.

This was a brilliant experience. I'm thinking of taking my boys back to find this cache. I hope my log, Canary's log and the film, when it finally gets uploaded, will encourage others to follow our milder route to this one.

This was my first cache for my second caching year, my 683rd cache, and my 600th traditional cache.

Thanks!

Wow! What can I say!

For almost two years this cache has been on my Watchlist. It has been in my list of the five closest to home caches, with a Teraain or Difficulty rating over thrree.

At first it all just seemed to hard, the I researched Rennie's Tunnel or Mount Rennie's Tunnel or Daylight Tunnel as it is known in various bushwalking circles. I realised that I would need to wait alittle while till my kids felt more comfartable in the bush and doing adventure activities.

So while my kids and I improved our skills through practise and the help of the Scouting movement, we sadly saw Banksia777's noted that the tunnel had been closed off. We waited for the cache to be archived and that would be that!

Then The Spindoctors posted a note about going in from the western side. Hope! I meant to email, I meant to chat with him at GCNSW Christmas Party. But, we all know how bust that time of year is!

After he, Zalgariath and pjmpjm went down and posted their logs I knew that method was going to be way beyond my current skillset. The cache was returned to the backburner!

The Spindoctors soon posted a note offering hope of an easier way in! A bit of a test walk, a bit of chatting to bikerbuddy and hope was restored and a date of January 3rd was locked in!

Unfortunately heavy rain and Cuboree for the kids got in the road and it was rescheduled ofr today, a mildly overcast summer day.

We drove down to Nellie's Glen Rd, went thtough the first shut, but unlocked gate until we ran into a haevily padlocked gate some two and a half kilometres from the western entrance. We walk down the Six Foot Track, which was at least that wide until we reached the old Megalong Village Histric Site. One and half kilometres to go!

The track continued, it was more overgrown but still very wide and became steeper and steeper. But it was never excessive or overly taxing. Soon the GPS said less than thirty metres to go! And we were still on a six foot wide track!?!

We began looking for the tunnel entrance, encouraged by bikerbuddy's comment that we can find Tupperware boxes, how hard can it be to find a tunnel! Shortly we had found part one of goal!

Clothes were changed, helmets and headlight were donned and I squeezed through the entrance, crawled through the dripping narrow section, waded knee deep through the water and could soon stand up and find a cache!?!

We soon returned thorugh the tunnel and began the descent to the track, the easier walk down the hill and returned to the car.

I would like to to acknowledge that I took my nine year old son on this trip with me and he had an absolute ball, with no whinging, just he biggest smile! Well done, Tiger!

TNLNSL. TFTC. I will remember this one!

Oh, I think I remember something about leeches attacking us, but I have blocked it out!?!

I am only logging it as a note since I abandoned the walk a short distance from the tunnel entrance. I was quite fine, but must have been incubating a cold or flu, since it suddenly struck me at the most inconvenient time. if you intend to go down 'Devils Hole' track, don't unless there is another that is actually a track, I started from here.

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s228/rogerw3/Forum/P1010206.jpg[/IMG]

This is not the way to go, the start is very rough, experienced walkers only but after 500metres the track starts to disappear, I persevered and I scrambling down rocks, slipping, sliding, jumping started to add to the stress which is when I started to feel sick, by then I knew I could not climb back as I was feeling pretty exhausted. After a quick check of the GPSr in a small clearing the only answer was to bush bash along the creek until I got to the supposed track crossing, it took 3 hours to cover under 2kms in the thick bush, slippery slope and big cliff falls. Since I had long since passed the point of no return I continued by dead reckoning checking rough figures on the GPS (due to high cliffs and tall trees) but eventually I found my way to the Water Board track. By then I was more exhausted than I have ever been, nose running, throat very sore and a fever rising.
Only thing to do phone a friend to come and pick me up, I called pjmpjm but the reception was so poor and erratic that only a most basic message got thru. Then lost all reception for some time.
Took one look at the climb along the Water Board track to GZ and knew there was no way I was going to make that. Only answer to walk to the 6 foot track, Which I had planned to take as a return way, but I also knew that even this well maintained track was beyond me at this stage. Another garbled call to pjmpjm and he got the part about Megalong Road. unfortunately reception then died.
I stopped at a homestead to ask for water, as my ample supply was drying out, and spent 30mn with a very nice elderly lady resting and drinking a lot of her tank water, country people are the salt of the earth.
I eventually got to Megalong Road and some phone reception, just as pjmpjm was calling me and 5mn later I was on the way to casa pjm for rest and recuperation.
Under normal circumstances I would have gone to the cache, and returned via the 6 foot track, but this illness really kicked me around something terrible.
So unless you know a Devils Hole' track that is actually there do not go that way, the Megalong Road way is longer and you have to park a long way from GZ (locked gates) but it is an easy walk.

