THE ILLAWARRA
SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY Inc.
by Dave Dicker
The Wyanbene Balloon Expedition in the early 1970’s
Club members are L to R: Sid Roach
(SRGWA), Bill Bevan, Michael Harraway, Kevin Hanrahan and Chris Edwards
When our
Editor asked me to write a brief history of ISS, I envisaged an article a few pages
long. However, as the idea grew, I realised that the story couldn't be told in
just a few pages. Nevertheless, my input has turned out to be much less than I
expected, as many specific aspects of ISS history have already been written up
in trip reports. These have been included and referenced appropriately.
It is not
the aim of this article to trace the history of caving in New South Wales, or
to trace the wider history of the Illawarra area. However, to appreciate the
background, and understand the history of ISS, it is essential to touch on both
subjects.
Australian
Iron and Steel (AIS) commenced setting up operations at Port Kembla in the late
1920's - probably not in a very propitious economic climate - but they
survived. The result was that the Illawarra changed from a sleepy coastal town
(with a few collieries) to a bustling city with a large cosmopolitan
population. The Second World War further boosted the importance and output of
the Illawarra, and the immediate post war years further boosted the population.
By the law of averages, there must have been a significant number of people
living in the Illawarra who were potentially interested in caving. The
Tasmanian Caverneering Club was formed in 1946, and the Sydney University
Speleo Society in 1948, so the stage was set.
IN THE BEGINNING
The
following article, written by Lloyd Robinson, appeared in the Third Annual
Report, April 1966, and ISS Newsletter Vol 1, No 10, 1973.
"In
1944 / 1945 a small group of young men became interested in exploring limestone
in the surrounding districts (Illawarra), as a result of an article on cave
explorations in Europe and publicity given, led to the formation of the first
caving club in Australia - namely TCC in Tasmania. After the end of the Second
World War in Europe, French speleologists became very active and much worldwide
publicity was given to their activities. No doubt at odd times prior to 1944,
people from this area visited non-tourist caves, but this was the first time
anything on an organised basis had been attempted, even if only elementary by
today's standards.
Bungonia
Caves, being the easiest to reach from Wollongong received the attention of the
group. Transport was a problem as no one in the group could afford a vehicle.
The first few years saw as many trips as petrol rationing permitted - carried
out on motorbikes. The large number of caves at Bungonia kept the group busy
for some years without the need of ladders. However the first pitch in Drum
Cave always held a fascination for some members and rarely a trip was made
without it being visited, usually last thing before returning home. Members on
the first trip saw the early means of descending stated in 1947 when
information on the construction of cable ladders was requested from France.
During the same year, a light was lowered down the pitch to observe it and to
attempt photographs. A number of fifty-foot lengths of ladder were constructed
and the Drum Cave was descended in 1949.
With the
descent of Drum Cave, interest in Bungonia slackened, and the group looked
further afield and undertook trips to Colong, Tuglow and Wyanbene Caves. Also,
other activities such as canoeing, shooting, hiking were taken up.
Speleology in Australia in the early 1950's
had become quite popular with a number of clubs operating. The local group
decided to form an unofficial club called "The Wollongong Speleological
Society". They had no office bearers, fees or regular meetings. During
1955 / 1956 two members purchased a Landrover and made an extensive inland trip
through Queensland, Central Australia and South Australia. They spent
considerable time at Camooweal Caves with the now defunct Mt Isa Speleological
Society. It is only in recent times (1970's) that this area has been given
attention by Speleologists.
By 1956,
there were three groups operating in the Illawarra District and making fairly
frequent visits to non tourist caves. Late in 1956, the three groups held a
combined meeting and joined forces in the one club called "The Wollongong
Speleological and Expeditionary Society." Three office bearers were
elected (one from each group), a constitution was drawn up, membership fees
fixes, regular monthly meetings programed and organised caving trips planned.
Some of the
more notable achievements of WS & ES included a cable ladder descent of the
Big Hole, and many exploratory trips around Bendethera and Wyanbene and an
expedition to the Nullarbor and Western Australia. The WA trip resulted in the
exploration and development for tourism of the now well-known Augusta Jewel
Cave.
