Valley Heights, New South Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Valley Heights New South Wales
Valley Heights Location in New South Wales
Population	1,211 (2016 census)
Postcode(s)	2777
Elevation	310 m (1,017 ft)
Location	70 km (43 mi) W of Sydney 33 km (21 mi) E of Katoomba
LGA(s)	City of Blue Mountains
State electorate(s)	Blue Mountains
Federal Division(s)	Macquarie
Localities around Valley Heights: Springwood Springwood Hawkesbury Heights Springwood Valley Heights Warrimoo Springwood Megalong Valley Warrimoo

Valley Heights is a small township of the City of Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia. It is about 70 km (43 mi) from Sydney and is located east of the township of Springwood. At the 2006 census, Valley Heights had a population of 1,337 people.

Valley Heights developed its own piece of the ridgeline that has been the main route west from Sydney since colonial history, and has some strong evidence of a rich pre-colonial inhabitance. At an elevation of 300 to 320 metres (980–1,050 ft) above sea level, the climate has been considered very conducive to a huge range of plants. The native ecological communities are fairly typical of other Hawkesbury sandstone with shale transition forests, yet exhibit the local specificness we have come to expect in the Blue Mountains, NSW. Current development is restricted by council reserves and National Park

Valley Heights has a railway station, rail museum and the historic Gatekeepers cottage where the gatekeeper employed by the railway lived in the early steam era.

Transport

Railway

Valley Heights has a railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the NSW TrainLink intercity network.

Valley Heights is the start of the steeply graded, 1 in 33 (3%) section to Katoomba. The gradient approaching Valley Heights from Sydney is 1 in 60 (1.67%). In older times, assistant engines were attached here to uphill trains, which explains the existence of the roundhouse, now the Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum.

A number of rail heritage items in Valley Heights are listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register:

• The railway station and the locomotive depot including the roundhouse
• The railway gatehouse in Greens Parade, Valley Heights
• Steam tram rolling stock held at the Valley Heights locomotive depot
• a cattle van, a brake van, and two preserved steam engines

Bus

Blue Mountains Transit (formerly Pearce Omnibus and later Blue Mountains Bus Company) headquarters and depot are located in Valley Heights.

Tourist attractions

Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum is the home of the oldest remaining roundhouse in New South Wales, located 500 m from the eastern Springwood town boundary.