I will be back when I recover from this. down but not out.

This entry was edited by rogerw3 on Wednesday, 02 February 2011 at 00:12:51.

Its great to see this cache lives on. Well done guys.

Hooray. It's great to see this cache is still intact. After I first found it in 2007, I swore I'd never come here again, but the lure of this location seems to constantly pull me back. I was initially prompted on this occasion to see if the western entrance to the tunnel was still accessible after news that the eastern end was now blocked off. I soon discovered a few other braves souls wanting to find this cache. So after some emails, a small group was assembled to tackle Daylight ... from the rear.

Finding Dixon's ladder isn't too difficult, signalled by a sign near the pumping station warning that they had been removed (S33 43.765 E150 17.225). The first rope wasn't too difficult, aided by foot holes chiselled into the side of the concrete 'ramp'. A little bit of rock scrambling (past a docile yellow-bellied black snake), and a small climb down an old gate led us to another set of ropes for what turned out to be the hardest part of the descent (or ascent as we later down out). This led us to the ladder, which despite having the last two metres jerry-rigged from a sapling, got us to the 'bottom' (S33 43.738 E150 17.200)

Next step involved traversing down to the fire trail and then finding the westerly entrance. Although I had previously stuck my head out of the tunnel and seen the fire trail once before, it still took me 20 minutes to locate it. Obviously the different perspective didn't help. Amazingly - given the terrain - the coords in the description are spot on. The wind blowing out of the tunnel was also a giveaway.

We donned our hats, grabbed our torches, pulled off the leeches and headed in. Despite all the rain over recent months, the water was never more than ankle deep and there were plenty of rocks and sleepers to help stay 'dry'. The distance to the cache was much shorter than from the eastern end - very pleasing for my back. I stood back about 20 metres from the cache as Zalgariath and pjmpjm searched, with the later easily finding the goods. A couple of happy snaps and log signings meant we were soon on our way back out.

Once outside, we decided to follow the fire track past Dixon's ladder to see if it would take us via Boar's Head. After more than an hour of careful walking along dog trails, goat trails and no trails, we decided there was nothing but a bloody big hole between us and the track less then 50 metres away. So we backtracked to the ladders and climbed our way out. The middle rope section was certainly challenging and tested our upper arm strength, along with our mental endurance. Pleased to say we all made it up. The rest of the trip out was a breeze and after a bit over five hours (including the 75-minute sojourn) we were smiling and dreaming of a hot shower to wash away the muck and rain.

BTW - Since writing this log, I've now realised that the alternate way to the western entrance is down the Devil's Hole track (from Cliff Drive), which will then take you to the Water Board road http://osm.org/go/uYii6Bty?layers=C. It's a little longer, but probably more manageable if you're not 100% sure about going up/down Dixon's ladder. Maybe I could go a fourth time???

A brilliant geocache lives on, and another pair of geocachers add their name to the found list.

