Bridge across the Southern Line Traditional Cache

Cootamundra station opened on 1 November 1877 as Murrumburrah when the Main South Line was extended from Harden. It served as the terminus until the line was extended to Bethungra on 15 April 1878.

On 1 June 1886, Cootamundra became a junction station when the Tumut & Kunama line opened as far as Gundagai. On 1 September 1893, the Lake Cargelligo Line opened as far as Temora.

In 1901, an island platform was built, this has since closed but remains in situ. In 1943, the line through Cootamundra was duplicated with the largest overhead signal gantry in the Southern Hemisphere was erected. It has since been relocated and now stands preserved in the station surrounds.

The Lachlan Valley Railway has a base immediately south of the depot.

Cootamundra is served by two daily NSW TrainLink XPT services in each direction operating between Sydney and Melbourne, and one weekly Xplorer service operating between Sydney and Griffith. NSW TrainLink also operate road coach services from Cootamundra to Mildura, Tumbarumba, Queanbeyan, Bathurst, Dubbo and Condolbolin.

Cootamundra railway precinct is of state significance as a major railway complex on the Main Southern line dating from a period of rapid railway expansion in NSW in the 1870s and 1880s. The Victorian Gothic station building is an excellent and unusual example of a first-class station building and is a major element in the Cootamundra townscape with a landmark tower marking the entry vestibule. The platform awning is also of aesthetic significance as a large and highly ornate structure with decorative cast iron columns and brackets. The quality and scale of the railway station demonstrates the importance attributed to this location during the late nineteenth century.

The cache is a size and magnetic, no need to go near the lines. It has a log book however you will need to bring a pen. Please return cache to its original hiding place and you might like to visit the historical centre and see a bit more of the history of the Railway Station.