Old Glenbrook Railway Tunnel - A diverse history by Ireen Lark

OLD GLENBROOK
RAILWAY TUNNEL
A DIVERSE
HISTORY
BY IREEN LARK

Conquering the Blue Mountains 1867-1892
Crossing the Blue Mountains in the 1800s was a major feat for both bullock and horse
drawn wagons so when a single track railway was built from Penrith to Weatherboard
(now Wentworth Falls) in July 1867 this was hailed a triumph of engineering. The man
responsible for bringing the Great Western Line over the mountains was Chief Engineer
for NSW Railways John WhiOon. His achievements included construcQon of the
impressive sandstone viaduct over Knapsack Gully at Lapstone, the cuTngs of the
Lapstone Zig-Zag and later in 1892, one of Australia’s oldest railway tunnels at
Watertank (now Glenbrook).
Westbound train crossing Lapstone Viaduct
Engineer WhiOon was confronted with the steep escarpment slope at Lapstone on
the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range. His plan iniQally was to tunnel through
Lapstone Hill but due to budget constraints this was not possible. The slope up
Lapstone Hill was inclined at 1 in 33 and too steep for 19 th century locomoQves to climb

in one stretch so a zig-zag or switch-back was WhiOon’s soluQon to the dilemma of
geTng a railway line successfully into the Blue Mountains. How the Lapstone Zig-Zag
worked is as follows - the upper and lower ‘points’ extended beyond the central arm.
A train approached along the lower arm and conQnued unQl the last carriage was
beyond the intersecQon. The BoOom Points were then switched to the central arm
track and the locomoQve pushed the train backwards up the angled secQon unQl the
train was clear of the top arm. The Top Points were then switched and the train
proceeded on its way. With a good signals team switching the tracks at the appropriate
Qmes, the whole procedure could be carried out in 20 minutes.
Sketch of the Lapstone Zig-Zag -- note the ‘Points’ had to extend long enough to cater for the full length
of the train.
Lucasville Pla`orm was built at the Top Points level of the Lapstone Zig-Zag because
the Minister for Mines, John Lucas, needed convenient access to his holiday coOage on
the escarpment. The coOage no longer exists but the pla`orm and steps to the coOage
can sQll be seen today.
The Lapstone Zig-Zag however, was relaQvely short lived due to the problems it
posed. In 1876 when the railway was extended to Bathurst, train Qmes were slow due
to the increase in traffic. The Qme consuming reversal of trains up and down the zigzag
caused a boOleneck at the Top and BoOom points and the length of the zig-zag
configuraQon also limited the length of trains. The single track meant that trains
travelling in opposite direcQons had to stop at crossing points, the first ader Lapstone
Zig-Zag being Wascoe’s siding (near Glenbrook). The single track also contributed to a

fatal accident at Emu Plains in 1878 where eastbound and westbound goods trains
collided.
As a result of the problems associated with the zig-zag it wasn’t long before WhiOon’s
dream of a tunnel on the escarpment was revisited and the Lapstone Zig-Zag was
eventually bypassed when the first Glenbrook Tunnel deviaQon was opened in 1892.
Lapstone Viaduct
Today popular walking tracks through the bush at Glenbrook Reserve along the path
taken by the railway lead to the Lapstone Zig-Zag, Lucasville Pla`orm, the Knapsack
Gully Lapstone Viaduct and a memorial to Engineer John WhiOon who was dubbed
‘Father of the NSW Railways’.

John Whitton Engineer in Chief for the Railways
‘Father of the NSW Railways’
Lapstone Viaduct under construction c1863
Lapstone Viaduct

Lapstone Viaduct showing Top Points & ‘Lucasville’ 1860-1870
Knapsack Signal Cabin 1908-1913 Lapstone Viaduct 1908-1913

Bottom Points Lapstone 1870

Construction of Old Glenbrook Tunnel 1891 to 1892
In 1891 the decision was made to build a tunnel bypassing the Lapstone Zig Zag and
construcQon of the deviaQon tunnel through Lapstone Hill commenced in April 1891.
This single rail tunnel was part of the first aOempt to deviate from the Lapstone Zig-Zag
Railway. The line of the tunnel and its approaches were designed to form an elegant
S-shape starQng at the BoOom Points of Lapstone Zig-Zag and conQnuing into a gully
before entering the 660.3 metre long tunnel on a conQnuous 1 in 33 gradient. The
tunnel would pass beneath the ridge which carried the exisQng Zig-Zag line (now the
Great Western Highway). Ader emerging just below the original alignment at the top of
Knapsack Creek, the line would curve to the led and ascend slightly before re-joining
the exisQng line at old Glenbrook StaQon. The site of the old staQon (now demolished)
lies to the right of the Great Western Highway near the present skate park.
The building of the tunnel was contracted to George Proudfoot of Messrs D Proudfoot
& Co whose labourers and their families were established in two camps at either end of
the works, one at Glenbrook and the other at Lapstone. Mr Witherby of the Railway
Department supervised the project. For delivery of construcQon materials a siding was
built off the exisQng line to a point above where the eastern portal would eventually be
located. To enable construcQon of the tunnel it was necessary to divert a creek across
the top of the tunnel, just a few metres from the eastern portal, then down through a
cuTng to join another watercourse. To save money, a venQlaQon shad was not
included, it being thought that 'the current of air passing through it should provide
sufficient venQlaQon’ but ulQmately this proved not to be the case.
Construction of Glenbrook Tunnel Eastern Portal 1892

Towards the end of 1891, celebrated Australian arQst Sir Arthur Streeton spent three
months in the Blue Mountains at Glenbrook. During his Qme there he spent many days
at the site of the Lapstone/Glenbrook Tunnel as it was being constructed, sketching and
compleQng studies in watercolour. Streeton was fascinated by the depth of the
sandstone cuTng which led to the tunnel and the way not only the workers at the base
of the cuTng but also the gum trees along the top were so diminished in size. He
likened the eastern portal to ‘a great dragon's mouth’. By the Qme he came to paint his
famous masterpiece ‘Fire’s on’, he had familiarised himself with the terrain and was
following the development of the railway tunnel with interest. 'Fire's on' was the
warning call before the blast as the gang dynamited the Lapstone Tunnel through the
hillside. Completed on site at the eastern mouth of the tunnel, the painQng captures a
criQcal moment during its construcQon, the death of a railway worker Thomas Lawless
in an explosion on 16 December 1891 and depicts an injured worker being brought out
of the tunnel. Because of Arthur Streeton’s great painQng, the building of the tunnel
and the fatal blasQng accident which killed Thomas Lawless have become part of
Australian mythology as well as railway history.
Arthur Streeton ‘Fire’s On’ (Lapstone Tunnel) 1891 - Oil on Canvas - Art Gallery of NSW