Operation: Daylight Assault - Part 1

Cache Hunter: Zalgariath of Sydney
Supporting Officers: Spindoc Bob & Pjmpjm
ICD^ Location Number: 271210#1/4
Mission Status: SUCCESS #1485
Hunt Time: Approach 90mins (each way) – GZ 5mins
Muggle Factor: 0 (Nil)
GAFF^^: 4 (Guided)
Swaps: Nil
TB Visited: Jumbuck Finger
Cache Status: Good Condition

Report: The Epic Adventure began poorly... I was due at Spindocs to pick him up at 0730h... and half way there realised I had left a set of golf clubs I needed to drop up in Blackheath at home. Fortunately this gave Spindoc time for a coffee... while I raced back home, corrected my error, and returned. We were still able to make the trail head in Katoomba by the allotted time of 0930h to meet Pjmpjm...it had been raining and pea-soup foggy the whole trip up. This was going to be fun! Fortunately with our Tour Guide Spindoc on his THIRD visit to the tunnel, we were confident of success!

We geared up and tackled the easy walk to the pump station where we encountered the first rope. Rain had made the surfaces slippery as hell but fortunately this was a relatively simple decent to begin with. A brief meeting with a baby yellow belly black snake had us praising the cool weather as he was far too lethargic to even flick a tongue out in interest at our passing as we followed the pipes to the challenge. Over a silted up grate fence with relative ease we were met by a jerry-rigged rope system to descend to the top of the caged ladders. Using the ropes and chimney techniques to wedge ourselves in we slowly and carefully made it to the top of the old ladders... which were in surprisingly good nick and the safest part of our journey, bar the last 3m Some industrious folk had MacGyver'd a very rickety rope, wire and branch extention from the bottom of the metal ladder which was easy enough to traverse downwards... but more on that later.

From here we had to step back and let Spindoc lead the hunt for the tunnel entrance. We picked a route down to what we now know as Waterboard Rd and after wandering back and forth a bit the call came from slightly up the rise that Rennie's Rear End had been located! Donning lights and stack hats this next bit was actually the easiest part of the hunt. We were amazed by the tunnel which opened up quickly from the tight breezy squeeze at the entrance, and while the tell tale red mud was present, there were no flying mammals and my waterproof boots kept every drop of water out with it never reaching the cuff. Pjm and myself were so in awe we quickly lost count of our steps but GZ was very obvious once we reached the standing room. It only took Pjm a few minutes to locate the cache and sure enough, while I was sifting rocks on the other side of the tunnel he came up with the goods while Spindoc watched on in amusement. We did the best we could with in-the-dark photography, signed the log and remarked on how well the old girl was holding up. Pjm the cruel man dropped off a Texan TB... hope it is not 2 years to the next team come find it!

Continued in a note above!....-----^

Rated: for Overall Experience

Operation: Daylight Assault - Part 2 - (Continued from the find log below...)

We carefully picked our way out and I celebrated with chocolate. A job well done! There was still the difficult return leg but we thought that perhaps this could be avoided by finding the Boars Head Trail a few hundred bush bashing metres away. A promising start along goat tracks eventually petered out to nought and though we were just 50 or so metres from the trail according to the GPS could not find a safe route and had to abort. Getting back to the ladder then required some scrambling and climbing a bit... luckily we found a beer keg halfway to keep us going

More MacGyvering was needed to rescale the faux-ladder to the safety of the more permanent metal rungs. WARNING: I was the last to ascend and after the 3 of us were done each of the rope and board steps were in a sad state. Be VERY careful if you attempt this entrance/exit to the Western side of Narrowneck. The metal ladders were a cinch and solid as, but the most difficult task awaits you at their appex. The chimney is very narrow and deep enough to be tricky. Pjm's legs were actually prohibitively long making his climb trickier due to decreased manoeuvrability. Luckily Spindoc had gone up first and after I suggested some quick rope to add a prussic loop or two we had the issue solved. A few scraps and strategic wedging of my knee and back saw me join them shortly after. I would definitely NOT recommend this route if you are uncomfortable with heights, climbing, etc. It is one of the harder unsupported scrambles Ive done. With proper ropes and harnesses, no worries, you could probably abseil all the way down and have belay assist up... but if you had to resort to this Id say perhaps best to do this cache the normal way instead. Much safer and easier


