BMRT 2013

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Marg & I decided pre-Christmas we’d get away for a little while- Blue Mountains Road Trip (BMRT). We’d whip up to the Blue Mountains, by car, swing by Sydney to see Trisha’s Travelcafe & then return home.

So, Mon 07/Jan/13, BMRT Day 1, at around 10.00am we set off. We had planned a leisurely trip up, stopping at Goulburn the first night & then onto the Jenolan Caves, via Oberon, on Tuesday. The Hume Highway/Freeway is a great road and the 7hr trip to Goulburn was pretty easy in an air-conditioned Mazda 3, beating the heat of the day (~40^oC). The only time we passed through a township was at Holbrook, NSW, but road works are in progress to bypass here as well in the very near future.

Interestingly, a submarine (the decommissioned HMAS Otway) features prominently in this little town, some 400km from any seaport! Apparently, in 1915 a WW1 British submariner named Holbrook was making headlines & earning a VC as this town, then named Germanton, was looking to rename itself! In 1995 Holbrook acquired the sub as a tribute to wartime submariners with the aid of a $100,000 gift from the war hero’s widow.

Goulburn is about 700km from Melbourne & 200km from Sydney & brands itself as "Australia's first inland city". It has a population of around 22,000 and is a service centre for the surrounding pastoral industry. It has a central park and many historic buildings, but the piece of resistance, has to be the Big Merino, the world's largest concrete sheep! We stayed at the Lilac City Motor Inn ($99/night). Walked into town for a looksee & settled on the Worker’s Club for a dinner & a drink.

It had been a very hot day, 40-odd degrees most of the way up. Road signage had alerted us to the fact there was high fire danger in this area & we knew of the current bush fires in NE Tasmania. Evening news told us of several bushfires in southern NSW & of the ‘catastrophic’ classification of the fire threat in this district tomorrow.

So BMRT Day 2, Tue 08/Jan/13, we decided it more prudent to go on to Sydney by the mighty Hume rather than take the lesser roads to Jenolan Caves. We drove directly to Trisha’s <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Travelcafe in Bondi – the 2hr trip getting us there around 11.30am.

The Travelcafe has only been operational since the week before Christmas & still needs its neon signage out the front & a few sidewalk tables - but is well decked out. Quiet, at the moment, as it struggles to establish itself in an area with lots of cafes. Leaflets drops, advertising, marketing & word-of-mouth should see it making inroads pretty soon.

We tried to hide from the stinking heat of Sydney in Trisha’s flat, but not a great hiding place, it seems. Toward the late arvo we walked down to Bondi Beach, about 40mins away, to join the thousands there also trying to cool off. The big numbers of people made you feel even hotter. After dunking ourselves a couple of times we went to the far end of the beach to catch the afternoon shadow that was just beginning to creep onto the sand. Trisha joined us an hour or so later after her work day was done.

After freshening up at Trisha’s flat, Trish drove us down to the Clovelly Hotel for a couple of drinks & their ‘steak night’ dinner special. Great drinking weather, given the heat. Hard to sleep that night, despite lashing ourselves to the bed, so as to use Trisha’s industrial strength fan.

BMRT Day 3 (Wed 09/Jan/13) was to be a lot cooler – but was it wise to go back into bush areas? We toyed with the idea of heading home but ultimately decided to drive to Katoomba and then re-assess the situation.

Katoomba, 110 km west of Sydney is probably the chief town of the Blue Mountains. It has a population of 8000; it is well known for spectacular mountain views and extensive bush and nature walks. The name Katoomba derives from an Aboriginal term relating to the nearby waterfall that drops into the Jamison Valley below the Harrys Amphitheatre escarpment. Previously, the site has been known as William's Chimney, Collett's Swamp, The Crushers & then, in 1877, Katoomba. It was first developed as tourist destination towards the end of the 19th century when a series of grand hotels, notably the Carrington, were built and then repeatedly extended. Coal and shale mining was also carried out in the Jamison Valley for many years, but when the seams were completely exhausted by the early 20th century, Katoomba was an established resort town. Its popularity has waxed & waned over the decades but Katoomba's main industry is tourism based on the scenic views. The rock formation known as the Three Sisters, viewable from Echo Point (2km out of town) is the most famous feature, and attracts some four million visitors each year. Other features of the Jamison Valley visible from Echo Point include Mount Solitary and the rock formation known as the Ruined Castle. A short walk from Echo Point leads to The Giant Stairway which provides access to a number of nature walks through the Valley. The local geography includes extensive areas of dense sub-tropical rainforest, hanging swamps and a series of spectacular waterfalls (albeit with a relatively low water volume).