This painQng gives the impression of having
been executed quickly capturing a dramaQc
moment. There is a strong focus on the moment
of the blast with a flurry of opaque white
pigment at the centre of the composiQon,
capturing the energy of the explosion as it
detonates from the rock face. The painQng
depicts the eastern mouth of Lapstone tunnel.
Arthur Streeton ‘Blasting on Blue Mountains’ 1891 – Watercolour- Art Gallery of NSW
This watercolour is not a study for the painQng
'Fire's on' but an independent work, preceding
the painQng rather than following it. ‘The iron
track, with the sandy mounds turned up on
each side, and the masses of rock through
which the workers have driven their way -
colour, tone and subject all strikingly real’. The
painQng depicts the eastern mouth of Lapstone
tunnel.
Arthur Streeton ‘Cutting the tunnel, Blue Mountains’ 1891 – Watercolour – Art Gallery of NSW
A coroner's inquest was held at Penrith into the death of Thomas Lawless, killed
when an explosive charge he was placing at the Glenbrook tunnel rock face went off
prematurely. ‘A party of miners were working in a tunnel at Glenbrook and one of their

number was pressing a charge of powder in the face of the cuTng when an explosion
occurred throwing the whole of the gang, four in number, off their feet and puTng out
all the lights instantly. One of the men who was uninjured, crawled out of the tunnel,
got a light and returning found his three mates injured. Thomas Lawless, who was
more severely hurt than the others, was taken to Penrith Hospital where he succumbed
on Sunday’. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the accident was caused
through using tools in a bad condiQon and that the explosion was occasioned in trying
to ram a large charge into a small compass, but they could not say to whom the blame
if any, could be imputed.
Funeral in High Street Penrith for railway worker killed during construction of
Glenbrook deviation tunnel
The Glenbrook Railway tunnel is laid out in reverse curves with transiQons - an ogee
(S shape) with reverse curves of 15 chains (302m) radius and transiQon curves of 30
chains (604m) radius. The single track used 80lb (30.3 kg) steel rails with Ironbark
sleepers substanQally ballasted with blue metal and sandstone.
The Western portal is a brick oviform tunnel entered from a cuTng through the
sandstone hill dug out when creaQng the tunnel and forming the 60m western railway
approaches. A large three ring brick parabolic arch with a sandstone outer torus
moulding surrounds the entry. The horizontally arQculated entablature above is
constructed of axe-faced and margined stone ashlars. The top of the entablature
course to the rail level is approximately 8m. The face brickwork of the surround is

plumb and laid in English bond. The arch is flanked by brick buOresses/baOered piers
on either side of the entrance. Beyond these are short sandstone retaining walls laid in
squared rubble.
Diagram of the Western Portal
The Eastern portal is similar to the western although the flanking piers are a liOle
wider due to the slightly wider railway cuTng. This is partly due to the approach to
the hillside at the western cuTng being generally steeper.
The tunnel internally is constructed of brick laid in English bond for 40 courses from
the floor, above which the height changes to stretcher bond. The shape of the tunnel is
a conQnuaQon of the entrance arch. Weep holes are located in the walls about 2
courses above ground level that are one course high and about 2.5m apart. The floor
has an even grade of 1 in 33 upwards from east to west. Regularly placed recessed
refuges designed as safe spaces for railway workers caught in the tunnel as a train
approached are located down both sides of the tunnel about 48 metres apart. They are
686mm deep, 1.2m wide and 1.98m high and are characterised by a three ring
segmental arch.

Interior showing recessed safety refuge
Roof section
This deviaQon tunnel should have been finished by the end of 1891 but the sudden
death of the railway contractor David Proudfoot, caused the work to extend for another
year, a total of 20 months in all. The cost of the whole work was under £50,000 with
the tunnel cosQng £37,000 to build.
The Glenbrook tunnel project was a major feat of engineering and was at the Qme
considered ‘one of the greatest wonders of the colony perhaps it may be said – of the
world’. The tunnel was opened to rail traffic in December 1892.

Operation of Old Glenbrook Tunnel 1892-1913
The opening of Glenbrook railway tunnel occurred on 18 December 1892 with the new
route being hailed as a major improvement although the new deviaQon was sQll only a
single track.
‘Sunday adernoon was busy for those engaged at the foot of the great mountain
barrier which rises precipitately from the Emu Plains. Men have been toiling for many
months digging out cuTngs and delving through tunnels but their work had been liOle
noQced Qll Sunday when it received the crown of successful achievement. In the
morning the last train crawled slowly over the Lapstone Zig-Zag and in the adernoon,
just as the dusk of a wet day was closing in, the first train passed through the deviaQng
tunnel and, without once reversing its course, ran straight on to Glenbrook where it
joined the original Western line’
‘Sunday, it will be remembered, was parQcularly damp and the task of connecQng
the rails was surrounded by excepQonal difficulQes with impaQent engineers and rainsodden
platelayers. By 5 o'clock in the adernoon the connecQon was accomplished and
a heavily laden goods train made a successful trial trip through the steamy tunnel’
‘The new line, which starts at the foot of the former Zig-Zag, branches off southward
through a deep cuTng and eventually enters a tunnel half a mile in length from which
it emerges close to Glenbrook staQon. The whole length is only one mile 33 chains as
compared with two miles three chains, the length of the old line. This is a saving in
direct distance of 50 chains, to say nothing of the greater facility in working. In fact the
Chief Commissioner esQmates that the new line will enable from 35 to 50 thousand
train miles extra to be run annually.
Goods trains of any length may now be used, the load being limited only by the hauling
power of the engines which, especially in the case of the new Baldwins, is able to cope
with many more trucks than have previously been used in making up a train’ (Sydney
Morning Herald 20 December 1892)
Glenbrook Railway Tunnel
Historic Sketch

Original Glenbrook Railway Station 1900 (Re-erected in 1916 as Artarmon Station Sydney)
However, the deviaQon soon proved to be somewhat of a disaster. Even if it did
eliminate the zig-zag which restricted train length, the problem was the design of the
tunnel. The first problem was the climb, the tunnel being on a steep, conQnuous 1 in
33 gradient. The second and main problem was venQlaQon (no venQlaQon shad was
included to save money). The tunnel was low and single-track which made the
dimensions Qght, and towards one end was a curve, which made the venQlaQon even
worse parQcularly for west-bound trains. Passengers and crew found themselves
fighQng off suffocaQng smoke, fumes and coal grit from the locomoQve and water
seeping from the tunnel roof kept the rails slippery and wet. Trains would begin
slipping halfway through the tunnel, forcing engine crews, overcome by fumes, to
retreat for air. In one incident of 1908, a retreaQng train met with another down goods
train in a collision at the tunnel mouth.
In one instance, ‘.....passengers had to spend nearly an hour admiring the beauQes of
the interior of Glenbrook tunnel. Whilst traversing the tunnel the train stopped, and
not unQl divided in two secQons could progress be made. The stoppage is said to be
due to the lack of sufficient head of steam’. (The Nepean Times 12 September 1912)