After this stage it was only a fence jump and one last quick rope scramble to freedom. The whole trip was between 4-5 hours return... but we did spend well over an hour trying to find the Boar's track before turning back. A truely remarkable cache... they dont often make them like this any more! Kinda glad we missed all the mud you apparently get on the other side but the back door seems to be the more difficult option of the two via this approach. So if you like your caches hardcore, come give it a go! I thought about sending in a Gnome to the tunnel, but thought that would be cruel and unusual punishment for a moveable cache

My best regards to the gentlemen who joined me on the adventure, Pjm and Spindoc. I took some videos on the new Garmin A50 Nuvifone... hopefully I can rig them into something watch-able Hot shower has been done, now it's time for a well earned sleep. Phew!

“ZAL” Medals Awarded to Bushrat: “!!!!!$$$#%&R*****”
GZ Area – (!)x5 (Sensational)
Sneakiness – ($)x3 (Well Hidden)
Great Container – (#)
Bushman’s Bonus – (&)
Hike-In Commendation – (%)
GCA Recommended / GC Favourite – (R)
Overall – (*)x5 (Outstanding)

^Improvised Caching Device, ^^Geocaching Assistance Find Factor

Thanks to The Spindoctor and Zalgariath, I was successful today in achieving one of my great geocaching goals -- logging 'Daylight' in the darkness deep underneath the Narrow Neck plateau, only a few kilometres from my Leura home!

This legendary Katoomba cache was a difficult one, as fully expected, but also very, very enjoyable and satisfying. Words are going to fail to do justice to the overall experience. But I suspect that special group adventures like this one are, in the end, what geocaching is all about.

The Spindoc set some kind of Australian caching record with his third entry into the fabled tunnel -- this time from the little-used and elusive western end. And the vertical trips to and from GZ were, in fact, far more of a challenge than the actual horizontal caving experience.

Z extended his consecutive caching days streak to 217 (I think) and yours truly to 107, but this particular cache was far more than just another day and another smilie. I think it will take a while before the whole amazing adventure seems entirely real . . .

But back to the basics -- the classic cache container was found as per the CO's clues and was dry and in good condition. I left the 'Big Texas' TB to encourage more visitors. TNSL.

We noted that the earliest 'Daylight' log entry was dated 2003 and that the last tunnel visitors dropped by some 22 months ago. And there were a few well-known names in the log book.

Happily, very little rubbish was found during the round-trip to this remote location, but we did take out what we spotted, with one notable exception. (Explanatory photo to follow.)

I'll leave it to the Spindoc and Zal to say more. The entry to GZ wasn't altogether easy to find from the western side of Narrow Neck. Actually, it wasn't easy even to get to the western side. And, above all else, it certainly wasn't easy to leave the western side!

We all took photos but I haven't looked at mine yet. As usual, I had only my iPhone camera. But I hope to upload a few 'happy snaps' that will encourage others to attempt another 'Daylight Assault.'

Am now going to go and take a nap . . .

Planning on checking the other entrance later in the year (early-mid December). Happy to go in for a third time.

I was bushwalking in the area and had a look inside the tunnel and noticed that the NPWS has put a barrier inside to stop people entering the tunnel due to dangerous conditions.
So this cache may need to be archived. I had it on my list but alas it's gone!!

NAdherny destny prales super vylet v totalnim desti. TFTC

Tried to find the cache today using clues,150steps took me to area where I can nearly stand up. I,m 6 foot 4 inches tall. Spent about an hour couldn,t see any obvious rock piles or mounds just hundreds of claystone rocks. Turned lots of them working my way along the tunnel, came across a piece of mine prop, timber standing vertically about another 50 meters past the initial 150 small steps, at this point the ceiling height was about 1.5 meters. I have to say I was really disappointed at not finding this cache as a lot of time any effort was put into it including crawling in freezing cold water.

I went here years ago before geocaching was even invented and I am still trying to wash the mud out of my socks.

