{{Short description|Road in New South Wales, Australia}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}} {{Use Australian English|date=May 2021}} {{Infobox Australian road | road_name = Jenolan Caves Road | type = rural road | state = nsw | image = Jenolan Caves Road - panoramio - Maksym Kozlenko.jpg | caption = Jenolan Caves Road, Hartley | length = 49.7 | maintained = [[Transport for NSW]] | length_ref = <ref name="gmaps">{{google maps |url=https://www.google.com.au/maps/dir/-33.5424514,150.1670576/-33.8328441,149.9988653/@-33.6817378,149.9434678,11.71z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e0 |title=Jenolan Caves Road |access-date=16 June 2023 }}</ref> | gazetted = August 1928 | gazetted_ref = <ref name="nswgovgaz28">{{cite news |title=Main Roads Act, 1924-1927 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/219952359 |work=Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales |issue=110 |publisher=National Library of Australia |date=17 August 1928 |pages=3814–20 |access-date=1 August 2022 |archive-date=3 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220803050207/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/219952359 |url-status=live }}</ref> | tourist = {{AUshield|T|1}} Tourist Route 1 | coordinates_a = {{coord|-33.542435|150.167072|type:landmark_region:AU-NSW|display=inline}} | coordinates_b = {{coord|-33.832835|149.998862|type:landmark_region:AU-NSW|display=inline}} | pushpin_label_position_a = top | pushpin_label_position_b = bottom | direction_a = Northeast | direction_b = Southwest | end_a = '''{{AUshield|NSW|A32}} [[Great Western Highway]]'''<br />{{small|[[Hartley, New South Wales]]}} | end_b = '''Edith Road'''<br />{{small|[[Jenolan, New South Wales]]}} | exits = [[Duckmaloi Road]] | through = {{NSWcity|Lowther|Hampton|Jenolan}} }}
'''Jenolan Caves Road''' is a rural road in [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]], linking [[Great Western Highway]] at [[Hartley, New South Wales|Hartley]] to Edith Road at [[Jenolan, New South Wales|Jenolan]].
The road is a part of Tourist Drive 1 linking the [[Blue Mountains, New South Wales|Blue Mountains]] to [[Bathurst, New South Wales|Bathurst]] via [[Oberon, New South Wales|Oberon]] and [[Hampton, New South Wales|Hampton]].
==Route== The road starts at the intersection of the Great Western Highway and Blackmans Creek Road, then travels south and crosses the [[Coxs River]] (Glenroy Bridge). From there it travels southwest and ascends [[Mount Blaxland]], then continues to Hampton and to the [[Duckmaloi Road]] intersection. Next it winds south to the 5-Mile section which descends to the Grand Arch. It then goes through [[Jenolan Caves]] and leads to a parking lot at [[Jenolan Caves House]]. From there it continues northwest on the 2-Mile section before turning into Edith Road at the Kanangra Walls Road intersection.
The road is fully sealed across its entire length. The road is as narrow as one lane on the 5-Mile, Grand Arch, and 2-Mile sections, but the majority of the road is two lanes wide.
==History== The passing of the ''Main Roads Act of 1924''<ref>[http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/num_act/mra1924n24133/ State of New South Wales, ''An Act to provide for the better construction, maintenance, and financing of main roads; to provide for developmental roads; to constitute a Main Roads Board''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811000905/http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/num_act/mra1924n24133/ |date=11 August 2022 }} 10 November 1924</ref> through the [[Parliament of New South Wales]] provided for the declaration of Main Roads, roads partially funded by the State government through the [[Main Roads Board]] (MRB). Main Road No. 253 was declared along this road on 8 August 1928, from the intersection with [[Great Western Highway]] at [[Hartley, New South Wales|Hartley]]) via Hampton to Jenolan Caves (and continuing northwest to Oberon);<ref name="nswgovgaz28" /> with the passing of the ''Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929''<ref>[https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/pdf/asmade/act-1929-15 State of New South Wales, ''An Act to amend the Main Roads Act, 1924-1927; to confer certain further powers upon the MRB; to amend the Local Government Act, 1919, and certain other Acts; to validate certain payments and other matters; and for purposes connected therewith.''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812065622/https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/pdf/asmade/act-1929-15 |date=12 August 2022 }} 8 April 1929</ref> to provide for additional declarations of State Highways and Trunk Roads, this was amended to Main Road 253 on 8 April 1929.
