In my last I lamented the fact that I had lost many photos relevant to what I was describing. In the case of this offering, it has been the complete opposite. The need to reduce the number of shots to something which could be considered even vaguely reasonable has left me with 'editorial RSI'!
I should note at the outset, that although the 'karst' phenomenon which is common throughout Tasmania has resulted in the spectacular cave systems such as those were were about to see, the topography of these areas also carries a significant hazard.........road and infrastructure collapse.
Steep walled depressions in roads around Mole Creek and other nearby areas have appeared without warning. Fortunately there have been no fatalities as a result, but as you might imagine, this has probably been an outcome of good luck rather than good management.
As with the sculptures which feature in this area, the danger posed to development in 'karst country' was only something of which I became aware well after we had left it. And the areas singled out for mention include Mole Creek, Gunns Plains and Smithton-Mella, all of which we had traversed extensively.
'Whew'. I remain grateful for the 'small mercies' my ignorance delivered. The Gog Range road was challenge enough in itself without any further mental stress once on the flats below, keeping a keen lookout for the sudden appearance of hole where the road should have been!
In hindsight what does amaze me is the fact that, in all our travels throughout the areas prone to these hazards, we came across nothing which even mentioned this potential danger, either formal or otherwise. Indeed had it not been for my research conducted in conjunction with these last few blogs, I would have remained blissfully ignorant of the problem.
For what ever challenges this topography might pose, it also rewards us with some spectacular scenery. There is only one small snag....it is all underground.
So, the Mobile Marshies were about to become the 'Mobile Moles' as we set off on the short drive from our park, through the grazing lands towards the distant hills, and the Marakoopa Cave complex,
passing at least one old paling and tin reminder of the early says of settlement in this area.
The entrance to the caves we had chosen to visit was not high on the hillside. A gentle climb through remnant forest
soon brought us to the car park and the National Parks office building where we resisted all the souvenir stuff on offer and parted with only sufficient coin of the realm to gain entry to the cave complex. As it transpired it was but a modest fee for the spectacular sights we were about to see.
The caves entrance was further on from the office and cafe. Many drove thence. We preferred to walk and duly set off on the well maintained path up the slopes.
As we had expected, this short ten minute stroll took us past massed tree ferns,
and under archways of graceful fronds
as we followed the course of the mostly dry and rock strewn river bed which parallelled the track (or should that be the other way around?)
By the time we had reached the upper car park
and the hut which was the assembly point, we had enjoyed a delightful scenic entree....the main course was about to be served!
As we gathered to receive an introductory spiel and safety instructions from our excellent cave guide, two things were immediately apparent. We were not alone, and apart from two other couples, we were the only non-Asians in the group. What a surprise for Tassie!
You may note that Lizzie was well rugged up. We had been warned that the temperature below rarely rises above 10 degrees. This proved to be right.
Now we come to the point where I have had to be ruthlessly restrictive in what I bring to you. To that end I have chosen a selection of the myriad of photos we both took in an effort to present the essence of what we saw here without this blog descending into a stultifying self-indulgent slog. So let's begin with a couple of shots which typify the stairs and lighting which extended throughout the cave system.
It was pitch black below ground, as our guide amply demonstrated at one point when she switched off all the lights. As we all stood (subconsciously huddling) in the eerie and quite numbing darkness, it did strike me that those who explore these systems, especially for the first time, are decidedly different folk! The lighting system was set up to illuminate only the areas through which we were walking, and apart from enabling us to wander through in relative safety, spotlights lit up various formations as we passed by (as is obvious in this and the previous shot).
The clusters of stalactites and stalagmites were breathtaking.
It was remarkable to contemplate that these extraordinary sculptures had taken thousands of years to form as the droplets of water seeping though the limestone deposited tiny layer after tiny layer of calcium carbonate (or other soluble rock) at the bottom end of the hanging stalactites or onto the ever growing towers of the stalagmites. (there you go....saved you the trouble of working out which is which!)
At one point during the tour our guide paused at this formation, one so delicate that it has been protected by a clear screen, to further enlighten us on the manner in which these various shapes come into being.
Some of the massed formations of these 'speleothems' were nothing sort of spectacular. Here the spotlights lit up examples of straws, columns and flowstone.
These incredibly fine straw formations taking shape high in a rocky cleft were clearly much younger than many of the others.
Despite the press of people in the narrow walkways, I took as many opportunities as possible to annoy our cheerful and very knowledgeable tour guide with question after question. She remained ever obliging (and I rather suspect she was relieved to find that some of us actually spoke English and were particularly interested in doing more than just ogling at what we saw.....learning something new!)
The lighting system which had been installed in these caves was impressive, but, as I noted previously, was activated by the guide only for the particular section through which we were passing at the time.
The profusion of formations went on and on,
and in several spots we could see examples of the water droplets which carry the dissolved material shining at the ever lengthening tip of stalactites.