An
application was made to become affiliated with the ASF but no member was in a
position to attend the ASF Committee meeting to present a case and the Society
had to rely on a proxy. The application failed: the ASF meeting objected to the
"Expeditionary" in the name of the society.
After the
failure to gain affiliation with the ASF, the WS&ES started to peter out.
Some of the active leaders, including the president left the district. This
caused the remaining members to lose interest and trips and meetings became
infrequent until towards the end of 1960, the closure clause in the
constitution became effective and a final meeting was held to wind up the
affairs of the club.
The
photograph to the left shows Terry Braddock in Grill cave in September 1969
test flash equipment.
On looking
back, very little in the way of scientific or exploration was achieved locally.
One such discovery at Bungonia by three members of WS&ES rates a mention:
the Bottle Cave. This cave has an entrance that could easily be mistaken for a
wombat burrow situated in a flat grassy plain with no doline. Six feet inside,
there is a fifty-five foot pitch which on descending, one has the impression of
descending a large bottle. Further in there is a twenty-five foot pitch with a
good digging prospect. Unfortunately, the cave has been lost ever since. One
major difference to today's club is that WS&ES was always in the limelight
with a member working at a local newspaper, the club was never short of
publicity.
After the
final meeting of WS&ES, the keener members of the defunct society made
periodic trips to Bendethera ; some became members of the Sydney Speleological
Society and attended their meetings and trips. As time went on, these trips
became more frequent until Jim Goold convened a meeting on the 13th of February
1963 to set the "Illawarra Speleological Society"under way.
The basic
idea of re-forming a caving club in Wollongong arose from an incident in
Bendethera when Lloyd Robinson and Jim Goold attempted to drive a Landrover in
from the east. The vehicle unfortunately took a shortcut down the mountain and
came to rest on its side (Ref "Chronology of Bendethera," this
article) The rescue exercise was carried out under difficult conditions, but
with so much enthusiasm, it was decided that a caving club in Wollongong may be
viable.
Minutes
of the Inaugural Meeting of the Illawarra Speleological Society
The meeting
was declared open at 7.30 by Mr J. Goold, the convenor at his residence, 11
Nolan St, Berkely on the 13th February 1963.
Mr Lloyd
Robinson was called on to give a brief outline of the history of speleology in
the Illawarra.
There was
then an election of officers and the following persons were elected to office:
President Mr J. Goold
Vice
Pres Treasurer Mr D. Mathew
Secretary Mr W. Wilton
It was
resolved that the Society be called "The Illawarra Speleological
Society" and that all persons present at this meeting, and those who
attended the May foundation meeting, be foundation members.
The list of
members from this meeting includes: Lloyd Robinson, Bill Wilton & Wolfgang
Stengal.
The
Photograph below shows Dorothy Robinson in the entrance to Clietmore Cave in
December 1964 taken by Lloyd Robinson.
Lloyd and
Wolfgang were the two members elected to the management committee to discuss
things such as transport to trips.
The
constitution was then drawn up.
The meeting
closed at 9.30 pm and two movies were shown much to the appreciation of the
people present.
The purpose
of the February meeting was to "test the water". The next scheduled
meeting was to be in May. In the meantime, successful trips were run to Colong,
Ettrema (2), Barren Grounds and Bungonia. The foundation meeting was held in
May. It will be noted that currently, our AGM is held in April. This was
changed after ISS became affiliated with the ASF, to give the Treasurer enough
time to collect ISS membership fees, and to send the ASF capitation fees by
June.
Note:
Of the
foundation members of ISS, Bill Wilton, Lloyd Robinson with wife Dorothy are
all life members of the Club, and Wolfgang Stengal visits the meetings
occasionally.
BENDETHERA - Go to the Bendethera “home page”
The caving
area "adopted" by ISS was Bendethera. This was due to the fact that ISS
members were closely involved in the post war rediscovery of the caves. The
following article, written by Bill Wilton, appeared in the ISS Newsletter Vol
2, No 2.
Chronology
of ISS and Bendethera
"During
the period 1957 - 1960, considerable time and effort was spent in the Deua
Valley, searching for the elusive Bendethera caves. The main searchers for the
caves were the former Wollongong group calling themselves the"The
Wollongong Speleological & Expeditionary Group". This group consisted
of a mixed bag, consisting of cavers, bushwalkers & shooters. Naturally
they were not accepted into the ASF.
