BUS TRAVEL GUIDE

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All event buses are FREE. Tickets are only required on the buses leaving Jenolan Caves House on the afternoon of the race, and are available from the Information/Bus Ticket desk in the finish area only. All tickets are free and only required so that runners and spectators can relax and enjoy the finish line facilities without having to queue for the buses. 
 

We will have at least one bus marshal at all our bus departure points to answer questions and assist runners and spectators with any unforeseen issues. 

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A summary of the bus movements is shown below. However we strongly recommend you read the detail below so you understand how the buses operate on race day.

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GETTING TO THE START LINE EXPLORERS TREE

RUNNERS, SPECTATORS AND VOLUNTEERS

FROM VIOLET ST next to the Stay KCC Car park at 113 Cliff Drive, Katoomba (opposite Scenic World)
 

5:30am - Buses start a loop service from Violet St to the start line at Explorers Tree

return. The average waiting time is 15 minutes, with travel time of around 10-15 minutes.

 

7:00am - the last bus will leave from Violet St at 7:00am

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FROM YHA KATOOMBA, 207 Katoomba Street
 

5:30am - Buses start a loop service from the YHA to the start line at Explorers Tree return. The average waiting time is 15 minutes, with travel time of around 10-15 minutes.

 

7:00am - the last bus will leave the YHA at 7:00am

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FROM JENOLAN CAVES HOUSE, Caves Road, Jenolan

5:00am  Please assemble outside the front of reception by 4:50am as the bus leaves at 5:00am sharp. The travel time will be between 60-80 minutes which should ensure all runners get to the start line before 6:20am.

 

You must email parking@sixfoot.com to record your name and bib number if you are travelling on this bus. This is to enable us to set aside your bib at the start line if you have not already collected it on Friday from the Carrington. If you do not do this, your bib will NOT be available at the start line, hence the reason you must email us.

 

Note that buses cannot wait past 5.00am due to runners needing to be at Explorers Tree for their allocated race start times, so don't be late as there is no alternative transport.

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GETTING TO THE FINISH LINE AT JENOLAN CAVES

SPECTATORS AND VOLUNTEERS

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FROM EXPLORERS TREE START LINE, Katoomba
 

8:00am Bus #1 and #2 will depart from the start line and travel directly to the finish line at Jenolan Caves, stopping only at Duckmaloi to pick up any spectators wanting to travel to the finish. The expected travel time is between 60-90 minutes. 

8:00am  Bus #3 and #4 will depart from the start line and travel back to the Stay KCC Park and then on to the YHA and the Carrington Hotel. These buses will drop off any spectators who came to the start line but who do not wish to travel by bus to the finish line. These buses will then leave from the Carrington to the finish line at 8.30am. The trip from the start to the finish line is expected to take anywhere between 80-110 minutes including the detour back to Katoomba.

 

There will be a bus marshal at the Start Line to help ensure that spectators get onto the right buses. Please do not get on bus #1 or #2 if you want to go back to Katoomba rather that directly to the finish line.

 

FROM CARRINGTON HOTEL, 15-47 Katoomba St, Katoomba

8:30am Bus #3 and #4 will depart from the Carrington for Jenolan Caves at approximately 8:30am stopping only at Duckmaloi to pick up any spectators wanting to travel to the finish.
 

9:00am Bus #5, #6 and #7 will depart the Carrington hotel at 9:00am travelling to Jenolan Caves, stopping only at Duckmaloi to pick up any spectators wanting to travel to the finish. The trip is expected to take anywhere between 60-90 minutes.

 

FROM DUCKMALOI CAR PARK, Corner of Duckmaloi and Caves Road

 

8:45am – 9:30am - All buses that have left the start line and the Carrington will collect passengers waiting at the Duckmaloi car park and take them to the finish line which is expected to be a 35-40 minute journey. We will try to ensure that there are seats available but it may be that some passengers need to stand for this journey.

 

Note: there is absolutely no access for any private vehicles to drive to Jenolan Caves house via Jenolan Caves road. Access is also only available via Duckmaloi Road if you have a pre-allocated car parking pass and it is clearly displayed.

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LEAVING THE FINISH LINE AT JENOLAN CAVES

RUNNERS, SPECTATORS AND VOLUNTEERS

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Buses leaving the finish line at Jenolan Caves House stop at Duckmaloi Rd car park, Carrington Hotel, Katoomba YHA and Violet St/ Stay KCC car park.

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We are lucky to have the finish line of the six foot track marathon in front of the historic Jenolan Caves House, a beautiful and remote location. Together with the benefits that this location offers, there are also some logistical constraints. The last 7kms of road into the finish is very narrow and winding, and it is not possible to have buses travelling in both directions at the same time.