A Sydney-bound goods train crosses Knapsack Creek and enters the Western portal of the tunnel. The
line of the original Zig-Zag railway can be seen running across the top of the photo (this is now the Great
Western Highway). This section of the original line was kept as a refuge siding. Later it became the
start of the construction tramway leading to the new Glenbrook Gorge tunnel. Photo: OB Bolton
Bank Engine (AB Class goods) returning from Katoomba leaving the Eastern portal of Glenbrook Tunnel
‘A railway accident occurred at the Glenbrook tunnel recently. Two trucks in a train
of empQes ran off the line. Owing to the smoke and steam issuing from the engine, the
trucks were not noQced Qll the train was 20 yards outside the tunnel. No damage was

done but it is considered miraculous that the derailed trucks ran over a large open
bridge without toppling over.’ (Australian Town & Country Journal 15 April 1893)
‘This morning a special train, preceding the ordinary passenger, with Driver J Willis
and Fireman T Wright in charge of the engine, led Emu Plains and made three aOempts
to get through the tunnel. It was not Qll ader porQon of the train had been led behind
that they succeeded. When the first porQon arrived at Glenbrook the driver became
unconscious and the fireman was ill. Another driver and fireman got the second part of
the train through and led Glenbrook at half past 12. Driver Willis received first aid at
Glenbrook and with Fireman Wright came on to Penrith. Willis is very ill and it is
believed his lungs are affected by the hot air in the tunnel. Fireman Wright is slightly
burned about the face. None of the passengers suffered to any extent’. (Sydney
Morning Herald 1 January 1903)
‘It is Qme that the railway authoriQes remedied the defecQve nature and venQlaQon
of the Glenbrook tunnel. Last week two of the railway men were lying prostrate for
some hours owing to the suffocaQng character of the smoke in the tunnel, whilst
passengers in the trains passing through even in two minutes find the density of smoke
unbearable. Goods trains having two engines, the driver and fireman of the pusher (the
rear engine) oden have a terrible experience and someQmes become unconscious…..as
with any accident within the tunnel numbers of passengers would be suffocated to
death in a very short Qme. The railway men who suffer untold discomfort dare not
complain—and it is led to the travelling public to stand by these poor fellows, which I
hope they will do with no uncertain voice. Something should be done, either to widen
and venQlate the tunnel (which by the way curves like the leOer S), or find some
deviaQon. Few alteraQons are more urgent than the venQlaQon of the Glenbrook
tunnel and the work should be carried out immediately’. (Sydney Morning Herald
18 January 1908)
The problem with the ‘Rathole’ tunnel, as it was known, was finally addressed ader
the Lithgow Zig-Zag deviaQon was completed in 1910 and the railway gangs were
moved to Glenbrook. Major works were involved in bypassing Glenbrook Tunnel. A
new viaduct was built over Knapsack Gully to the east and the new line then ran
through the virgin country of Glenbrook Gorge south of the old alignment as far as the
present Lapstone staQon. It then turned west through a short replacement tunnel
under The Bluff and finally north to the present Glenbrook staQon. The gradient was
reduced to 1 in 60 compared with the 1 in 33 of the old tunnel deviaQon.

During construcQon of the new route a spur line was run from the main line near the
eastern portal of old Glenbrook tunnel to the edge of Glenbrook Gorge, where a cable
incline descended to the works site. This funicular railway was constructed to enable
bricks and materials to be brought close to the mouth of the new tunnel. The spur line
route is now a walking track. Above the Eastern portal the track leads south to the old
tramway route which crosses Explorers Road Glenbrook just below the primary school.
The remains of the winding house and incline are signposted. Just west of Bluff
Lookout are the remains of the funicular railway descending into Glenbrook Gorge.
There are excellent views of Glenbrook Gorge also from this locaQon.
Glenbrook Funicular Tramway Railway c1910
IniQally it was planned to conQnue using the 1892 Glenbrook Tunnel for downhill
trains and when the new deviaQon opened on 11 May 1913 as a single track only the
old tunnel was sQll being used for east-bound (downhill) trains. When duplicaQon
(dual tracks) was finally completed, the new up line was acQvated in September 1913
and the ‘Rathole’ tunnel was replaced by the new Glenbrook Gorge Tunnel which is
currently in use today.

Construction work Glenbrook Gorge Tunnel Deviation 1910 -1913
Glenbrook Gorge Tunnel Deviation -19 Men - 1911

This photo shows the first train
through Glenbrook Gorge in 1911
Note the second locomoQve
assisQng the climb. Old Glenbrook
tunnel was sQll in use for downhill
trains at this Qme.
Glenbrook Gorge Deviation 1912

Railway line at Glenbrook - cutting in the new track work Glenbrook deviation 1912
East of old Glenbrook Station original line embankment to left & 1 st deviation track on right.
Railway workers camp 1912

Closure of old Glenbrook Tunnel – From Railway to
Mushroom Farm 1913-1942
Glenbrook Tunnel was last used for trains on 25 September 1913. Old Glenbrook
staQon was closed, the lines in the tunnel were raised and it quietly decayed laying
abandoned for 20 years unQl an enterprising couple decided it was perfect for another
use.
In 1933 Herbert Rowe, an out of work master builder, and his wife Fanny had the idea
of growing mushrooms in the disused tunnel. Requiring high humidity and temperature
as well as darkness, the old Glenbrook tunnel was ideal. In June 1934 the tunnel was
leased for 12 months from NSW Railways by Herbert Edward Rowe (affecQonately
known as ‘Pop’) for £13 per annum. Previously a Stan Breakspear had fenced off an
area close to the tunnel where he kept a bull.
Mr and Mrs Rowe created living quarters from an old Wirth’s Circus tent that they
pitched on a flat area to the right of the entrance leading into the western end of the
tunnel. A small cave formed by some overhanging rock was the Rowe’s kitchen and a
culvert, under what is now the Great Western Highway, was their ‘cold chest’. A pool
dug at the end of the culvert was their water tank.
Herbert Rowe built his own mushroom growing beds which were three metres wide
with a narrow path down the led side for access and working space. About three
quarters of the length of the tunnel was taken up by the beds. In the early stages of the
mushroom growing project, the spore was obtained in blocks about 12 feet by 6 feet
from a Mr Hearn of Como near Sutherland in Sydney and later from Dr Noble from the
Department of Agriculture. The mushrooms were sold to well-known green grocer De
Luca of King Street, Sydney.
When the Rowes renewed their lease in 1936 the Commissioner of Railways warned
them that in the event of war they would be given three months’ noQce to vacate the
site. However, it wasn’t unQl 1939 that the underground farm showed any return and
just as the farm was coming into profit, the Rowe’s world was rudely interrupted.
When war broke out in September 1939 it is believed the Rowes were actually only
given one weeks’ noQce to vacate the site. By January 1942 the Royal Australian Air
force occupied the tunnel under naQonal security regulaQons. The Rowes, no longer
able to farm the mushrooms, were employed by the RAAF to compensate for their loss
of livelihood. Herbert Rowe stayed on at the RAAF tunnel camp as their maintenance
person.