When this
group collapsed, due to waning interest, two of their members persisted, to
search for the Bendethera Caves. The two people, J. Goold & L. Robinson,
enlisted the aid of Nita & Vernon Davis, two locals, to try and locate the
lost caves. The party set out from "Woola", Davis's property south of
Araluen, and headed along the Deua Valley to Bendethera homestead on the 2nd of
October, 1960. The party spent a week in Bendethera, finding the caves, and
ending the mystery.
Owing to the location of the cave,
not much interest was shown in the cave for another 7 months. On the 22nd of
May 1961, Goold in the company of D. Begg and again the Davis's, walked into
Bendethera caves again, this time from Kahn Yunis on foot. During this trip the
South Coast was hit by an earthquake. (epicentre was off Jervis Bay) Goold
& Begg had just emerged from the cave (0740 hrs). On returning to the cave
investigation revealed no damage.
On the 13th
October, 1962 (unlucky) Goold & Robinson attempted to drive a 4 wheel drive
vehicle into Bendethera from the eastern side, this trip turned to disaster
when the vehicle turned onto its side, luckily no one was injured, but the walk
out to civilisation nearly proved too much for one of the party. The vehicle
was recovered the following weekend.
During May
of 1963, Illawarra Speleological Society was formed and the first official
expedition was planned and the venue was Bendethera. On the 8th of June, 1963 a
party of seven walked into Bendethera from Kahn Yunis and spent a week of
exploration and caving. On this trip the Windlass and Figtree caves were found.
The main object of this trip was after finding and exploring Main Cave was to find
Trickett’s Water Cave. The efflux under water cave was found and this was
believed the Water Cave we were looking for. A dig was started on this efflux.
The access
barrier was broken, in March, 1964 Eurobodalla Shire Council dozed a road into the
Bendethera homestead and up Con Creek to Flagpole Flat. The main reason for the
road was for the shire and the local Moruya Lions Club to assess the tourist
potential of the cave. (in retrospect, what a disaster).
On the 13th
March, 1964 R. Richardson & T. Braddock drove to the Caves in two
Landrovers, at that time what an experience it was to be able to drive to the
caves without carrying heavy rucksacks in from Kahn Yunis.
Easter 1964
saw ISS at Bendethera in strength to conquer the 210 ft Windlass Pit. Prior to
the trip a bushfire had gone through the Flagpole flat area, clearing the area,
this led to the discovery of Trickett’s Water Cave. On the 26 th of June 1964
ISS deposited Fluoroscein in the Water Cave, however no traces appeared in Con
Creek before departure the next day. September 1964 the Pepeboke Holes on the
Krawaree Trail described by Trickett were explored, however we could not find
the one Trickett claimed to be very deep. On the same trip R. Knabe with
snorkel gear failed to find any extension in the Water Cave. After one dive,
the sediment clouded the water and visibility became zero. Also on this trip it
was noted that a bushfire had removed the vegetation covering the efflux (BD-2)
allowing scree to slide over the entrance.
The Photograph
below is on the steep 42 degree slope exiting Bendethera in April 1965.
During Easter 1965, the Gin Cave
area received attention, a few small holes were found, but nothing answering to
the description of Gin Cave were found.
In May 1965, attempts to find the Gin Cave from the western side again
proved unsuccessful due to the fact we went down the wrong ridge - it turned
out to be the Krawaree Trail. (All the ridges looked alike when comparing them
to aerial photos). In June another trip was unsuccessful when a Landrover was
bogged in the Upper Shoalhaven swamp for four hours. On 8 hour day weekend in
1965 the Gin Cave was found, it was not found by good management, but by luck.
We mistakenly went up a creek in heavy fog and stumbled onto Gin Cave.
1966 &
1967, not much activity occurred in Bendethera during these years. Easter 1968
saw work on the Efflux (BD-2) start in earnest. About 2 tons of rock was
removed and we cleared about 10 ft of passage. In June 1968 a road went through
to the Efflux and more equipment could be taken in to work on the excavation.
In October 1968 a portable generator and an electric drill were first used in
the dig.
In January
1969 a big bushfire and the Robinsons hit Bendethera, both affecting the area.
