Today’s adventure is a trip to Jenolan Caves. Our friend Terry Matthews had suggested Jenolan Caves and so when we were talking with Louis about things to do during our stay in Australia I had indicated that I would like to see Jenolan Caves. This came up in conversation the night that Darren, Selina and Rachel came to dinner at Lou’s the second day we were here. They wanted to participate in a trip to Jenolan Caves and Selina then suggested also going to high tea at the Hydro Majestic. Over the next few days she arranged all the bookings and reservations and so our day out was set for February 12.
Margaret picked us up a little after 7:00am for the near 3-hour drive to Jenolan Caves. We had to navigate some very off-the-beaten path roads into the Blue Mountains, part of the Great Dividing Range, as one of the the main roads to the caves had been washed out and was closed. At one point, we were driving along a ridge at nearly 4,000 feet. It was really beautiful with views of the mountains on one side and views of the tablelands on the other. We had a bit of trouble finding the right road to the caves, but Margaret stopped and asked directions so we finally found our way. Not only was there a road closure on the way to the caves, there was some washout on the road down to the caves so the protocol was to wait up top until an escort vehicle came. The cave tours were on a time schedule so we waited for several cars to arrive for their timed tours before we were escorted down.
The drive down to the caves was breathtaking, in a bit of a scary way. We went from nearly 4,000 feet to about 1,500 feet down a narrow winding road that had several hairpin turns. It was a long way down into the valley and the hairpin turns and steep drop offs were kind of scary. Once down to the car park, we then boarded a small shuttle bus and were taken to the entrance to the Jenolan Caves House. The Caves House is an historic hotel that drew lots of tourists over the decades.
Jenolan Caves are limestone caves embedded in the mountain. The caves have been assessed at over 340 million years old making the cave complex the oldest and greatest known open caves in the world. For thousands of years, the Jenolan area has been part of the culture of local indigenous peoples and holds significance to the Gundungurra and Wiradjuri peoples. The first European to discover the caves occurred probably in 1838 when a man had been tracking a convict who had stolen several items and stumbled upon the caves. It’s hard to imagine how people actually moved around through the bush from the mountain down into the valley. It’s very thick vegetation and very, very steep. However, by the early 1840s tourists were visiting the caves that were known at the time. There are now some 22 different known caves covering about 25 miles and stretch across 5 levels. Eleven caves are open to the public and can be toured. Researchers continue to explore the cave complex and are still finding new caves. For the very experienced spelunker, one can go on a tour that crawls through narrow openings into various chambers. That is not something I would choose to do! Below is a diagram of the main show caves and as you can see, the complex is extensive.
The Imperial Cave is the most accessible cave, although it is reported to have 358 steps throughout the hour-long tour. Ten of the family started the tour of Imperial Cave. This included the Calleia’s eldest daughter Naomi, whom we had not met before.
You enter Imperial Cave through the Grand Arch, a very large opening that now contains a road, and enter into a large chamber that is open on one side. It’s a massive hole in the limestone.
From the entrance we climbed a set of steps and walked along a corridor through the limestone. In many places you had to bend over to get through the corridor.
The formations within the corridors and cave were really interesting. In limestone caves, after the natural process of erosion and excavation, a simple but slow natural process is responsible for the decoration of the bare, dull walls. Falling rain picks up atmospheric carbon dioxide. On passing through the soil, more carbon dioxide, from plant roots and decaying vegetable matter, becomes dissolved in the water, along with complex organic acids called humic acids. This ground water easily dissolves limestone. The solution slowly descends into the cave and deposits the dissolved calcium carbonate, sometimes including impurities of iron and other minerals. On reaching the cave, the water droplets fall to the floor, leaving behind a tiny deposit of calcite crystal. This is known as precipitation.
One of the cool things in the Imperial Cave is the underground river. The Jenolan River flows through the cave complex. and it gives kind of a an eerie sense. The lighting throughout the cave added to the ambience in the cave and at the end of the path for our tour the river was really beautiful.