Old Glenbrook Tunnel WWII – Bombs, Chemical Weapons
& ‘The Mustard Gas Men’ 1942-1946
By 1937, two years prior to WWII, Australia was already giving consideraQon to the
need for procurement of gas for war Qme defence purposes. Although the use of
chemical weapons for offensive use was prohibited, the Geneva Protocol did not
prevent a naQon imporQng such weapons thus reserving a capability for retaliatory
strikes (Mustard gas and other chemical weapons were banned ader the horrors of
WW1). It was on this basis that the Australian authoriQes would covertly import its
‘insurance’ stocks.
Early in 1942 the Japanese southward advance, parQcularly the fall of Singapore,
caused Australia to prepare for possible invasion. Of parQcular concern was whether
Japan would use chemical weapons as it had in China. Australia requested chemical
warfare stocks from Britain in March and the first supplies docked in Australia in May
1942. Later stocks would also come from the United States. Australia would eventually
hold close to 1 million individual chemical muniQons weapons including at least 16
different types of mustard gas, and 34 types of chemical weapons were eventually
located at 15 major storage depots across Australia.
In NSW four tunnels would be used for storage purposes. These were Marrangaroo,
Glenbrook and Clarence in the Blue Mountains and Picton south of Sydney. They were
all Australian supervised sites. Marrangaroo and Glenbrook were the first of the
tunnels established followed by Picton and then Clarence. The Picton tunnel was
constructed as part of the original main southern railway line. The remaining three
were a part of the Lithgow Zig-Zag railway line. The four tunnels formed the base for
the Royal Australian Air Force's No. 1 Central Reserve. The headquarters for No. 1
Central Reserve was based at the combined RAAF-Army depot at Marangaroo, several
kilometres from the Marangaroo tunnel. No. 1 Central Reserve acted as a central depot
for chemical and non-chemical stocks and as a replenishment centre for NSW.
The locaQon of the tunnels placed them out of range of aircrad carriers and out of
aerial view thus protecQng them from air aOack. They were virtually bomb proof
having large heavy wooden doors several inches thick at both entrances that were
closed at night. The tunnels were easily guarded and offered protecQon from constant
humidity and both fluctuaQng and high temperatures.

Glenbrook Tunnel
The disused railway tunnel under the Great Western Highway at Glenbrook played a
key role in Australia’s WWII effort – in fact the Blue Mountains area was the centre of
our Chemical Warfare history and the populaQon at the Qme had no idea.
Around April 1941 officers from Richmond Air Force Base made an iniQal inspecQon
of the old railway tunnel, they were searching for an area to store convenQonal
explosives. On 6 January 1942 the Air Board approved the take-over of the disused 660
metre long tunnel by the RAAF for the storage of 500lb bombs with the acquisiQon
occurring on 4 April 1942. The RAAF laid a concrete grid floor in the tunnel and
installed a telephone system for security purposes. Glenbrook became No. 1 Central
Reserve No. 2 Sub Depot.
The BriQsh oversaw the iniQal establishment of chemical warfare agents handling
procedures. On 9 August 1942 arrangements for the first intake of chemical weapons
at Glenbrook were advised with material being received from the ship MV
‘Nigerstrrom’. When further supplies of chemicals arrived it was decided to move high
explosive stocks from Glenbrook and Picton and devote these tunnels to gas stocks
alone. Glenbrook housed mainly mustard gas from late August 1942.
Western portal of Glenbrook Tunnel – drums of Mustard Gas to left

The RAAF stacked the Glenbrook tunnel from end to end with containers to store
thousands of tonnes of mustard gas, a thick fluid that looked like oil. These consisted
mainly of bulk drums of mustard gas (50/90 gallon and Chemical Special No. 6) but also
included 65lb bombs. During operaQon the S curved, 660 metre tunnel was long and
dark with widely spaced lighQng. On the led hand side at the start of the tunnel were
small containers - canisters in wooden crates. About midway canisters were located on
one side and drums on the other. Further along the tunnel the canister and drum
storage was reversed. The tunnel had very liOle clearance making it difficult for the
trucks to back into the tunnel to load and unload the chemicals.
Glenbrook tunnel - only known surviving photo from within any of the four chemical warfare tunnels.
Left - Chemical Special No. 6 Mustard Gas cans (used to charge bombs) & drums to right
Chemical Weapons Bomb Trolley – ‘Leapin Lena’ the tractor pulling the bomb trolley out of the tunnel
the only practical means of moving the weapons
There was only one way the 1 million chemical weapons could be landed in Australia
and that was by ship and their desQnaQon was Walsh Bay right under the Sydney
Harbour Bridge. In 1943 an incident occurred involving the ship ‘Indomeneus’ when a

leaking drum gassed dozens of stevedores, blinding them for weeks and impairing their
health forever. Andrew Williams distressed by blindness and huge blisters that
developed around his genitals and chest and mad with pain from the mustard gas
burns, jumped to his death from a top floor hospital window.
‘Idomeneus’ - the most infamous chemical weapons carrier. A leaking drum resulted in one death and over 100
gas casualties.
The cargo was blacklisted and the RAAF was forced to move the ship to their wharf at
Glebe Island Balmain. But at least 80lb of mustard gas had penetrated the floor in the
ship’s hold and seventy RAAF personnel suffered mild to severe mustard gas burns in
the clean-up operaQon.
Nineteen year old Frank Bourke was one of the RAAF personnel asked to help clean
up the ship’s hold for an extra day’s leave but what Frank didn’t know was he would be
cleaning up a toxic spill from deadly mustard gas, already on its way to Glenbrook
Tunnel. Because the men had no idea of the danger, they were dressed only in basic
overalls. Frank was badly burned and rushed to Concord RepatriaQon Hospital where
he was told he would not survive and was given his last rights. Frank however did
survive and spent three agonising months in hospital recovering from his burns.