The old homestead was razed to the ground and access was being affected. Easter
in 1969 saw the tagging of cave entrances and the discovery of 6 new caves.
The events from 1969 to 1979 as far
as club activities have been rather sporadic, much of the work having been done
with the exception of the Efflux, which has now been abandoned due to the area
becoming a National Park in 1979.
The
photograph to the left shows Wolfgang Stengal in the entrance of the BD2 Efflux
on 13th December 1970. Photo by Lloyd Robinson.
Club President
W.
Wilton
Another
highlight of this era was the expedition type trips which were run - mainly to
Western Australia. The following article was written by Lloyd Robinson, the
information being gleaned from his personal archives.
6th Feb to
5th March, 1965
Terry
Braddock, Bob Richardson, Don Matthews and John Knowles formed the team that
undertook the first long distance expedition of ISS, visiting and exploring the
caves of the Nullarbor Plain on Nullarbor and Koonalda Stations in South
Australia. Joe Jennings had provided them with details of dolines to locate and
explore on Nullarbor Station. They also went into Mullamullang Cave in Western
Australia. In all, a trying trip with successive days over 40 C. The Flying
Doctor Service in Ceduna loaned the party a Traegar two-way radio to maintain
contact on a daily basis.
23rd Sept
to 15th Oct 1966
Nick Lewis (on the left), Harley Atkins
(on the right in Strongs Cave in W.A.) and Lloyd Robinson (photographer) made a
visit to the South West caves of Western Australia, driving over in a Short
Wheel Base (SWB) landrover via Perth. They had the loan of Spackman's holiday
cottage in Augusta; over did it on the first day's caving which wrecked the
next two days. Visited many caves to familiarise the party with the area for
future trips. Discovered a small
significant cavern. "Goldie" the cave dog badly injured as the result
of a fall into the Easter Cave doline / solution pipe; had to be put down.
Returned via Albany.
26th to
31st December,1966
Lloyd
Robinson attended the ASF conference at Mirboo, Victoria. It was here that
Allan Hill of Cave Exploration Group of South Australia, demonstrated his
compact "Diprotodon Hillii " as a means of lighting for cave still
and movie photography; it impressed Robinson.
5th to 28th
January, 1968
Wolfgang
Stengal, Harley Atkins and Lloyd Robinson made a visit to the South West caves
of Western Australia, driving over in a SWB landrover with a pause in Albany
for Robinson to renew his W.A. explosives licence. On this occasion, the party
stayed at the Augusta Hotel where with all meals provided and times to be
observed, resulted in many more caving hours than on the previous trip. The
party carried over a hammer drill and long lengths of power cable. The cable was strung through the forest from
the Augusta Jewel Cave's power plant to AU12 cave, where a tunnelling operation
was undertaken on a promising lead; work ceased when the lead swung towards the
nearby Moondyne Cave. 500 watt flood lamps were used to see Moondyne Cave under
lighting for the first time. Atkins tried colour movies using a 500 watt
daylight flood lamp It is thought the party used for the first time for ISS, a
"Diprotodon Hillii " in a cave; the resultant photos were burnt out
and the unit smoky. At times members of Western Australia Speleological Group
(WASG) assisted with the ISS project. On returning via Albany, the party
climbed Bluff Knoll, the highest peak of the Sterling Ranges. High temperatures
were encountered on the Nullarbor crossing, 118oF official at
Nundroo.
16th
January to 8th February 1970
Wolfgang
Stengal and Lloyd Robinson made a visit to the South West caves of W.A. driving
across in a SWB landrover via the shortest way possible, both ways.
Peter and
Julie Henley of WASG joined the ISS group for part of the time; all stayed in
the Augusta Hotel. A large slice of caving time was taken up in positioning
caves limits on the surface, frequently in heavy undergrowth, using a radio
direction finder that the Sydney Speleological Society had loaned them. Stengal
and Robinson hired Dr Williams to fly over the caving areas at low altitude -
very low. (Augusta then not in Department of Civil Aviation control)
4th to 19th
December, 1971
Wolfgang
Stengal (on the right in the photograph by Lloyd) and Lloyd Robinson found
themselves the only members of a well advertised ISS trip by air to Tasmania in
December 1971. At this time of the year the Tasmanian cavers could not join the
ISS party but gave a lot of help as did the Skinner family at Hastings Cave.