Katoomba is well-served by hotels and guest-houses, the oldest and most prominent of which is the Carrington Hotel (1882), the Five Star Lilianfels at Echo Point. The busy town centre, features dozens of cafes and restaurants, including the Paragon which dates to the early 20th century.

We arrived at Katoomba in the early afternoon and were eager to walk the main shopping strip & check out the Savoy &/or Paragon Cafes as we were peckish & Mark (Travelcafe barista) had recommended them as good for eats. After a bite to eat we went to Echo Point to see the Three Sisters. Both of us remember childhood visits to this site but not the large, double level observation deck it now has. Plenty of tourists around – obviously not discouraged by the threat of bushfires. We thought, given that most were internationals with foreign tongues, that they may have even been unaware of such a threat!!!

The souvenir shop at Echo Point is also a tourist info point & allowed us to get a couple of accommodation possibilities for the night. We ultimately settled on Belgravia House ($90/night with brekky) just 5mins from Echo Point. Had really nice dinner & a couple of pints at the Old City Bank Bar (run by & alongside the Carrington) before walking down to Echo Point under lights at night.

BMRT Day 4, Thu 10/Jan/13, began with an in-house breakfast before heading to Scenic World, just a few k’s on, for their suite of 4 activities – Skyway, Railway, Cableway & Walkway. We had left this stuff too late yesterday so were knocking it off this morning before heading to the Jenolan Caves as the weather seemed more obliging. These activities were surprisingly good & modestly priced - $28 each for a return trip on the Skyway, a single ride down the Railway, a stroll around the boardwalk Walkway & a single ride up the hill on the Cableway. Skyway travels over an arm of the Jamison Valley and offers views of Katoomba Falls and Orphan Rock & the car has a liquid crystal panel floor, which abruptly becomes transparent while the car travels. The Railway is the steepest funicular railway in the world at 52^o & was originally built to facilitate coal and oil shale mining in the Jamison Valley.

Lunchtime before we headed toward the Jenolan Caves, 1½ hr away. A smaller, less travelled road than we’d seen up here, getting very windy & narrow as it approaches the lowly set caves. You’re carefully negotiating sharp corners and oncoming traffic on a road barely wide enough for two cars & then, all of a sudden, you come around yet another corner and you’re entering a massive cave – the Grand Arch. You’ve arrived. Drive on through this one-lane cave and you soon come out to a glorious view of the 1898 Jenolan Caves House. On this beautifully sunny day, it seemed like we were entering some sort of fairyland. Quite magical, very special.

Jenolan Caves are 175km west of Sydney. They are about 340 million years old – the oldest open caves in the world. The calcite formations, sometimes pure white, are of extraordinary beauty. The cave network is enormous - over 40 km of multi-level passages - still undergoing active exploration. Several kilometres of the caves have been rendered easily accessible to paying visitors and are well lit. Local Gundungarra tribes knew Jenolan Caves area as 'Binoomea' (Dark Places) and possibly shunned them; in approximately 1835-40 the area was recorded for the first time by either James, Charles or Alf Whalan, three brothers who each claimed to have discovered the caves while searching for a bushranger, James McKeown, whom they claimed used the caves as a hide-out. The name "Jenolan" is said to come from "Genowlan", the Aboriginal name for a local mountain peak, or, another theory is that is derived from the name of an early settler, J. Nolan. The caves came under NSW Government control in 1866 & were open to tourism early, but there was little protection from visitors damaging formations until souveniring was banned in 1872. The Chifley Cave was the first of the caves to be lit with electric light in 1880. Jenolan Caves attracts over 250,000 visitors a year, making it one of the most popular tourist locations in rural NSW.

Ten of the area's "dark caves" are open for regular guided tours every day (1-2 hrs/tour). These 'show' cave tour sizes vary (Pool of Cerberus Cave can have only 8 & the Lucas Cave can have up to 65) & difficulty (Imperial Cave has the fewest stairs & River Cave is the most strenuous). A self-guided tour of the huge Nettle Cave/Devils Coach House is also available.