 

There is also very limited parking space at Jenolan Caves and in addition there are restrictions on the flow of traffic, meaning the first bus can't leave until 1:15pm. To manage all of these issues we have three groups of buses and a free ticket system at the finish. Please see section below for more information about the ticketing process. This means that there will be two occasions during the day where there will be a 75 min delay before the next group of buses can leave. This allows 30 minutes for the last bus in the group to travel out 7kms to the passable section of Caves road, and then the same amount of time for the next lot of buses to drive down, plus additional time for all buses to be manoeuvred into position. We appreciate your patience and hope that you can use any waiting time to soak up the atmosphere and catch up with running friends old and new.

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A few more key points are as follows :

• We have introduced a ticketing system so that, once you have a ticket, you do not have to queue for the buses during the gap between groups of buses. See below for information on the ticketing process.

• The queues for the earlier buses are usually much shorter than for the later buses

• We may call out for extra people to hop on earlier buses when needed, to make sure we have enough room for everyone later on.

• ​To make you more comfortable, consider having food and fluid before you board the bus.

• Remember to use the bathroom before the bus leaves.

 

Note that the times below are subject to change, but rest assured that we will get people out as soon as possible, and no one will be left behind. Keep listening to the announcement for updates on the day.

 

1:15pm - Red tickets - first buses depart Jenolan Caves (four buses). There is usually no problem getting on these first buses, if anything we sometimes need to hold the fourth bus until it is filled up so it doesn't leave us short of space later. 

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2:45pm - Green tickets - second group of buses depart Jenolan Caves (eight buses). This is the bus group that is in greatest demand and people may need to stand if they want to leave at this time. 

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4:00pm -4:30pm- Blue tickets - last group of buses depart Jenolan Caves (seven buses).

Note that any delays to earlier buses has a flow on effect to this group. Therefore the last bus may not leave until 4:30pm. We will always do our best to get people out as soon as possible. 

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FREE BUS TICKETS FOR DEPARTURES FROM THE FINISH LINE AT JENOLAN CAVES

RUNNERS, SPECTATORS AND VOLUNTEERS

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We have introduced a new bus ticket system for everyone leaving Jenolan Caves House on our free buses. 

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Everyone travelling on the buses back from Jenolan Caves will need a Red, Green or Blue ticket which will be available from the Information/Bus Ticket desk at the finish area. The colour of ticket relates to which bus group you can leave on as follows :

 

• Red ticket =1:15pm departure on first group of four buses

• Green ticket = approx 2:45pm departure on second group of eight buses

• Blue ticket = approx 4:00 - 4:30 departure on third group of seven buses

 

We have enough buses for everyone, the tickets just mean that you don't need to queue up for buses, you can collect a ticket and then go and eat, drink and socialise while waiting for the next group of buses.

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Whilst tickets are issued on a first in first served basis, it is likely that you will be able to choose to travel in the first (Red) or last (Blue) group of buses if that is your preferred time. It is the middle group (Green) where there is more demand than seats available. 

 

Regardless of whether you are a runner or spectator we suggest you collect your bus tickets as soon as you arrive at the finish area. You can choose your departure time so long as the tickets for that group haven't already run out. 
 

BUS TICKET FAQ's

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Q: Are the tickets allocated to a specific bus? 

A: No, not a specific bus, but a specific departure group (first, second or third groups). We will make an announcement when each group of buses are ready to board. So long as you have the right colour ticket you can get onto any bus within that group. 
 

Q: If I'm a spectator can I get a bus ticket for my runner before he/she has arrived?
A: Yes that is fine. If they don't arrive in time for that bus group, just return to the Bus Ticket desk and swap over the tickets for the next available group.

Q: I need to leave the finish line and the tickets for the next departure group have all gone. What can I do?
A: If there is a pressing reason you need to get back early then speak to our volunteers on the Bus Ticket Desk. We will do our best to assist and will keep some spares for each bus for those runners who may be injured etc. We will also have standing capacity on some of our buses which may help, particularly as some people are likely to get off the buses at Duckmaloi freeing up seats for the rest of the journey back to Katoomba. Y
 

Q: I want to swap my tickets for another departure time.
A: It is likely that you will be able to swap tickets to travel on the first (Red) or last (Blue) bus groups. Just come to the Bus Ticket Desk if that is the case. If you want to leave in the middle (Green) group you will need to find someone else to swap with or see above if there is a pressing reason.

Q: Which buses stop at Duckmaloi car park?
A: All buses stop will stop at Duckmaloi as required. 

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Q: Can the bus stop anywhere else along the route back to Katoomba. 
A: Yes, just ask the bus driver and they can stop enroute so long as there is a safe place they can pull over.