Roy Skinner is on the left in the photograph on to the left) Three days were
spent camping in Exit Cave; visited tourist sites and made two trips into Kubla
Kahn Cave. The "Diprotodon Hillii " now worked to perfection, and
according to Tasmanian cavers, lit up the Kahn and Begum formations so that
their size could be appreciated for the first time; slide dupes were sent to
them. (This trip is recorded in detail, refer ISS Newsletter, Vol 1, Number 8,
dated April 1972. Note: the title and series detail are not shown on this
publication.)
The tent to the left is in Exit Cave
December 1971 and was used by Stengal, Robinson and Skinner to keep the
moisture out of their sleeping quarters when they spent 3 days in the cave.
1st to 28th
December, 1972
Wolfgang
Stengal and Lloyd Robinson flew to Perth and then drove to Augusta by hire car.
Ralph Saxton fired up his SWB landrover to drive to Augusta with Roland Knabe
and Gordon Sykes. Peter Henley, Sid and Lin Roach of the WASG joined in; the
Spackmans made their holiday cottage available where everyone stayed. The
expedition took full advantage of Sykes' s expertise as an underground coalmine
surveyor and the surveying equipment he had. There was a diversion; a WASG cave
diver had just dived in Easter Cave and discovered the Gondolin Tendency. With
a little care it could be entered without scuba gear through four duck dives.
The ISS party went in at various times and assisted the W.A. Newspaper Ltd's
photographer and journos with their cover of the find. Using the SSS radio
direction finder, surveying above and below ground continued day after day. In
the high undergrowth areas, surveying was carried out at night to avoid the
heat and March flies. Sykes felt the single members on the trip were not
partaking of life to the fullest. To this end he sought likely girls from the
tourist hordes leaving the Jewel Cave when surveying nearby. He quickly had success and met a group for
lunch at the hotel restaurant to outline his plans. From the cavers his efforts
received a mixed reception. Saxton later married a lass from the Sykes
selection. After the others had departed, Stengal and Robinson caved with Cliff
Spackman and Jim McMannus, and also took in another low-level plane flight with
the good doctor. (This trip is recorded, refer ISS Newsletter Vol 1, No 10.)
Footnote:
Due to increasing tourism and increasing urban development in the lower South
West has resulted in greater controls and restrictions being placed on many
activities including caving. ISS has not run any further expeditions to the
W.A. South West.
As well as
Bendethera and the South West, ISS visited many little - known caving areas in
the 1960's, areas such as Narrengullen, Ettrema and Jones Creek. They also
visited Colong and Wyanbene. In the late 1960's, a group led by Rick Kelly
found their way up the Wyanbene water crawl and eventually into the Gunbarrell
Aven. It is believed that this may have been the first time anyone had actually
entered the Aven. Many subsequent exploratory trips were run into Wyanbene.
WYANBENE Go to the Wyanbene
Information Page
From the
early 1970's a more active and practical interest was shown in the Gunbarrel
Aven. In June 1973, the first stage of the exercise was carried out - the
height was measured. This was achieved by attaching a helium filled balloon to
fine 40 denier polyester thread. The height was measured at 365 feet (112
metres). All was well until a candle
was attached just below the balloon. The candle burnt through the thread and it
came down pretty quick. The balloon was recovered on a later trip.
Then there
was a period of brainstorming to design a lightweight camera and electronic
control gear to send up on the balloon to photograph the upper reaches of the Gunbarrel.
Eventually, a balsa wood camera was built, having a single element lens (base
of bottle type) but without a shutter (known as the Mk1 camera).
In the mean
time, the project of locating the position of the Gunbarrel on the surface was
carried out. In March 1975, a trip was run with this object in mind. We had
borrowed Peter Wellings' RDF equipment. The arrangement was that we formed two
groups, one to enter the cave with the transmitter, and the other to be on the
surface with the loop. The underground group was to turn on the transmitter for
5 minutes every 15 minutes, starting at 2.30pm. The underground group didn't
start transmitting until 3.00pm, by which time the above ground group were too
far away from the "guessed" location. The exercise was a failure.