It took less than an hour (including another cache find) to reach the start and not another bushwalker had been seen so far. We started to get a bit worried of what lay ahead by the pair of shorts that had been left on the log at the entrance that were covered in mud.
As we change into some old shoes and shorts the first people came along the track. They gave us some strange looks as they past by and then a lone walker snuck past heading the other way, but we just grabbed the headlamp's and ducked into the bowls of Narrowneck. The water wasn't very deep in the first and subsequent pools, and soon we were back on just a muddy floor walking along like a cross between a crab and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
We reached the first area that allowed us to stand up and stretch the back (pays to be short sometimes) for a minute and after assuming the position that allowed forward travel we were off again. As we proceeded there was a noise that sounded like the rumbling of distant thunder and some thoughts of earthquake and roof collapse were soon dismissed as it was realized what was the cause of the noise.................BATS.................hundreds of them had filled the tunnel and proceeded to try and escape past us. No point trying to avoid them as there radar is better than ours, so we just moved slowly until they had past by and JABs noticed some hanging on the roof which we made some closer observations of. Cute little fellows.
On reaching the high point a quick trip to the western exit was made before returning to do the cache logging.
The return trip seamed to be quicker and it was a relief to see the tiny speck of light at the end of the tunnel which meant that our current posture wasn’t going to be needed for much longer. As we proceeded towards the light we heard that noise again, all the bats were now down the eastern end flying back past us and some out into the path of some walkers that arrived as we exited, who didn't seem to know what they were.
They were quite interested in where we had just emerged from but decided against it as they only had the one set of cloths.
On inspection we had stayed fairly clean considering where we had been.
Gathering up our packs we wandered up to the start of the landslide before changing back into dry(ish) gear and headed for the easy way up to the top.

An absolute gem of a cache.
Thanks Bushrat for the excellent adventure.

This cache must be one of those special places that you fine every once in a while and reminds you of why you go caching. There is a time in every cache hunt when I find myself thinking why do I does this and as I took the first steps into the crystal clear water which soon become very murky from the thick muddy bottom, I worked out it is the hunt for the unknown.
The cold water bites at you but only lasts a short while as you are soon concentrating on standing bent double and in an almost crab like possiun you move forward. Finding a few areas to stand and rest we headed along the tunnel to be aware of the low thunder noise. The Bats where grand to watch as they seemed able to fly right by you without any trouble at all.
Finding the roof covered in small droplets of water that has seeped down through the rock above, they appear clear and polished.
Thanks Bushrat.
JABs.

Have been meaning to do this cache for a year or so, finally got around to it with crystalvoyager on our christmas break in the blue mountains.

A great adventure! Thanks!

Flying to Sydney from Perth for a conference, we decided to fit in a few days bushwalking in the Blue Mountains. I downloaded blindly a few caches in the area directly to the GPS. So, we came across this one on our way to the Ruined Castle for a overnight camp. With only the description, no clue and not having read any logs, we did not know what we were looking for. I decided to give the crawling through dark muddy water a miss. Now I know I was on the right track.

Words do not describe the experience that is Daylight.

We started at the top of the goldern stairway at 900 and by 1000 we were staring at the start.
After eventually coaxing the geokids in, we proceeded to find the cache. It took a bit longer then it should've, due to forgetting the instructions. 150steps..easy to count. but it works better from the correct end !!

We got to the cache with ease, and continued on further to the Megalong Valley for some views. According to some NPWS rangers we met later on, the old steps down the Megalong side put in by the water board have since been removed.

Back to the structure. I think for those over 6ft tall it should be terrain rated to 5. I wouldnt have survived without my helmet and knee pads, my crocs to keep my hiking boots dry, and most importantly, my trusty stick, which I have left just inside to the right (which was where we left our bags). Back to the car by noon. A great morning !
TFTC, which BTW was dry and secure...

