Jenolan Caves
Jenolan Caves trip
October 19th
and 20th
by Bob
Kershaw
Present:
ISS Gerrard
Collins, Bob Kershaw and Paul Armstrong from Saturday night.
NHVSS Jenny
and Gary Whitby and Jodie Rutledge.
I arrived
at Jenolan Caves Cavers Cottage about 9pm after leaving Wollongong about
5.45pm.
An hour
later Gerrard arrived with the key to the cottage and a little while later the
NHVSS threesome arrived. After discussing various issues and enjoying a
nightcap, it was well after midnight when we hit the beds - literary!
Saturday
morning and the light shone brightly through the windows at 5.45 am and I arose
and set about preparing things for the day ahead. Meanwhile the others slept in
or laid in until they could get the keys to the caves at 9.00am.
We then ventured upstream passed the
Mammoth entrance to J197, Century Cave. The use of “Century” was derived from
the fact that the J197 entrance was the 100th cave documented on the
SUSS :untagged Caves list”. After a brief visitation and a few photographs we
ventured downstream to J77, Hennings Cave, re-discovered in 1960 by SUSS. It
was originally discovered in the late 19th Century. Lots more
photographs were taken by me then and we exited about 3.30pm. En-route to
Aladdin Cave, Jenny and I had a quick detour into the beginning of J125,
Serpentine Cave, discovered in 1954, we
I took a couple of photos of the stream passage- a rather serpentine stream
passage.
A steep
climb to J19, Aladdin Cave, an old Tourist Cave that was discovered in November
1897 by the then Caretaker, Mr. F.J. Wilson . A few more photos between the
remnants of the chicken wire that protects some magnificent speleothems in this
cave. We exited about 5.30pm and arrived back at the caver’s cottage, no 19,
about 6.45 and few nibbles and hot showers before dinner.
Sunday
proved to be another stuff up of a morning, chasing after Jodie who left about
7am for a walk to the Guides offices to discuss various ASF issues. WE tore
down in the cars about 9am wrenching her away and we eventually arrived at the
Mammoth Cave entrance just before 10am!
Mammoth
Cave, J13/14/15 was discovered by Jeremiah Wilson in 1882. It is divided into the Northern, Central and
Southern Sections and is often used by Adventure Tour operators who take people
there for around a price - we get it free!
After
entering the cave and heading down form the entrance the girls to my camera box
through the rock fall and the boys were lead by Gary through the Mammoth
squeeze. I haven’t contorted my body in so many angles and in such a tight
space since ????? Out in to the cave and we headed for the southern section and
the Oolite chamber. But before Jodie showed me around in here, the others
headed down to Slug Lake - seeing that the water level was considerably lower
that usual. The Oolite Chamber is like the Gunbarrel Aven but with lots of
formation. Jodie and I then returned to the bags and headed to the Railway
tunnels which is a very apt description.
A couple of Photos and the others joined use for a quick tour through
Hell Hole. One only needs to go there once and I have been there in the dry!
The wet is a bit hairy apparently so .....
We returned
from the Tunnel and exited up through the rock pile with the camera box to an
afternoon sunray in the main entrance chamber lighting the cave in an
exhilarating fashion. We exited about 3pm
and returned to the cottage to clean up and for some to have another hot shower
before returning to civilization.
A three
hour trip in the Sunday afternoon traffic over the Blue Mountains is a sure way
to forget what a great company was shared and weekend it was. Next time a
slightly longer trip via Goulburn or leave an or two hour later may be in
order.
References:
Dunkley,
J.R. and Anderson, E.G. (1978) The Exploration and Speleography of Mammoth
Cave, Jenolan SUSS and SRC Ltd
Welch, B.R.
(1976) The caves of Jenolan : the northern Limestone SUSS,