On the next
attempt, a week later, Peter Wellings came along to operate the loop. We also
used a set of loaned "Michie" phones for communication. The position
was pinpointed and the amount of rock above the aven calculated - a maximum of
6 metres!
In June
1975, the Mk1 camera was given a trial. The exercise ran smoothly, however two
interesting facts were noted:
1. The balloon seemed to loose a certain
amount of gas during the exercise. This was later explained - Helium is very
inert (it doesn't like to combine with anything else) so it exists as a simple
atom (not a molecule) that is able to permeate through the plastic balloon.
2. At approximately 180 feet (55 metres)
above the floor, there was quite a strong cross wind.
The results
of the exercise were satisfactory, but not quite portfolio standard.
The
Photograph below taken by Lloyd Robinson at a makeshift camp at Braidwood to
hide form the torrential rain en route to Wyanbene shows David Mathews hiding
on water pipes in May 1976.
The next
improvement was to build a balsa wood camera with a better lens. This lens was
salvaged from a 1940's vintage camera, and incorporated a solenoid-operated
shutter. The electronics was modified to give a variable time delay instead of
a fixed 3.5 minutes. This set-up had its maiden flight in May 1976, and the
results were greatly improved.
As a side
issue to Wyanbene, a permit was obtained at the request of the Jenolan Chief
Guide, John Cully, to photograph the top of an aven in Mammoth Cave, Jenolan.
The results indicated that there may have been a passage from the top, but it
was blocked off with formation.
In late
1976, the decision was made to use hydrogen instead of helium. In the event,
this had a few advantages: it has twice as much lifting power, it was cheaper
to obtain, and as hydrogen forms a molecule consisting of two atoms, the
problem of gas loss was solved. However, it is potentially rather dangerous.
The first trip
using hydrogen was held in December 1976, and we had a visitor along, Sid Roach
from Speleological Research Group of Western Australia. The gear was carried
into the Gunbarrel, with the red hydrogen cylinder treated with due reverence.
The balloons were filled and they promptly laid themselves on the ground and
refused to lift. No amount of cursing or cajolery made any difference. The
result was total embarrassment for ISS. The gas was later tested by CIG, and
was reported as 92% pure!!
Lloyd and Dave filling the balloon from the hydrogen balloon
1977 saw
several trips to Wyanbene. Our equipment and techniques were improving. The
main factor affecting the results was 
the weather conditions in the
Gunbarrel on the day of the exercise.
The
Photograph to the left, taken by Lloyd Robinson, shows the balloon in final
outside trials in June 1977 with Bill Bevan on the left, John Kemister in the
middle and Dave Dicker on the Right.
The last
chapter of the balloon exercise was carried out in April 1978. Allan Warrild,
the renowned rock climber / caver, was attempting to climb the Gunbarrel. He
was some 50 metres up. We ran a combined trip with the aim of getting photos of
the climbers. Conditions were very poor, with heavy mist and a fair bit of
rain. Some fair results were obtained, and an interesting factor was the
presence of fine tree roots on the balloons when they were finally retrieved.
The above
section of the history belies the difficulties of carrying out the exercise.
There was always a mountain of gear to carry in, much of it delicate or
explosive. Over the span of the trips, the concept of gear-passing was honed to
a very fine art. Provided that there were 4-5 people along, we could get all
the gear into the Gunbarrel in about 1.5 hours. Novices on the trip were given
the special task of getting the tripod, in its canvas bag, into the Gunbarrel
in a dry condition. The bag generally arrived dry, but the novice arrived very
wet. Cavers of longer standing were occasionally conned. There was one winter's
evening when one elder member decided that the top of the Gunbarrel (above
ground) could 
do with looking at with the view of
finding out whether any condensation was emerging from the ground. After some
half hour, three cavers were trudging up the track. The elder caver was still
sitting next to the campfire, feeling very relaxed. Good one Lloyd!
The photo
to the left shows Morris Kelly in the blue jumper and Gwen Blain to the right
drying overalls after a trip into Wyanbene Cave in March 1967.
THE KIMBERLEY – Go to the Kimberley “home page”.
Slightly
overlapping the "Wyanbene Balloon Exercise", came the Kimberley
Trips. These were never ISS-only trips although there was always a strong
contingent of ISS members along. The first trip was scheduled for August, 1977.
