Jetty Mine Clifton, New South Wales, Australia
By The Arkaroo + RockSandra on 25-Apr-11. Waypoint GA3174

An Adventure Cache at an Old Coal Mine Site

The present cache is of early Australian history and geologic importance. You'll find the remainders of the old Jetty Mine and experience the rare occurrence of a coal lode hitting the Earth surface. Be prepared: it's an adventure cache!

Warning: The path to the cache is exposed and demands an experienced hiker.

Thousands of muggles may come here on a nice weekend day, nearby, 20m above, having a walk on the Sea Cliff Bridge. No worries, at this interesting place off the tourist tracks, you may be watched, but not disturbed.

A good introduction to the geology of the Illawarra Escarpment Sea Cliffs is given by the earthcache GC2K0TJ. Historically, the area of Little Bulli was originally inhabited by the Wadi Wadi Aboriginal group. In 1796 it was first traversed by 3 shipwrecked sailors in an epic journey of survival along hundreds of miles of coastline until rescued at Wattamolla, north of Stanwell Park. Two of their companions were unable to negotiate the Coal Cliffs where the Sea Cliff Bridge is today, and their remains were found by explorer George Bass, who also reported on the rich coal seam apparent in the cliffs. Because of the inaccessibility coal was not mined before 1878. A jetty 150m from the shoreline was constructed to access the mine, becoming known as the Jetty Mine. The last shipment of coal from the jetty was in 1912.

Today, you see the remainders of the wharf to which the jetty was attached. It is a tremendeous spot to sit in the morning sun and watch the seas, the waves breaking or a fisherman in the vicinity. Facing the cliffs, there is the eye-catching black seam of coal, which penetrates to the surface. The two entrances to the mine have been carefully sealed, but you can walk along the coal lode and experience its texture, brittleness and surrounding geology. Most interesting, hoe the coal is embedded in the surrounding rock - almost as if someone has placed a layer of bricks between them. This material, however, is weathered clay stone broken into quaders of brick size. Touch the coal - take a photo or two - and post them in your log!

Access: Best you start at the nearby earthcache GC2K0TJ, from where you take the almost overseen bush path beside the bridge, leading down to the water. Be warned, it is very exposed and may be very slippery and muddy, when the clay is wet. Best you bring some mountaineering experience. This is a warning for the city or bridge cacher - although for the experienced bush or adventure cacher, it's not a problem at all. Last not least, as you see from the track, the path is frequently used by locals and fishermen. Once at the bottom - easy - it's all yours to enjoy!

GPS signal: The satellite signals can be misleading at the cliffs. You city-cachers should know! Settle the signal 20-30m off the cliff and then approach - watch how it jumps. Upon approaching, extrapolate where Ground Zero could be. If necessary, repeat the procedure from 2-3 different directions.

PS: The cache logbook is entitled "Coal Cliffs" and is indeed the log for "Jetty Mine".

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