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Earlier this month, thousands of people signed up to go underground and explore Lapstone Hill Tunnel – a hidden piece of Blue Mountains history which, all going well, could become a pretty epic new walking and cycling trail. The heritage-listed tunnel, hidden in the hills between Glenbrook and Lapstone in the Lower Blue Mountains, welcomed keen locals during a series of free Open Days in July and August. After the huge success of the Open Days (the first weekend sold out so quickly that the council had to add another date), the Blue Mountains City Council is ramping up calls for government funding to permanently reopen the 134-year-old railway tunnel to the public.
In response to the very keen interest from locals (and a lot of curious Sydneysiders), the council is asking the NSW and Australian governments to invest around $15 million to transform the disused tunnel and surrounding precinct into a permanent visitor attraction. If funding is secured, the project would see the tunnel fully fitted out with lighting, improved accessibility, drainage upgrades and safety features. The surrounding area would also score shared walking and cycling paths, visitor facilities, landscaping, heritage interpretation, parking and even a pump track.
According to the council, the vision stretches well beyond preserving a slice of railway history. Council says reopening the tunnel would create a safer active transport route linking Western Sydney and the Lower Blue Mountains, taking cyclists off the busy Great Western Highway while connecting Glenbrook, Lapstone, Knapsack Reserve, the Nepean River precinct and the region's broader network of walking and cycling trails.
Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said the packed Open Days proved there is strong demand to make the tunnel permanently accessible. Calling it a "once-in-a-generation opportunity", Greenhill said the project could help transform the Lower Blue Mountains into a destination in its own right, supporting local businesses while giving Sydneysiders another reason to venture west for a day trip.
For now, though, you'll have to wait. While Blue Mountains City Council says it's planning more Open Days in the future, the Lapstone Hill Tunnel will stay closed until the funding is secured and the infrastructure works needed for permanent public access are completed.
You can find out more over here.
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