August was picked as it was well into the dry season, and it was thought that
there would be little risk of rain. In the event, temperatures were higher than
earlier in the dry, and many water holes were drying up. The trip was organised
in conjunction with the Blue Mountains Speleo Club, and due to the fact that
little speleo work had been carried out in the area, the organising took well
over two years.
The members of the first Kimberley
Trip.
Left to
Right backrow:
Dave Dicker
Terry
Braddock
John
Redpath
Barry
Richards
Mrs
Richards
? Fax
Wendy
Braddock
Carol
Redpath
Roy Munster
Dorothy
Robinson
? Fox
Lloyd
Robinson
Men
crouching are Peter Morris on left and Peter Cully on the right.
Our meeting
place was Geikie Gorge, near Fitzroy Crossing, and most people turned up within
the deadline. We were lucky to meet up with a character called Roy Munster at
Fitzroy Crossing. Roy had lived in the area for about two years, and had
interested himself in the caves.
We had a
brief look at some of the caves around Geikie Gorge (under the eagle eye of the
ranger), then under Roy's guidance, went out to our first area of interest,
Cave Springs in the Lawford Range. At the time, Cave Springs was on Christmas
Creek Station (or maybe GoGo). The Emanuel Range was also given a cursory look
over, but Mimbi Cave was certainly the star, and was a cave to impress poor starved
eastern cavers.The group then moved north west to the Napier Range and
investigated the area between Napier Station and Old Napier Downs Cave. The
group then broke up at the Barker River and individually found their way home.
No
surveying was carried out on this trip - it was purely a
"reconnaissance" and observation trip. It must be noted that without
Roy Munster's help, we would have been at least four weeks behind. He showed us
many of the caves known to the locals, and some that few people would know of.
I'm also sure that we showed him a few that he hadn't seen before.
The 1977
Kimberley Trip was written up and published in the ISS Newsletter, Vol 2, No1, and generated a fair amount of
interest amongst cavers. The second trip was mooted for May, 1979, and
attracted interest from the Sydney Speleo Society, the Orange Speleo society,
and ISS. We were now armed with some pre-knowledge of the area, so we could
plan, to some extent, what our activities would be. Additionally, Dave Lowry of
the WA Department of Mineral Resources had provided us with some marked up
copies of air photos, and general observations on interesting areas to look at.
The 1979
trip saw the beginning of our involvement in cave surveying in the Kimberley.
Dave Lowry had already produced a part survey of Mimbi Cave. This survey was
done "on the run" and proved remarkably accurate. Altogether, some 5
- 6 Km of cave (and grike) was surveyed between the group. This illustrates the
advantage of a big party - there were generally at least two groups surveying
at any time. Pluto's Way, a cave found in 1977 in the Emanuel Range, was also
surveyed. Towards the end of our stay in the Cave Springs area, the
"Illawarra Cave" was discovered in the Laidlaw Range.
The
photograph below shows Gordon Sykes at a wet camp at Cave Springs, Kimberly in
June 1979.
From Cave Springs, the group headed
north-west along the Napier Range and spent a few days looking for caves north
west of the Barker River. The result was the re-discovery of Barnett Springs
Cave.
Wolf
Stengal was always the stirrer of the 1979 trip. In retaliation, some members
of the group appropriated his helmet, and firmly attached a steer's lower
jawbone. He was presented with "The Royal Order of the Donkey Jaw".
To celebrate, Wolf did a rain dance! Well, it certainly rained. The Fitzroy
River came up six metres overnight, and the group had to return home by way of
Perth. Coincidentally, several wives fell pregnant around then, so it must have
been a pretty potent dance. Since then rain dancing (or any other form of
dancing) has been strictly forbidden!
Dorothy Robinson and Wolf Stengal in his “hat”
The 1980
trip was held in June, statistically the best month to be there. Much time was
spent in Mimbi Cave surveying, and the cave was extended to 8.5 km of cave and
grike. The elusive "Lost Section", briefly entered in 1977, was
looked for without success. Another side issue of this trip was the gathering
of moths from the Northern Territory and Kimberley areas.
From Cave
Springs, the group headed north west to the Barnett Springs Cave where a number
of photographic exercises were carried out. The group came home via the Gibb
River Road and Kununurra.