Another narrow stairway through a cleft in the massive rocks of this first cave took us to the end of this tour,
and those of us who were ticketed to go on to the second of the Marakoopa system, the cavern known as 'The Great Cathederal', took the short walk above ground to its entrance (I was still bending our guide's ear!)
Just as had been the case below ground, this path presented the odd challenge as it skirted around rocky overhangs,
but we soon found ourselves in a system which featured much larger caverns. Here the rock walls were browner looking and the formations less massed, but this cave held other natural surprises,
the first of which was the colony of tiny cave bats which make this huge cavern their home. These were particularly tricky to photograph with my limited equipment. I bashed away more in hope than with any real expectation of a result, but was later chuffed to discover that I did manage one shot where this flight of bats show out as the little dark shapes against the lighter rock background (a small success can be a thing of great joy to us rank amateurs!)
It was in this cave that we came across yet another form of stalactite. Hanging from the roof, just to the right of the large column at the left of this photo, is a group of the formations known as 'drapes' for what I think are obvious reasons.
Much of what we saw in The Cathedral was quite different from that found in the previous cave,
including this massive buttress of drapes and flowstone, an incredible sight as the spotlights clicked on to reveal it to us.
But all tourist caves do have one thing in common.....narrow stairways,
and viewing platforms. I'll let this one speak for itself.
One of the unusual features of these two caves was the fact that at a few spots we could actually see the underground rivers which ran through them. Again it was devilishly difficult to capture photos of them, but in this shot you can just see some patches of light gleaming off the dark surface of the stream below us.
But the best was yet to come. A final flight of stairs,
(with a quick pause for the obligatory 'tourist shot'!)
brought us out into a huge cavern where we were to witness something quite amazing. Before we could do so however, our guide became most insistent.....no one, and she emphasised no one was to activate their camera as this extraordinary phenomenon unfolded before our eyes.
We had entered the section of the Great Cathedral in which dwells the largest collection of glow worms in the country. These incredible little creatures, which are not worms at all, but the larvae of a gnat, live in the protective darkness of caves throughout Australia and New Zealand.
The glow which they emit is produced by a chemical reaction between enzymes and pigments in their bodies and oxygen. The results of these massed bluish green spots of light can be nothing short of spectacular.
The obvious question is why do they do it? As with so many things in the natural world, beauty is often nothing more than a trap for the unwary, and such is the case with glow worms. They suspend sticky threads similar to a spider's web below their bodies. The seductive glow they produce can be too much for tiny cave insects which fly towards the lights to meet their doom....literally a 'sticky end'.
These incredible larvae are extremely sensitive to their environment. Any change can cause them great harm. External light, and particularly flash photography, can produce catastrophic results amongst these tiny creatures, hence the dire and repeated warnings from our guide.
She actually confided in me that this was always the most trying part of her day given that, as was the case in our group, the percentage of those who properly understand what she says can be seriously limited. We had become good buddies by this stage, and she quietly asked if I would monitor those around me to ensure that cameras remained holstered. I did so with pleasure (and the need to growl and gesture at only two nearby who were taking aim!)
Obviously any presentation of the spectacle which unfolded above us had to externally sourced, and I have chosen two photos (taken with special equipment).
This, courtesy of 'adventuretasmania', shows a portion of the display presented by the glow worms
of The Great Cathedral cave here at Mole Creek. From where we were standing at the time we viewed this marvellous sight the surrounding rock was completely dark. It was like looking up into the night sky in the desert......a canopy of ebony blackness studded with a myriad of spots of light. Neither my inadequate words nor this photo do real justice to this experience.
The second photo I have picked comes with my thanks to that well known and widely revered magazine 'The National Geographic'.
Here you can see not only the seductive glow of these tricky little creatures, but also the hanging threads set to ensnare the unwary.
This had definitely been a case of 'saving the best till last', but now it was time to again emerge into the daylight and make our way back to the lower car park. The track ahead beckoned,
and off we went, back down the first flight of steps amongst the ferns
and on to the track through the trees.
Here and there a trickle of water seeped down along the creek bed between the rocks,
whilst at other points there was plenty of evidence to show that this was a vastly different watercourse when the rains fell.
The path eventually took us back through the fern glade
and across the creek for the last time
before we rejoined our waiting Cruiser for the short drive back to our digs as many of our erstwhile touring companions sat down to a post tour munch.
I know I do bang on a bit about how selective we try to be when it comes to organized tours. Let me conclude this offering with the comment that if any of you out in 'blogland' should make it down to the Apple Isle, do ensure you include a visit to these caves on your itinerary if possible.
This had been an unforgettable experience (and we are no strangers to caves....Naracoorte, Mount Gambier and Kangaroo Island all come to mind), one which will live long in our memories.
Oh, and a final note on the editing......I took over a hundred photos this particular morning. The selection process took me longer than it did to type this blog. I can only trust that I've not been too harsh with the exclusions.
