In 1874 there was nothing at Katoomba apart from a railway siding called "The Crushers", so named after the nearby quarry and crushing equipment which supplied ballast for the permanent way. Between 1879 and the 1880s John Britty North started mining for coal and shale below Orphan Rock and Narrow Neck.

These early mining operations were mainly responsible for the establishment of Katoomba, and for the opening up of Katoomba's now famous scenic attractions.