I found some info about this place [url=http://www.dingogap.net.au/navigation/development/mtrennietunnel.html] here [/url]

[This entry was edited by feral five on Tuesday, October 07, 2008 at 1:45:48 PM.]

this is a great cache, i got it with the feral five
it is really good if you can you should do it
TNLNSL
TFTC

This was a very fun and adventurous cache. Quite challenging as well, probably getting back to the car was the most difficult bit! Good to get together as a group to do it. Didn't get quite as dirty as I expected but that mud is really hard to wash off! Thanks for the cache. *Recommended*

Rated: for Overall Experience

A good start of the carneval season...
Thanks to tronador for setting up the organisation and thanks to Spindoc for leading us through the mountain.
The cache is really an outstandiing experience.
The mud is deep as nothing before I think and the tunnel is that low that it is a relief to be outside again.
Just standing upright can be enjoyable.
The hard hat was essential for me.
Thanks for that fun in an excellent group of cachers.
TFTC TNLN
Alpini
proud PLG member

Rated: for Overall Experience

What was I thinking? Heading into Daylight for a second time, to help guide a merry band of goecachers? And what a merry group it was.

A much more enjoyable experience this time, without the 14km round trip to Mt Solitary beforehand.

I deliberately walked past the cache and headed to the other end. A tight squeeze getting out. After returning to the cacher finders. Logged my second find, took some photos and headed out. A cache that should be on everyones to do list.

Team Daylight met at the top of the stairs at 9am. We were all waiting for the fun to begin. Well after the steep descent partway into the valley below, we arrived at the given coords in no time after a very pleasant wander along the track.
We stopped in front of the void and did a quick recon. to find water pouring out and forming it's own little stream. This was going to be wet but loads of fun!
The daylight assault team plunged headlong into the void filled with knee deep water and wet sticky red mud.
With the ever present drip drip and sucking sound of the mud trying to remove my shoes, we made our way along in small steps, trying to stop the bugs from being inhaled.
Eventually, we were able to stretch out our backs in an area not only for midgets.
While the others found the cache, I continued on to the end and crawled through the birth canal to reach daylight.
After that breath of fresh air, we descended into the dark once again to perform the caching duties and wade once more through the sludge.
After some time we emerged once more into daylight, relatively clean yet we all had an alien glow about us.

This was a most excellent adventure, and comes highly recommended. It was made all the more fun by sharing this with my fellow cachers,ruffasguts4x4, Alpini, Spindoc, Rikki, Damo and Sarah. Go Team Daylight!!! And thanks for the company.

ALL THIS AND MORE ON THE VIDEO. CHECK IT OUT AT:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkhCtoWkIF4



[This entry was edited by tronador on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 at 10:24:52 PM.]

Rated: for Overall Experience

I have been planning to do this cache for some time and when I saw Tronador's post in the Geocaching Australia forum's I jumped and the chance.

I arrived an hour and half early with my mountain bike and did Serendipity http://geocaching.com.au/cache/ga0610, seeing as though I was in the area.

As we were heading into the start of the tunnel and stepping into the water I had a brief thought of "what the hell am I doing this for". That soon went as we ventured further in the darkness.

At one point I noticed something and it turned out to be the cache. We signed the log and went to the end to see daylight.

It was dark, cramped and muddy, but what an adventure. Really loved it.

Well I can finally say this one is done and dusted!
May there never be another cache put at the base of that mountain!
The walk in was pleasant and the preperation was good so all went smoothly. The walk to the cache from the entry point was not quite what I had pictured in my mind but was great all the same, clearly if you have not done it what are you waiting for?
I'm glad I had plenty of company on this one I can't imagine going through here on my own, the thought of working in here 100 years ago makes me shudder!!
We found the cache without too much trouble actually Rikki can take credit for that one, and after signing the log we moved on to have a look at the other entry point while the rest of the bunch signed their logs. We then returned to the place we came in and then started the murderous walk up the steps. True others will give their own interpretations of the walk out but for me it could not end soon enough. A truly worthwhile cache though Thanks for bringing me here. Oh P.S I have taken the TB.
Yeah alright I might go back down one day but for now I'll rest my weary feet Thanks again

Can anyone give me a link for some history about the area around this cache? thanx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpwS4XtbpiI

Didnt get this one, set out with team wintonio and some freinds at about 11:30pm. didnt take much notice of the name.

got within 100 meters of it but not prepared to take the plunge of the cliff for this one this time.

will get there eventually