Glenbrook armourer Les Parsons ader being gassed on the ‘Idomeneus’ went crosseyed,
had double Pneumonia and almost died. He was 'photophobic' (sensiQve to
light) all his life.
Les Parsons - before
Les Parsons - after
It was following the disastrous incident involving the ‘Indomeneus’ that the RAAF
realised they would need specially trained armourers to handle, transport and
eventually destroy the stocks, and therefore the specialist chemical weapons unit, ‘The
Mustard Gas Men’, was formed.
Although most of the weapons were carried by rail through the heart of Sydney from
the wharves some went by semi-trailer directly to Glenbrook tunnel and that job fell to
Harry Evans. He couldn’t wear a gas mask as he thought that would look a bit strange
and one rainy night on his way to the tunnel it was lucky a full load didn’t contaminate
Penrith. A drunk driver, losing control of his car, slammed into the semi with its top
secret cargo. The Police wanted to quesQon Harry Evans but he told them they couldn’t
talk to him about what’s on the load ‘I know what it is but I’m not telling you nor
anybody….you’re wasQng your Qme trying to talk to me’. Evans took both his oath of
secrecy and military discipline very seriously.
Harry Evans was burned by leaking canisters on one occasion when tying down his
load. He didn’t wear the protecQve clothing issued to him because it was impracQcal –
‘try tying a knot in a rope with gloves on’ he said. Some of the canisters had small
leaks and his arm broke out in huge yellow hanging blisters.

Eastern portal of Glenbrook Tunnel – drums of Mustard Gas awaiting storage to right.
Savage guard dog at centre 1943
To accommodate faciliQes for maintenance and inspecQon, venQng and decanQng of
containers and decontaminaQon of damaged hardware, an area was set up in the
lower/eastern end cuTng leading from the tunnel.
Maintenance cutting East of Glenbrook tunnel. Mustard gas drums to right seen in bond (a settling
period after venting) & other drums are being cleaned & repainted by an armourer under the tarpaulin.
Mid 1943

On 14 July 1943 the Director of Armament staff RAAF conducted inspecQons of
chemical weapons and maintenance faciliQes at Glenbrook. He noted ‘drums stored at
both ends of the tunnel in the open due to insufficient space must be maintained at
once as they are rusQng badly’.
Aerial view of Glenbrook tunnel Eastern Cutting
The problem with storing mustard gas was the pressure building up and the RAAF’s
specialist chemical weapons unit were responsible for the unloading, transportaQon,
maintenance and disposal of chemical warfare stocks. The daily job of ‘The Mustard
Gas Men’ was to drag the containers from the tunnel, undo the bungs to release the
dangerous pressure, apply a leakage detector paint around the seams and put them
back into the cool storage area. But these brave men paid the price – mustard gas
vapour penetrates the skin with lightning speed and burns were common when the gas
came in contact with the skin. Despite its innocent appearance of dark oil, it released a
constant dangerous vapour and the hoOer the drum the more pressure. They were
literally working with one of the most dangerous substances known to man at that
Qme…and being exposed to it daily. The men were required to do maintenance on the
containers wearing gumboots, rubber gloves and heavy woollen clothing which was
designed for the cooler UK climate and with temperatures oden reaching 40 degrees
the men were unable to wear the anQ-gas gear as they found it unbearable in the heat.

Left to Right: 'Tiny' Waterman, Mark Williams, Geoff ‘Tassie’ Burn, Les Parsons, Arthur Blackwell and
Alan Jack. August 1944 RAAF Chemical Warfare Armourers
Royal Australian Air Force Chemical Warfare Armourers, ‘The Mustard Gas Men’ at Glenbrook
cu?ng atop Chemical Special No. 6 drums filled mustard gas. They are close to the tunnel entrance
where the drums were stored and have been dragged out for maintenance. When photographed
the drums are in ‘bond’, a seIling period aJer maintenance. These drums were used to fill 65 lb
bombs (essenMally 4 gallon kerosene cans). The storage and transport crates are seen to the right
and under Arthur Blackwell. Doug Bain, another Glenbrook armourer, has his named graffiMed on
the wall. This photo was taken illegally by mustard gas man Frank Moran who became a
professional photographer aJer the war. Taking photos of a military establishment was a court
marshalling offence during the war.

Armourer Mel Carney atop a mustard gas filled drum in the cutting at Glenbrook Tunnel
Chemical special No. 6 drums (filled Mustard Gas) in crates on way to Glenbrook tunnel - Mustard Gas
Men atop - Geoff Burn (second left) Harry Briggs (standing far right)

Glenbrook Tunnel Camp
Glenbrook Tunnel Depot Kitchen (Centre)
Airman’s Mess (left) mid 1943
Glenbrook Camp Western End Kitchen to
left & temporary accommodation to right
Masonite hut accommodation
Camp outside Western entrance of tunnel
Offices, orderly room and Officers' quarters
Area where leaking drums were decanted
Glenbrook Tunnel Anti-Gas Clothing Store
Storeroom
Glenbrook was considered the most pleasant of the tunnel depots by the men who
worked with the gas. The site was described in 1943 as being about 5km into the bush.
The camp consisted of the headquarters, orderly room, a store, alcove for maintenance,

carpenter, mess hut with a big stone fireplace and an open fire to cook on, Masonite
and wooden framed sleeping huts which had replaced tents. The huts had shuOers at
the top and boOom which could be propped open shower and toilet blocks and a small
transport secQon hut. During the summer months RAAF staff members from the
Glenbrook camp were called out to fight bushfires. Despite the dangerous nature of
their work the men had extremely fond memories of living in Glenbrook. Former
Armourer Geoff Burn said ‘the local people at Glenbrook were always very good, they
used to turn on a dance and tennis tournaments and those sort of things’
Glenbrook locals had seen the Movie Tone films on air raid precauQons and heard of
the possibility of gas aOacks but it was a shock to know they lived only hundreds of
metres from the deadly arsenal. Although the mustard gas stored in the railway tunnel
was supposed to be a secret the Glenbrook locals knew it existed and the children were
told not to talk about its existence as it would sabotage the war effort - they knew but
pretended not to. The fact that the operaQon was top secret was obvious to them
because thousands of drums would arrive by rail and were loaded onto semi-trailers,
but the RAAF trucks would then leave Glenbrook railway yards on their way to the
tunnel by four different roads never using the same road twice in a row.
Eleven year old Ron Hughes lived in Glenbrook with his family who managed a guest
house during the war years. One of the Air Force men came in to see his wife who was
staying there. His arm was covered with huge blisters which Ron Hughes was told were
caused by mustard gas. His parents told him to be quiet about what he saw as it was
‘hush-hush’. Another primary school student Tim Miers said the townsfolk of
Glenbrook agreed to keep the mustard gas stockpile a secret. One adernoon an RAAF
trucker was transporQng drums of mustard gas from the Glenbrook railway siding to the
tunnel when two of the drums fell off and burst open. A high ranking Air Force officer
visited all the nearby homes advising mothers to shut the doors and windows and keep
their children inside unQl the toxic spill was cleaned up. There was a strange smell like
roOen eggs and two men in full anQ-gas gear turned up and rolled the drums into the
gully where they were dealt with. Tim was always too scared to explore the gully – a
wise decision as ‘Chinese whispers’ were correct.
AddiQonal shipments of gas in 1943-44 compelled the commissioning of Clarence
tunnel to take the overflow. By 7 February 1944 the transfer of chemical weapons
stocks from No. 2 Sub Depot Glenbrook to Clarence Tunnel began.
On 1 May 1944 Chemical Weapons Plan stated ‘The Royal Australian Air Force is
capable of full scale chemical weapons operaQng from Australian bases’.
By August

