Budding Speleologists

Located 36km northwest of Canberra as the crow flies is a small country village called Wee Jasper home of Careys Cave. To reach the cave we drove the circuitous 86kms via Uriarra crossing, along the Murrumbidgee River around the northern edge of the Brindabella Range to the Goodradigbee River. Although it took us over an hour negotiating the winding road the scenery was picturesque especially with all the recent rain making for lots of lush green rolling hills.

Initially we thought we'd join the 1.30pm tour after a picnic lunch, however we arrived at Careys Cave earlier than expected and in time for the tour starting at noon. Descending the 30 concrete steps we plunged into another world.

Our tour began in the first of 7 chambers and would uncover a wealth of underground secrets through to perfectly preserved graffiti dating back to the late 1800s. The cave was discovered by female explorers who would tuck their skirts into their bloomers and wriggle through tight spaces with nothing more than a candle or two to light the way!

So what exactly did we learn?  Well Careys Cave is a limestone cave. In simple terms (I'm sure Eoin will correct me on any mistakes!) most limestone is formed over millions of years, on ancient ocean floors. Being very soluble, limestone is easily dissolved especially by rainwater which picks up carbon dioxide from the air making it more acidic. The water enters crevices and joints in the limestone dissolving the rock as it progresses creating cavities which enlarge to become chambers. Underground water flow also carves and sculptures passageways connecting these chambers. 

Then when the water table drops, these chambers and passageways dry out ready to be decorated! The acidic rain trickles through the limestone it loses the carbon dioxide and deposits calcium carbonate with the resulting mineral being calcite. How the cave is decorated depends on the whether the water drips, seeps, flows or sits in pools. 

We learnt about straws and crystal formation; stalactites (grow down from the ceiling); stalagmites (grow up from the splashing drips of the stalactites); columns where stalactites meet stalagmites; shawls (commonly known as prosciutto where the water trickles down a sloping surface; cave coral or popcorn; flowstones and helictites.

For nearly 2 hours we were educated about the geology of this cave including one point where all lights were extinguish so we experienced complete darkness allowing our other senses to kick in. Candles were subsequently lit like the olden days and our perceptions challenged.

Touching any rock in the cave is a big no - no as the oil and dirt from ones hands permanently discolours the rocks. To encourage visitors not to touch, a table with specimens was set up. Again various pieces on the table were discussed and passed around. Of course the girls favourites were the sparkly ones!

I was very impressed that the guide was able to include Ella and Katy in his tour presentation. They remained captivated for pretty much the whole time becoming a little restless and tired in the last 10 minutes or so. All in all the day trip exceeded my expectations and has become a very special memory.