The Jenolan Caves: An Excursion in Australian WonderlandCook, Samuel
History
The Jenolan Caves: An Excursion in Australian Wonderland
Cook, Samuel
Australia -- Description and travel; Caves; Jenolan Caves (N.S.W.)
The Imperial Cave is graced with myriads of lovely objects. Darkness
brooded over them for ages, as drip by drip and atom by atom they were
formed into things that charm and shine in chambers whose walls are
"clad in the beauty of a thousand stars." There are underground gullies
terrible enough to be the home of Apollyon, with legions of goblins; and
strangely radiant elfin palaces where Titania might be supposed to
reign, and Robin Goodfellow carry on his frolicsome pranks. In the year
1879, when the cave-keeper (Mr. Wilson) discovered this magnificent
series of caverns, he was lowered down a distance of 90 feet through
Egyptian darkness. As this mode of access was neither cheerful nor easy,
nor free from danger, he determined, if possible, to find a less
inconvenient and perilous approach to the cave. After two years of
patient investigation he accomplished his heart's desire. The orifice
which has been converted into the present entrance was at first, for a
distance of 19 feet, only 14 inches by 15 inches, but the curator worked
his way through it, caterpillar fashion, with a light in one hand and a
hammer in the other, knocking off the rough formation, and widening the
aperture from time to time until he made communication free from
difficulty. Throughout this splendid cave there are many places where
similar efforts, accomplished with equal success, have added largely to
the safety and convenience of visitors, who reap the fruits of the
heroic work performed by the brave explorer, whose best years have been
spent in rendering accessible to the public the marvellous beauties of
the Jenolan Caves.
From the accommodation house the way to the Imperial Cave is through the
Grand Arch, on the northern side of which, at the eastern end, are two
wooden staircases. The first springs from the floor of the arch amidst
immense blocks of stone irregularly disposed. It has 21 steps, and a
handrail on each side. This terminates at the summit of a pile of
limestone rocks, the uppermost of which forms a platform guarded by iron
stanchions and a galvanised wire rope. From this platform there is
another flight of 21 steps to the portico of the cave--a plain archway,
the floor of which is 50 feet higher than the floor of the cave-house.
The entrance is guarded by a light iron gate.
THE WOOL SHED AND THE GRAVEL PITS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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