1944 the RAAF decided that chemical weapons stocks and equipment, other than
obsolete items, should be held substanQally in forward areas. No. 1 Central Reserve
therefore became a transit point, rather than a storage area, to facilitate the supply of
chemical weapons to forward units should retaliatory chemical warfare acQon be
sancQoned.
During the peak period for the arrival of chemicals from Great Britain and the African
desert zone Glenbrook railway siding was inadequate for the transport operaQons and
associated influx of railway wagons and motor vehicles. Therefore trains were kept at
Penrith and batches of 14-20 wagons brought to Glenbrook as required.
Railway siding at Glenbrook - Chemical Weapons arrived at Glenbrook railway siding by train.
They were transferred to semi-trailers and taken to the nearby tunnel.
In 1946, following the end of the war, the Australian Defence CommiOee agreed to the
Army and RAAF requests to dispose of chemical ammuniQon. The Australian
Government faced the dilemma of how to dispose of the stocks of chemicals and
neither the Army nor Air Force had experience with disposal of chemical weapons. As
a result, trials were conducted to determine the best form of large scale chemical
destrucQon. Burning, sea dumping and venQng were found appropriate for the
different types of chemicals. Two ship loads of gas were scuOled 18 miles from Sydney
Heads, the remainders simply pushed off the deck as loose item. The material in the
sea remains there to this day. Fire was found to be the most appropriate method for
mustard gas.
Chemical Warfare armourer Mel Carney recalls in 1946 at the Qme when they had to
get rid of the gas, the delicate work of backing a semi-trailer into the tunnel. ‘There
was just enough room to get in with the trucks so they had to try and work from both
sides if they could, which was difficult. In the straight part it was alright but once you
got to the curves you had to get rid of the drums from both sides of the tunnel…I never
realised that the semi-trailers drivers were so good at their job - standing on the
running board reversing up the tunnel, using his controls, his hand throOle from the
running board. I guess we had to take our hats off to those chaps’.

Chemical warfare stocks from No. 1 Central Reserve, including those from
Marrangaroo and Glenbrook, were burnt at Newnes State Forest. Marrangaroo and
Glenbrook stocks were the last to be burned. The actual disposal took place from 14
February to 14 March 1946 when 2,000 tonnes, some 20,000 items, were incinerated.
Truck tipping chemical weapons Chemical Special No. 6 in Crates. Bulk drums to the left
Drums of mustard gas burn fiercely at Newnes State Forest. Drums of mustard gas to left
Chemical Special No. 6 to right
Post war inspecQons showed that the burn had been incomplete and re-disposal
operaQons were conducted between 1947 and 1949, including re-burning some items
and the use of bleach. Final decontaminaQon took place in 1980 when approximately
2,500 tonnes of mainly soil residue was removed from the Newnes State Forest burn
site to the nearby Marrangaroo AmmuniQon Depot to be burned in a pit and bleached.

Honouring the Glenbrook Tunnel ‘Mustard Gas Men’
Geoff (Tassie) Burn and Arthur Lewis were two of the RAAF armourers who had
worked at Glenbrook tunnel looking ader the deadly stash of chemical weapons. In
January 2008 the two men (both aged 83) made an emoQonal return visit to the old
Glenbrook railway tunnel. They had both joined the RAAF at 18 wanQng to become air
gunners but were ordered to the secret RAAF chemical warfare unit.
For more than 60 years Geoff Burn and Arthur Lewis kept silent about the terrible
secret hidden in the disused railway tunnel. They refused to join Anzac Day marches
and wouldn't talk about their Qme in Glenbrook tunnel. Mr Burn said. ‘When the war
was over they didn't want to know about us. They just wiped our war records. Mine
said I had been aOached to headquarters but I was never there’. He, like many others in
the unit, suffered health problems but he can't prove they were caused by contact with
the gas as his records were destroyed at the end of the war. ‘We'd rather have been
doing something more useful like fighQng Japs’ Mr Burn said.
Geoff Burn & Arthur Lewis outside the Glenbrook
tunnel in January 2008. Sun-Herald
Geoff Burn & fellow Glenbrook armourer
Les Parsons revisit eastern end of the tunnel
Later in 2008 the Defence Department published a book ‘Chemical Warfare In
Australia’ - detailing the unit's story, including how they and army volunteers were used
as guinea pigs by their own commanders. Author Geoff PlunkeO said the unit had the
most dangerous and underrated job in the military - maintaining, storing and shiding
the chemicals and bombs daily. One Glenbrook armourer quoted in the book, Noel
Stoneman, talks about the shame of the secrecy that lasted a lifeQme. ‘Because most of
the Qme we were working with rubber gloves and respirators… we had nice sod hands
and we were regarded as bludgers because it appeared as though we weren’t doing
anything….but of course we couldn’t divulge anything’.
It was a reunion in 1990 of chemical armourers at Penrith RSL organised by fellow
armourer Frank Moran that proved pivotal in loosening a secret that the veterans had
kept even from their own families for more than half a century. But perhaps the

cruellest blow came when Geoff Burn turned up at an RSL funcQon wearing the insignia
sponsored by Veteran’s Affairs for the Chemical Warfare SecQon and designed ader the
1990 reunion when their role finally became public. One of the other veterans started
asking him about it, scepQcal, perhaps believing he was making it up.
Chemical Warfare Armours Reunion Penrith 1990 Chemical Warfare Insignia designed in 1990
it was their first & only meeting
Yet the danger faced by Burn and his mates was real with the ‘gas’ now officially
listed as a carcinogen. There were enough chemical weapons stored in Glenbrook
tunnel from 1942 to 1945 to wipe out the whole populaQon of Sydney and only a
handful of survivors, Australia’s mustard gas men, knew it ever existed.
Two of the armourers died in accidents from mustard gas.
A commanding officer
from one of the Chemical warfare storage depots was referred to a psychiatrist when
he thought it was reasonable to get some medical assistance for health consequences
of his military service ‘Sorry, you’ve got the wrong war mate, that stuff happened on
the Somme but we never had any here’.
As well as transporQng mustard gas to Glenbrook tunnel, Harry Evans also
transported it to Marrangaroo, a bomb storage depot near Lithgow NSW. Known as
‘the fake town that never was’, Marrangaroo was disguised as a village with its own
butchers shop, petrol staQon and hotel. The former guard house was disguised as Alf
Jones the butcher, the quartermasters store as a petrol staQon with dummy pumps and
the Mess was disguised as Ryan’s Hotel. The Mess is sQll a Mess with XXX painted on
the roof although the horses Qed to the hitching rail are gone as have the papier-mâché

chickens that were moved around by hand. Harry Evans insisted he has no regrets
about what he did during the war just how he’s been treated since.
Alf Jones butchers shop was the Guard House - Marrangaroo
Ryan’s Hotel was the Mess - Marrangaroo