The 1982
Expedition was significant for two reasons, for the first time we had a
scientist along - the late Dr Joe Jennings, and Whalemouth Cave near Turkey
Creek was entered for the first time. The entrance to this cave was sighted by
Roy Munster and Simon Jolly during the previous wet season, but due to the
large volume of water emerging, they could not enter the cave. Whalemouth Cave
is unusual in that it is formed in quartzite - a very hard and chemically
resistant rock. It was a boon to have Joe along to explain the mechanics of its
formation. Some time was spent at Cave Springs, then the Oscar Range received a
brief look at. Again the group returned via the Gibb River Road.
The
observation was made on many Kimberley trips - "I wonder what this place
looks like in the wet season". Visiting the area in the wet may have been
disappointing - we may have been isolated in the centres of population, or we
may not have any rain at all. The idea of a camera, located in a strategic
location in Mimbi Cave was discussed and "brainstormed" over a long
period, resulting in a unit being installed in 1993, and retrieved in 1996.
(Ref ISS Newsletters Vol 3, Nos 6 et al). It seems that ISS can build any sort
of machine - provided it has a camera attached!
The
Kimberley trips between 1984 and 1995 expanded our explorations and surveys in
the Cave Springs area. The Mimbi Cave survey is now 13.5 km of passage and
grike. Investigation in the Laidlaw Range has resulted in the discovery and
surveying of several new and extensive caves. Active interest in the Kimberley,
however, has waned, mainly due to access problems, but partly due to the fact
that we have been visiting the area over a period of 20 years or so.
In 1988,
club members became concerned about the
risk of litigation if any damage or injury was caused on a club trip. The way
was open to sue ISS, and potentially all its members individually. The decision
was made that the club should be put "on hold", no meetings were
held, and no club trips were run. However, the post office box was retained.
In 1993,
the possibility of re-starting the club was investigated. As a result, the club
became known as "The Illawarra Speleological Society Inc". The
first meeting was held in late 1993, and enough interest was shown to justify
taking out an insurance policy. ISS is again active in Bendethera. As cave
entrances are re-discovered, they are positioned by GPS, and eventually
surveyed. Previous ISS trip reports have been invaluable in finding caves, as
have field notes made by other clubs and individuals who have visited the area
over the years. Wyanbene, Yarrangobilly, Tuglow and Cliefden also receive
visits from ISS, as well several members have assisted Canberra Speleological
Society in the Gregory National Park in the Northern Territory. The first ISS
expedition type trip for a number of years will be held in 1999. This will be a
four-week visit to the Nullarbor and places en route.
By today's
standards, caving techniques in the 1960's were crude (or simple) SRT was
looked at with a certain amount of skepticism, and it was not unusual to find
the odd stick of gelignite in the toolbox. I remember a slide show that Lloyd
put on around 1994 on early Bendethera days. There was one shot of an array of
explosives laid out on a fallen log. The club's reaction was classic! Carbide
lights were still popular - they gave off a beautiful soft light, but if they
went out in a confined space, they weren’t so good. A ladder belay consisted of
a caver wedged in the best position possible feeding the belay rope around his
body. Thank goodness we were all pretty agile in those days. One regret which I
have is that we no longer have Cave Rescue Weekends. These weekends were very
instructive, especially for new cavers. The main lesson I've learnt is
"don't get hurt underground". Safety and conservation issues have
come to the fore.
ISS has a
good mix of membership, and I feel that we have a bright future.
It is
what we make it!
HAPPY
40TH BIRTHDAY ISS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would
like to thank all past and present members of ISS who took the time to write
and publish articles and trip reports. These have been the main source of
information for this article. I would also like to thank Lloyd
Robinson, who prepared a wealth of information from his archives on the pre
ISS days, and early ISS days. I would also like to thank him for the oral
history and interesting incidents, most of which came out around various
campfires. Thanks also to John and Carol Redpath for an entertaining afternoon,
the time was well spent. A special thanks is due to Bob Kershaw who edited this
article and published it in this edition of the Newsletter.
The coloured photographs are located in the ‘all files’
folder then go to the ‘Lloyd’s folder’ if you wish to view them in more detail
in a photo editor program.