The caves at Jenolan are limestone caves - formed within a rock known as limestone. Limestone is a sedimentary rock, formed as a result of material being built up by its constituents being laid down over a period of time and gradually becoming cemented together. Generally limestone is formed in a warm shallow sea, rich in life. As organisms grow, those that have skeletons or live in shells, will exude calcium carbonate - a prime constituent in their structures. The calcium carbonate settles to the seabed where it forms a calcareous ooze. Mixed in with this are skeletal remains of sea life and corals. As the rock mass is lifted up out of the ocean water is able to start seeping through the sediment, dissolving the calcareous material and then reprecipitating it, forming a cement which binds the rock mass together. The action of the water flowing through the rock mass not only cements it together but also can cause concentrations of various minerals. This concentration of minerals can lead to differing types of cave formation later on. Through the process of uplift fractures are introduced into the rock which allow water to penetrate more easily through parts of the rock.

As rainwater falls through the sky, carbon dioxide dissolves into the water causing it to become slightly acidic.

CO2 + H2O ó HCO3^- + H⁺ CaCO3 + H2CO3 óCa²⁺ + 2HCO3^-

As the water seeps through the soil it becomes more acidic in nature. One of the important qualities of limestone is that it is easily dissolved in a weak acidic solution when compared to other rock types. The water enters fractures in the rock, dissolving the rock as it progresses. Fractures are widened over time and as underground spaces grow there is further cave development as surrounding rock collapses. As the water table drops dry spaces remain and these are what are inspected on cave tours. Cave development continues both through the action of surface water entering the cave environment as well as the main body of water flowing through the rock mass.

Our first task, after “Ooooing” & “Ahhhhing”, was to get a room at Caves House, which we did, $79 for the night (shared bathroom, though) & another $20 each for a full buffet brekky. The room was most comfortable, spacious, well-lit & with good views. After installing our luggage we headed to the cave tour ticket office & were on the 3.30pm Lucas Cave tour without much delay at all. Again, tour prices seemed reasonable, $30 each & a coupon to get you 50%!o(MISSING)ff on your second cave tour. Great tour, maybe 20 folk in all, lots of steps to climb, and the cave are lit in sections; one section as part of an orchestrated piece of music. Apparently, this cave is frequently used for music recitals & often hosts weddings, and the like! After this tour we did the ‘free’ self-guided (and audio-assisted) Nettle-Cave before pulling stumps for the day.

We had a very nice $90 dinner (rack of lamb & salmon steak) with drinks in the Caves House dining room before retiring for the night. What a busy day, really quite tired.

BMRT Day 5, Fri 11/Jan/13, and the hot weather was back. We’d check out another cave & head directly home and hopefully sidestep any bushfires that were likely. Breakfast was great – sumptuous and most satisfying, good value for money! Pack-up, check-out, re-park & then back on tour. Did the Orient Cave ($18 each with our 50%!d(MISSING)iscount) this morning – you approach this from a man-made tunnel that avoids travelling through 2 other cave systems to get here. Different from yesterday’s cave, more lavishly decorated with the calcite crystal, and the same as well. Lots of stalactite’s, stalagmites, shawls, columns, formations, all with various tintings from other minerals present. Lots of names for structures some you can see, some like those star arrangements that really stretch your imagination. Much of this tour was on very narrow passageways. Again, mind blowing stuff.

By 11.00am we were ready to head home, the choice of route being made easy due to the closure of the road from Sydney until 1.30pm. This is to allow the tour buses to get in without having to fight for road space. Hot for most of the journey home, ~40^oC, but I was well fortified with a Goulburn lunch stop at the Paragon Café where I indulged in a Rocky Road Sundae (Heaven in a Bowl). 10 hrs from Jenolan to Home.

All a little rushed. Must get back to the Blue Mountains in the near future.

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Photos

Sub surfaces 400km inland
Strange sight at Holbrook.

The Big Merino
Something in the sheep-dip out there in Goulburn!

'Catastrophic' fire potential!
Sydney newspaper front page showing our touring zone!!!

Travelcafe
Marg & Trish at the new Bondi premises

Chalkboard menu
"Latte & a trip to LA, please!"

Marg & her 3 Sisters
From Echo Point, Katoomba

Breakfast Conversation
Nothing like some scintillating intercourse before the day begins

On board Skyway
3 Sisters in the background

Skyway flooring
Nifty, eh? Flick a switch & the floor becomes transparent

Katoomba Coal Mine
Marg checks out the defunct mine

Jenolan Caves
A little bit of magic!

Jenolan Caves
Grand Arch - from which many of the cave tours begin

Fire Risk very real
Maybe, not the best time of year for touring here.