The passing of the ''Roads Act of 1993''<ref>[https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1993-033 State of New South Wales, ''An Act to make provision with respect to the roads of New South Wales; to repeal the State Roads Act 1986, the Crown and Other Roads Act 1990 and certain other enactments; and for other purposes.''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811000905/http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/num_act/mra1924n24133/ |date=11 August 2022 }} 10 November 1924</ref> updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this act, Jenolan Caves Road today retains its declaration as part of Main Road 253, from Hartley to Jenolan Caves (and continuing northwest via Oberon to Bathurst).<ref name="nswroadsched">{{cite web |url=https://roads-waterways.transport.nsw.gov.au/business-industry/partners-suppliers/lgr/documents/classified-roads-schedule.pdf |title=Schedule of Classified Roads and Unclassified Regional Roads |author=[[Transport for NSW]] |date=August 2022 |publisher=Government of New South Wales |access-date=1 August 2022 |archive-date=25 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220825104657/https://roads-waterways.transport.nsw.gov.au/business-industry/partners-suppliers/lgr/documents/classified-roads-schedule.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Closures== The road has been closed several times over the years due to bushfires and landslips. Two notable closures were the section between [[Hampton, New South Wales|Hampton]] and [[Jenolan Caves]] between January and June 2020 due to bushfire damage and landslips from heavy rain and floods, and closure of the same section in March 2021 due to landslips and parts of the road washed away due to heavy rain and flooding.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oberonreview.com.au/story/7188704/landslides-close-jenolan-caves-precinct-again-as-terrible-luck-continues/ |title= - Landslides close Jenolan Caves precinct again as terrible luck continues |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=March 2021 |publisher=Oberon Review |access-date=3 May 2021 }}</ref> On May 25, 2021, the road was reopened at Hampton with Stop / Slow restrictions. The 5-Mile section was still closed. The 2-Mile section was reopened on May 10, 2021.
==Major intersections== {{AUSinttop|length_ref=<ref name="gmaps" />}} {{NSWint |LGAC=Lithgow |location=Hartley |type=trans |km=0.0 |road={{AUshield|NSW|A32}} [[Great Western Highway]] (A32){{NSWcity|p=on|Lithgow|Mount Victoria}} |notes=Northern terminus of road and Tourist Route 1 }} {{Jctbridge |river=[[Coxs River]] |km=2.1 |bridge=Glenroy Bridge }} {{NSWint |LGAC=Lithgow |LGAspan=4 |location=Hartley |km=6.2 |road=McKanes Falls Road{{NSWcity|p=on|Lithgow}} |notes= }} {{NSWint |location=Lowther |km=12.2 |road=Lowther Siding Road{{NSWcity|p=on|Little Hartley}} |notes= }} {{NSWint |location=Hampton |km=19.4 |road=Hampton Road{{NSWcity|p=on|Rydal}} |notes= }} {{NSWint |location=Hampton |km=23.7 |road=[[Duckmaloi Road]]{{NSWcity|p=on|Oberon}} |notes= }} {{NSWint |LGA-Co=Oberon |LGAspan=2 |location=Jenolan |lspan=2 |km=49.7 |uspan=2 |road=Kanangra Walls Road – [[Kanangra-Boyd National Park]] |notes= }} {{NSWint |type=trans |km=none |road={{AUshield|T|1}} Edith Road (Tourist Route 1){{NSWcity|p=on|Oberon|Bathurst}} |notes=Southwestern terminus of road, Tourist Route 1 continues northwest along Edith Road }} {{Jctbtm|keys=trans}}
==See also== {{Portal|Australian Roads}} * [[Highways in Australia]] * [[List of highways in New South Wales]] * [[Fish River (Oberon)|Fish River]]
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Road infrastructure in New South Wales}}
[[Category:Highways in New South Wales]] [[Category:Oberon Council]]