Day 13. Exploring the caves in Naracoorte, S.A

20.01.2013

Apologies for the delay in getting around to writing my next post; the last two months have seen some monumental changes in my personal life which include moving back to the UK and splitting up with the man who I made & enjoyed this amazing trip with. Until now, it has been a little difficult to reflect back on our journey without some sadness and regret however I am now ready to continue sharing my experiences during what remains one of the most incredible experiences in my life.

Back to the blog and it's day 13 of the road trip - unlucky for some, but certainly not for us. It took a little over an hour to reach our next destination in the beautifully sparse South Australia, Naracoorte Caves National Park.

 

The park is S.A's only World Heritage site, being recognized as such in 1994 for its extensive fossil record considered to be the most complete fossil collection found in Australia. The 6 km² park has no less than 26 caves to explore with the World Heritage Site itself accounting for over half of it. It is a family-friendly site to explore with lots of signs and tracks alongside a shop, visitor centre, restaurant, camping ground and all the usual facilities you would expect. And a few you might not - such as this life-size statute of an ancient wombat-like creature (called a Diprotodon) which roamed Australia alongside the ancient indigenouse people until 25,000 years ago and who's fossils have been found on site. A very friendly looking chap eh!

It was the peak of summer in Australia and the temperatures were unrelentingly stuck in the high thirties celsius (and sometimes above this) so it was a relief to go underground for a little bit of shade. We arrived at the days first stop, a tour in Victoria Fossil Cave, which is perhaps the most famous in the park.

It was my first experience going down into a cave and owing to slight claustrophobia, I timidly ventured down into this cool underground cavern. Once down there, you are simply taken aback at the sheer breathtaking beauty of it all. The place is littered with countless stunning stalagmites (growing up from the ground) and stalactites (growing down from the roof). I could have stopped to take photo's for hours and been perfectly content. Of course we were on a guided tour with time limitations in place, but there was plenty of opportunities for snapping a photo or two. Our lovely guide explained the history of the caves and the science behind these formations in an informative yet interesting way. Being the geek I am (see the t shirt) I was certainly in my element! Check out the amazing photos.

What's particularly special about this cave - and what earned it being listed as a World Heritage Site - is the massive fossil record discovered here. 300,000 years worth of fossils were found in a 4 metre deep fossil bed which lay undisturbed for millennia. The cave was effectively a huge pitfall trap, thousands of animals fell in and were unable to escape; their skeletons remained and built up until they reached the roof and eventually the cave was sealed shut 15,00 years ago. Since excavation started 30 years ago, tens of thousands of specimens have been found at the site with over 93 individual vertebrate species providing a superb snapshot of Australian wildlife. On the tour we got to see a replica skeleton of an ancient kangaroo found here and a preserved excavation site which shows just how many fossils were - and still are - being found.

The cave acted like a huge natural pitfall trap: animals that fell in were unable to escape through the high entrance and died, their skeletons lying nearly undisturbed for millennia. As the cone grew, fans of sediment and animal bones spread out over the cave floor. The sediment pile eventually grew up to the ceiling and blocked the entrance about 15,000 years ago, sealing the cave and its contents until discovery. Over nearly 30 years of excavation and research more than 5000 catalogued specimens have been excavated from only 4% of what is estimated to be a staggering 5000 tonnes of bone-rich sediment. - See more at: http://australianmuseum.net.au/Naracoorte#sthash.QlZgnNKc.dpuf

For more than 300,000 years sediment and animal bones filled the Fossil Chamber through an opening in the ceiling, forming an enormous cone-shaped pile. The cave acted like a huge natural pitfall trap: animals that fell in were unable to escape through the high entrance and died, their skeletons lying nearly undisturbed for millennia. As the cone grew, fans of sediment and animal bones spread out over the cave floor. The sediment pile eventually grew up to the ceiling and blocked the entrance about 15,000 years ago, sealing the cave and its contents until discovery. Over nearly 30 years of excavation and research more than 5000 catalogued specimens have been excavated from only 4% of what is estimated to be a staggering 5000 tonnes of bone-rich sediment.
From the 3m - 4m deep fossil bed, tens of thousands of specimens representing at least 93 vertebrate species have been recovered, ranging in size from very small frogs to buffalo-sized marsupials. These include superbly preserved examples of the Australian Ice-Age megafauna as well as modern species such as the Tasmanian Devil and Thylacine, wallabies, possums, bettongs, mice, bats, snakes, parrots, turtles, lizards and frogs. The fossil material includes complete postcranial remains (many of which are partially articulated) and skulls so well preserved that even the most delicate bones are still intact. - See more at: http://australianmuseum.net.au/Naracoorte#sthash.QlZgnNKc.dpuf