The Chemical Warfare Unit Geoff Burn was assigned to in 1942 ‘didn’t exist’ unQl
2008 when the military called upon him to help clean up their own toxic mess. At the
end of WWII Geoff Burn had helped bury about 30 drums of mustard gas and phosgene
gas at Marrangaroo, and in 2008 the Defence Department asked Mr Burn to help them
find the bombs–a clean-up of a place that ‘never existed’. According to Mr Burn the
clean-up was only possible because of his expert knowledge of the area.
Geoff Burn with 250lb deadly Phosgene bombs
uncovered from Marrangaroo in 2008
David Bradbury MP, Member for Lindsay had acknowledged the WWII service of
these personnel in a speech to Federal Parliament in June 2008. ‘Mr Burn and the
other men in his unit were young, inexperienced and ill prepared for the gruelling task
that lay before them. In the course of their duQes, which included extensive tesQng of
the weapons throughout Australia, exposure to the toxic chemicals was rouQne. Those
exposed suffered from horrible burns, rashes and respiratory illnesses, which for many
people conQnue to recur in old age’
‘I understand that Mr Burn and the majority of his colleagues have experienced
difficulQes in receiving appropriate recogniQon and compensaQon for their work in this
unit despite the risk that it posed to their health. This has largely been because they
were not posted overseas during WWII, making them ineligible to receive a gold card,
and also because the secret nature of their posQngs resulted in the omission from their
Defence records of details of their service in the Chemical Warfare Unit’.
‘I do not have the power to correct the official records of each and every member of
the chemical warfare unit but it is my honour to ensure that the service of Mr Geoff
Burn and his colleagues is appropriately recognised here in the naQon’s parliament’.
In February 2009 Geoff Burn and Arthur Lewis’s story went global in the History
Channel documentary series CiQes of the Underworld in an episode called ‘Alcatraz
Down Under’ which featured the Glenbrook Tunnel’s secret warQme past and the

‘Mustard Gas Men’. Presenter Don Wildman interviewed the two former RAAF
armourers at the old railway tunnel where the men had served from 1943 to 1945.
Geoff Burn & Arthur Lewis with Cities of the Underworld presenter Don Wildman
Geoff Burn recounts how he was lucky not to lose an eye when he removed his gas mask prematurely
and mustard gas vapour dropped on him burning his faced and blinding him for days.
The eight minute segment of the documentary CiQes of the Underworld ‘Alcatraz Down
Under’ can be watched on h#ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKQUED3G0ho
Ader decades of denial, the military finally recognised the unit's contribuQon to the
war effort and on Remembrance Day 2009 Australia’s WWII chemical warfare personnel
were honoured at a plaque unveiling ceremony conducted at the war memorial at
Glenbrook Panthers Bowling Club. The plaque is in recogniQon of the RAAF Chemical
Warfare Armourers and other personnel who worked with mustard gas chemical
weapons in the Glenbrook tunnel from 1942 to 1946. The Glenbrook RSL was awarded
a $4,000 grant from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs to produce this plaque.

David Bradbury, member for Lindsay, provided the unveiling address, some of the
original personnel from WWII or their relaQves aOended, as well as federal and state
parliamentarians and local council representaQves.
One of the veterans Doug Bain said ‘I had lots of burns from the mustard gas and I’ve
been treated all my life…you could taste it in the air… many of the armourers had huge
yellow blisters hanging down off their arms the size of tennis balls caused from contact
with leaking mustard gas’. Stewart Glover, Radio Officer from the infamous ship
‘Indomeneus’ who also aOended the ceremony stated ‘It was my bloody fault - I
brought the stuff over from the UK’. Geoff Burn said the plaque had brought them
some relief ‘This should have happened years ago but we couldn’t get any recogniQon
out of the government’
World War II RAAF Chemical Warfare Armourers
unveiling the plaque.
Left to right Arthur Lewis, Doug Bain & Geoff Burn
The Plaque depicting Glenbrook Tunnel &
The Mustard Gas Men showing Doug Bain’s
name graffitied on the wall top left
Model of Glenbrook Tunnel created for the
Ceremony
Stewart Glover Radio Officer from the ‘Indomeneus’

‘
WWII Chemical Warfare Armourers Geoff Burn, Doug Bain, Group Captain Graeme Davies, David
Bradbury MP & WWII Chemical Warfare Armourer Arthur Lewis
Geoff Burn has been saluted in Federal Parliament, had his story told in a book,
featured in a History Channel documentary, acknowledged by official leOer and
vindicated by being asked to help the military. Despite all this he’s sQll not enQtled to a
full military pension, compensaQon or a Gold Card because, as a departmental leOer to
him stated ‘…you did not incur danger from hosQle forces of the enemy whilst serving
inside Australia during the war’.

Old Glenbrook Tunnel – From Chemical Warfare Weapons
to Mushroom Farm 1946 – Present Day
At the end of WWII the tunnel was again abandoned and subsequently reverted to its
pre-war use as a mushroom farm. For years, no one seems to know how many, the
Glenbrook tunnel has been leased from the NSW Railways (now Rail Corp) for
commercial mushroom growing.
Western Portal
IniQally classic buOon mushrooms were grown. A refrigeraQon unit was installed but
with such a long tunnel the power costs were prohibiQve and by 1991 exoQc Asian
mushrooms, not previously produced in Australia, were started. Requiring less labour
they’ve been grown in Glenbrook tunnel ever since. Mr Y. Cho, owner of The
Mushroom BioTech Australia, a commercial mushroom-growing business, commenced
operaQons in the tunnel in 1992. According to Mr Cho the atmospheric condiQons
inside the tunnel were perfect for growing mushrooms.

Western Portal
In 1993 the Total Environment Centre called for the immediate closure of Glenbrook
tunnel, and all other single track railway tunnels used as poisonous gas depots during
WWII, demanding a halt to mushroom growing due to health fears. It wanted State and
Federal authoriQes to assess what it believed was a real risk to health from mushrooms
grown in the tunnel staQng that during WWII leaking canisters of mustard gas were
stored in the 660 metre long Glenbrook tunnel and a lot of poisonous material leaked
at both ends of the tunnel as well as inside it. One product contained in mustard gas,
arsenic, is a strong acute poison in very small doses and is considered carcinogenic and
there was a concern that condensaQon from the walls and roof of the tunnel may have
affected mushrooms grown in the tunnel. But the tunnel's history did not concern
lessee Mr Cho. ‘I can't see any problems arising because poisonous gas was stored in
the tunnel. That happened a long Qme ago. People have been growing mushrooms
commercially inside this tunnel for years.’ Mr Cho stated.
It was confirmed by veterans who aOended a reunion at the tunnel in 1992 that a
massive clean-up had occurred. Former RAAF chemical warfare armourer Frank Moran
also stated ‘I revisited Glenbrook in 1989 and entered deep into the tunnel with the
then-manager of the mushroom-growing company. If there had been any detectable
trace of mustard gas polluQon rest assured my nose would have told me’ UlQmately it
was determined that the Commonwealth had cleaned up the tunnel in about 1990.
Of the four tunnels in NSW used for Chemical Warfare storage during WWII,
Glenbrook tunnel is the only one that conQnues to be used for mushroom growing
purposes today.

