“The sport of caving began with a few hardy souls making short and infrequent sorties into caverns, many of which had been open and known for a very long time. They were brave men because awful legends surrounded caves, making them out to be the abode of the devil or a short route to hell, and certainly no place for ordinary Christian folk.” The house | The dinner | Thermal pool | Expedition One | Expedition Two | Charades etc | Movies


Chapter 1: Yarrangobilly House
It was a perfect long weekend: great weather, great location, great food, and great friends. Our plan was simple — arrive, explore, make merry and unwind. We did all this, and this site documents those activities.

For the first time, cameras outnumbered people (or it felt like it), so the collection of photos and movies here present a selection of what was recorded. Larger photos are available for poster-prints if desired: you won't find them on the site as the entire collection would span four or five DVDs. Note that the pictures are not in time-stamped order (and some of the time stamps have been altered).

The first section documents Yarrangobilly House, a grand old place that served our purposes perfectly, and an ideal base for our adventures.
[click for larger images/more detail]

The lookout view
The lookout view
The verandah-dwellers were a noisy lot
The verandah-dwellers were a noisy lot
Residents waiting for the traffic to pass
Residents waiting for the traffic to pass
That's frost, not snow...
That's frost, not snow...
...and eventually, the frost cleared
...and eventually, the frost cleared
A stately entrance, fit for a governor
A stately entrance, fit for a governor
Our goal is to take over the West Wing
Our goal is to take over the West Wing
The infamous secret ballroom
The infamous secret ballroom
The eastern lounge in a quiet moment
The eastern lounge in a quiet moment
The smoking lounge
The smoking lounge
The ensuite was comfortable and spacious
The ensuite was comfortable and spacious
This camera believes that the corridoors were green
This camera believes that the corridoors were green
This camera believes that the corridoor is not
This camera believes that the corridoor is not
Quiet before the storm: the first night was peaceful
Quiet before the storm: the first night was peaceful
Does the bus leave from here (Pip discovers the bell)
Does the bus leave from here (Pip discovers the bell)
The bell kept us amused for hours
The bell kept us amused for hours
The attire shows that we are preparing for our first expedition
The attire shows that we are preparing for our first expedition
Our porter discusses the route
Our porter discusses the route
Assembling for the first trek
Assembling for the first trek
The aftermath of bell-ringing
The aftermath of bell-ringing
After our first cave discovery, we plan our next expedition
After our first cave discovery, we plan our next expedition
We weren't sure who invited the Greek sailor
We weren't sure who invited the Greek sailor
The coffee is finally wearing off
The coffee is finally wearing off
Mike knows something that we don't
Mike knows something that we don't
John discovers that his camera has better vision than he does
John discovers that his camera has better vision than he does
That Greek bloke is still here
That Greek bloke is still here
Geoff is worried that his mohawk is sagging
Geoff is worried that his mohawk is sagging
Muffins successfully demolished
Muffins successfully demolished

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