There were many interesting formations, all created from dripping water that has seeped through the limestone. In many areas the guide pointed out the presence of fossils within the limestone, creatures such as Brachiopods, that could be seen on the ceilings of the caves.
We saw a particularly beautiful formation called a shawl. A shawl or curtain is a calcite formation in the form of wavy or folded sheets hanging from the wall or roof of a cave. This amazing structure forms when water runs down the gentle slopes of the cave walls rather than dripping directly onto the floor.
There was an area within a narrow opening that is called the Crystal City. It’s an area containing several different types of small stalactites and stalagmites forming patterns that look somewhat like building structures within a walled city. Very cool!
As we finished up the tour, going back out the way we came, we were able to spot the Blue Lake. This is a man-made lake that was created in 1908 when a dam was built. The dam was created as part of a hydro-electrical facility and the electricity generated was used to power the lights in the caves.
The Jenolan Caves have been one of the biggest tourist destinations in the Blue Mountains, and the caves have been well-developed to inspire this booming tourism draw. I definitely would make a return visit to the caves since there are many other caves to explore.
After our tour we had another fabulous event planned, High Tea at the iconic Hydro Majestic. We were on a very tight schedule and we were quite anxious about the time since we had to wait in the car park until we could be escorted back up the winding road. That put us about a half-hour behind schedule. The Calleias were ahead of us and managed to contact the Hydro Majestic to tell them we would be late. We all hooked up at the Hydro about an hour late, but High Tea was still available.
The Hydro Majestic is in a Blue Mountain town named Medlow Bath. The Bath part of the name was added to the town’s name after the Hydro was created as a resort spa. The Medlow Bath Hydropathic Establishment opened in the early 1900s when “the water cure” was very fashionable and health retreats were big business in Europe and America. Mark Foy was the creator and he was quite the elite guy with grand visions and big ideas about the spa. The Hydro was the place to go and be seen. It was overall a theatrical affair, exquisitely detailed in expensive furnishings, artwork, and the latest facilities from all over the world. It has an interesting history.
The Hydro Majestic stretches more than a kilometer across the top of an escarpment and has a drop-dead gorgeous view. The main dining area has a whole wall of glass overlooking the valley. It’s fantastic!
High tea is quite the affair. There are several options on the menu and most of us chose the one that serves different types of scones, petite sandwiches, and various sweets. I didn’t think that sounded like much, but we couldn’t eat it all. Everything was delicious! The servers came out with these 3-tier plate serving stand. Each stand contained double of each item and so one stand was set between 2 people. It was beautifully presented.
Christine and I started with the middle plate containing the petite sandwiches. There were several varieties including egg salad, salmon, beef wrap, among other tasty offerings. I then went for the scones with jam and cream. Wow! Totally delicious. By then I was already full, but forced myself to try a couple of the several sweets. Very yummy!
While I didn’t get a photo of our stand of food, please note the stands on the table in this nice group photo.
Selina was so nice to ensure that we knew what every item was and that we were enjoying our high tea. She is a delightful woman with a wonderful smile and it was so lovely to be with her, Darren, Naomi and Rachel.
After tea, we wandered around the Hydro Majestic. It has undergone a big renovation after changing hands several times over the past couple of decades. It’s a grand old hotel and it’s nice to see someone trying to keep it going.
What a memorable day we’ve had! Our thanks to Selina and Darren for making it possible.
We said our goodbyes as the Calleias were returning to the Sydney and we were returning to Rylstone. It was an uneventful trip home and we were getting back home just as the sun was going down. The escarpments around Kandos were beautiful with the sun shining on them and Margaret took an unexpected turn up a small dirt road to an opening on a hilltop where we could see the escarpments and countryside around Kandos.
We returned home happy and still full, no dinner for us tonight, and with a small carryout container holding the sweets that we could not finish at tea. We’ll save those for another night. Again, it was a very memorable day.
Oh I’m so glad you made it there. It’s an easier drive from Sydney I guess….