Mr John Gates, the current lessee of the historic Glenbrook tunnel, states that the
cold, moist air inside is ideal for culQvaQng fungi which he has grown by the thousands
since 2002 through his business The Mushroom Company. Mr Gates is the largest
Shimeji mushroom grower in Australia “We are the only mushroom seller at Paddy’s
Markets - we have a 7m stretch…..The site has five or six people working full Qme and
three drivers. We grow about one third of exoQc mushrooms produced Australia-wide”
Other varieQes Mr Gates sells include oyster and chestnut. His footsteps and voice
echo slowly down the tunnel as he explains the harvesQng process. ‘We grow them in
bags that have natural hardwood sawdust which we compost for five months then it
takes four weeks to grow spores inside the bags. So there are no pesQcides and no
chemicals. Ader six weeks mushrooms start to grow. They grow for about four months
ader they start. Given the effort it takes to grow them there is oden a small yield taken
to market- some Qmes as liOle as 200g from each bag’ Mr Gates claims the tunnel was
used as a mushroom farm for about 50 years ader it was reQred as a single track
railway.
John Gates The Mushroom Company
Glenbrook Tunnel
Glenbrook Tunnel
Yellow Oyster

Namenko
Shitake
The Mushroom Company Glenbrook Tunnel
John from the Mushroom Depot grows 10 varieties of mushrooms at Glenbrook railway tunnel including
Nameko, King Brown and Yellow Oyster, Portobello, Enoki, Shemiji, Shitake and the black Eary Fungi.
He can be found at Flemington Markets and French’s Forest in Sydney every Sunday.

Old Glenbrook Tunnel Today
Today old Glenbrook Tunnel is closed and entry to it is not possible.
The tunnel is
blocked at the Eastern end by brickwork and access to the portals is difficult, however
both portals are visible. Mushroom racks and associated infrastructure and infill at the
Western end of the tunnel appear to be non-structural and easily reversed if desired.
The Western portal is beside a lane, off Barnet Street Glenbrook, that runs alongside
the Great Western Highway. At present the Western portal is the main entry and the
tunnel passes beneath the Great Western Highway. It is accessed from an unformed
road through a series of large, older Qn shed and outbuildings used by the exisQng
tenant for business purposes. The road gives way to a gravel track large enough for use
by vehicles. VegetaQon is encroaching on the track and this appears to be covering
stone walls which would have formed the 60 metre western railway approaches dug
out when creaQng the tunnel and the deviaQon. An open shed is located close to the
tunnel entry sheltering a variety of equipment. An undated light fiTng on bracket is
located centrally over the arch. The arch opening has been filled in with sheets of iron,
exhaust fan and a roller door to secure and venQlate the tunnel for the current
occupier. Carved on the sandstone wall at the entry and sQll visible today, are the
leOers 8/43 RAB, graffiQ carved in August 1943 by Leading Aircradman Ross Bryant
when the tunnel was used by the RAAF for storage of mustard gas during WWII.
Western Portal

The old cuTng on the western side of the tunnel is walkable although not many
people even know it exists. This cuTng emerges near the nursery on the highway, the
remains of the old water tank foundaQons can also be seen here.
Old railway cutting west of the Portal
Inside, both painted and unpainted brick and cement rendered wall and roof surfaces
are visible throughout the tunnel. A variety of services suspended from the roof and
fixtures primarily associated with the current use are visible, including piping and
racking. A strip of fluorescent lighQng is located down the centre of the tunnel. What
appears to be drainage ditches are located along both walls the full length of the
tunnel. All railway tracks have been removed and the concrete floor has replaced what
was probably a ballast surface, as has evidence of the mustard gas storage facility.
Rear East end of Interior
Tunnel Interior
The Eastern portal is not signposted but can be reached via a walking track which
commences at a reservoir alongside where Governors Drive, Lapstone branches off the
Great Western Highway. Park near the reservoir and take the track that follows the
path of the old railway - most of the walk is quite easy. Ader a few hundred metres the

line crosses Tunnel Gully Creek (look for the stone culvert near the led hand gully wall)
to a point where the ground is too swampy and the undergrowth too thick to conQnue.
Nutrient rich run off from 50 years of mushroom farming acQviQes in the tunnel has
turned the cuTng into a jungle full of quicksand-like mud making it quite difficult to
actually get to the mouth of the tunnel. To the right the track leaves the railway bed
short of the tunnel, ascending a narrow ridge separaQng the weed choked cuTng from
a water course and leading up the side of the bank and across the top of the portal.
The Eastern portal is easily visible at this point. The ridge line opposite was the vantage
point from which arQst Sir Arthur Streeton captured the tunnel's construcQon in 1891 -
access to this area is possible but limited. Above the Portal a track leads south to the
old Tramway route built to carry materials to the Glenbrook Gorge tunnel site.
Eastern Portal
Glenbrook railway tunnel is now included in the State Heritage Register for its high
naQonal, state and local significance. The tunnel has state historical significance as one
of only four tunnels located in NSW secretly idenQfied and established for storage of
chemical weapons for defence purposes in the event of an aOack on Australian shores
during World War II. The tunnel is a reminder of this secret NSW and Australian
military history not publicly known about unQl the first years of the twenty-first century.

The tunnel has local significance as the only major item of surviving fabric from one of
the three railway ascents of the eastern escarpment and is representaQve of tunnels
constructed on the Main Western Line from the 1890s and into the early twenQeth
century to cater for increasing traffic on the railway line.
It is a fine example of an oviform tunnel on a large scale and an outstanding example
of engineering in brickwork, displaying a substanQal vaulted form of ellipQcal cross
secQon, double curved in plan. The tunnel structure appears to be in very good
condiQon visually and does not seem to have been significantly altered. The most
obvious alteraQons are the apparent replacement of railway tracks and ballast with a
concrete floor and removal of any purpose built faciliQes associated with the mustard
gas storage.
Ader almost 125 years there is not a stone out of place, the beauQfully built
Glenbrook tunnel is now receiving the aOenQon it deserves, featuring in a History
Channel segment of CiQes of the Underworld ‘Alcatraz Down Under’ and remembered
in a plaque at the Glenbrook memorial.
Created by Ireen Lark
2015