“Right from the outset a budding caver requires a good set of personal clothing and equipment. It might seem that any old clothes and a cycle lamp would suffice, but this is not so, because one's comfort and possibly one's life may depend upon having adequate equipment of the right type. With such things at stake, reliability must be the main consideration, and anything in the least shoddy should not be included.” The house | The dinner | Thermal pool | Expedition One | Expedition Two | Charades etc | Movies


Chapter 4: Yarrangobilly Expedition One
To make things simpler, I've divided the cave expeditioning into two sections (predictably, One and Two). It's not a true reflection of the caving, since we split our parties into smaller groups and tackled different caves at different times.

Caves mentioned here are The South Glory Cave (which is actually just a nice short-cut back to the lodgings after a swim in the thermal pool), and Jersey Cave, named not after the district or the cow, but a governor of NSW who first came here. Neil, our indefatigable guide, told us all about the caves, and extolled the virtues of Jersey Cave in particular (it was an orgiastic riot of spectacles).

The tricky part is to show the full colours of the formations that we saw: even digital cameras with strong flashes don't do them justice. Neil, our local guide and ex-manager of the caves answered all of our questions (and mine, too) and appeared to know a good deal more about the region than he at first let on. An interesting character...
[click for larger images/more detail]

The mouth of Glory Cave
The mouth of Glory Cave
Discovered in 1834, Glory Arch is still standing
Discovered in 1834, Glory Arch is still standing
South Glory Cave (self-guided)
South Glory Cave (self-guided)
South Glory Cave (it was the shortest route back)
South Glory Cave (it was the shortest route back)
Gloves? Of course. Water bottle? Sure. Pruning shears? Pardon?
Gloves? Of course. Water bottle? Sure. Pruning shears? Pardon?
Preparing to tour Jersey Cave with Neil
Preparing to tour Jersey Cave with Neil
A long way down, the climb in is uneventful
A long way down, the climb in is uneventful
Neil gives strict instructions on not touching anything, and to preserve the environment...
Neil gives strict instructions on not touching anything, and to preserve the environment...
Sue thoughtfully brought along a stalactite of her own from Canberra to show Neil
Sue thoughtfully brought along a stalactite of her own from Canberra to show Neil
Those women with flowers in their hair
Those women with flowers in their hair
Jersey Cave was a riot of formations
Jersey Cave was a riot of formations
A well-lit section
A well-lit section
They should have names for these
They should have names for these
A forest
A forest
The pathway was well-lit
The pathway was well-lit
Don't step off the pathway!
Don't step off the pathway!
Unimaginably splendid
Unimaginably splendid
Jim was having a field day
Jim was having a field day
Wedding cake, anyone?
Wedding cake, anyone?
Magnificent structure
Magnificent structure
Would make excellent wallpaper
Would make excellent wallpaper
A paradise for elves
A paradise for elves
Cleaning would be a chore
Cleaning would be a chore
Pathway cut into stone for ease of access
Pathway cut into stone for ease of access
Lovely curtains
Lovely curtains
Actually, they can clean the formations
Actually, they can clean the formations
Craned neck syndrome
Craned neck syndrome
Detail was exquisite
Detail was exquisite
Hard to capture on film
Hard to capture on film
Incredible variation
Incredible variation
Magnificent stuff
Magnificent stuff
Looking to the ceiling
Looking to the ceiling
Reminds me of Pirates of the Caribbean
Reminds me of Pirates of the Caribbean
Everywhere you looked, there was something
Everywhere you looked, there was something
The pathway was quite futuristic
The pathway was quite futuristic
Yet in places, it was carved out of the stone
Yet in places, it was carved out of the stone
Incredible crystal structures
Incredible crystal structures
Detail on curtains
Detail on curtains
The colours were vivid
The colours were vivid
Detail of the formations
Detail of the formations

The house | The dinner | Thermal pool | Expedition One | Expedition Two | Charades etc | Movies | itrundle.com     © May 2009