This book tells a fascinating story about the mining of coal and oil shale in the Jamison and Megalong Valleys and includes the history of the Scenic Railway.

Written by Dr. Phillip Pells and Philip Hammon, it traces the stories of the pioneering developers of the late 1800s, drawn by the world’s richest oil shale deposits and coal seams, and the resultant rise of Katoomba to touristic fame.

To provide background to the central story, it also describes the society in which this all happened – the Aboriginal influences, and the bureaucratic and financial systems within which the developments had to take place.

The technical descriptions of the amazing infrastructure needed to recover the rich oil shale from the vastness of the Jamison and Megalong Valleys are written to be understood by the non-technical person.

This very readable and well illustrated book contains many previously unpublished historic photos, plus sketches and diagrams to clearly explain what was a quite complex operation.

Purchase it now for $59.95 at Scenic World!

Those who purchase a copy at Scenic World will receive a presentation box containing a piece of oil shale and a souvenir book of matches.  With these, they can test the claim that Katoomba’s oil shale was the highest quality in the world – in the privacy of their own home, of course!

You can link to the book's website here

Campbell Mitchell's diary was one source of information for the book.  The complete transcript of the diary can be found here