For more than 300,000 years sediment and animal bones filled the Fossil Chamber through an opening in the ceiling, forming an enormous cone-shaped pile. The cave acted like a huge natural pitfall trap: animals that fell in were unable to escape through the high entrance and died, their skeletons lying nearly undisturbed for millennia. As the cone grew, fans of sediment and animal bones spread out over the cave floor. The sediment pile eventually grew up to the ceiling and blocked the entrance about 15,000 years ago, sealing the cave and its contents until discovery. Over nearly 30 years of excavation and research more than 5000 catalogued specimens have been excavated from only 4% of what is estimated to be a staggering 5000 tonnes of bone-rich sediment.
From the 3m - 4m deep fossil bed, tens of thousands of specimens representing at least 93 vertebrate species have been recovered, ranging in size from very small frogs to buffalo-sized marsupials. These include superbly preserved examples of the Australian Ice-Age megafauna as well as modern species such as the Tasmanian Devil and Thylacine, wallabies, possums, bettongs, mice, bats, snakes, parrots, turtles, lizards and frogs. The fossil material includes complete postcranial remains (many of which are partially articulated) and skulls so well preserved that even the most delicate bones are still intact. - See more at: http://australianmuseum.net.au/Naracoorte#sthash.QlZgnNKc.dpuf

Key stages in the evolution of the Australian climate and biota are included in the time span represented by the Naracoorte assemblage, including the period during which humans first arrived in Australia. The continent was becoming increasingly cool and dry, with occasional periods of warmer, wetter climate towards the Late Pleistocene. The dry and wet periods correspond to glacial and interglacial periods respectively on the other continents. These climatic changes, in particular increasing aridity, had profound effects on the Australian fauna and flora. By 15,000 years ago a significant number of large mammal species had become extinct.

Naracoorte fossils

For more than 300,000 years sediment and animal bones filled the Fossil Chamber through an opening in the ceiling, forming an enormous cone-shaped pile. The cave acted like a huge natural pitfall trap: animals that fell in were unable to escape through the high entrance and died, their skeletons lying nearly undisturbed for millennia. As the cone grew, fans of sediment and animal bones spread out over the cave floor. The sediment pile eventually grew up to the ceiling and blocked the entrance about 15,000 years ago, sealing the cave and its contents until discovery. Over nearly 30 years of excavation and research more than 5000 catalogued specimens have been excavated from only 4% of what is estimated to be a staggering 5000 tonnes of bone-rich sediment.
From the 3m - 4m deep fossil bed, tens of thousands of specimens representing at least 93 vertebrate species have been recovered, ranging in size from very small frogs to buffalo-sized marsupials. These include superbly preserved examples of the Australian Ice-Age megafauna as well as modern species such as the Tasmanian Devil and Thylacine, wallabies, possums, bettongs, mice, bats, snakes, parrots, turtles, lizards and frogs. The fossil material includes complete postcranial remains (many of which are partially articulated) and skulls so well preserved that even the most delicate bones are still intact.
- See more at: http://australianmuseum.net.au/Naracoorte#sthash.QlZgnNKc.dpu

For more than 300,000 years sediment and animal bones filled the Fossil Chamber through an opening in the ceiling, forming an enormous cone-shaped pile. The cave acted like a huge natural pitfall trap: animals that fell in were unable to escape through the high entrance and died, their skeletons lying nearly undisturbed for millennia. As the cone grew, fans of sediment and animal bones spread out over the cave floor. The sediment pile eventually grew up to the ceiling and blocked the entrance about 15,000 years ago, sealing the cave and its contents until discovery. Over nearly 30 years of excavation and research more than 5000 catalogued specimens have been excavated from only 4% of what is estimated to be a staggering 5000 tonnes of bone-rich sediment.
From the 3m - 4m deep fossil bed, tens of thousands of specimens representing at least 93 vertebrate species have been recovered, ranging in size from very small frogs to buffalo-sized marsupials. These include superbly preserved examples of the Australian Ice-Age megafauna as well as modern species such as the Tasmanian Devil and Thylacine, wallabies, possums, bettongs, mice, bats, snakes, parrots, turtles, lizards and frogs. The fossil material includes complete postcranial remains (many of which are partially articulated) and skulls so well preserved that even the most delicate bones are still intact. - See more at: http://australianmuseum.net.au/Naracoorte#sthash.QlZgnNKc.dpuf

Even this relatively spacious cave has some low roof heights - not always easy to navigate for the 6 foot 4 (193cm) boyfriend but all of these have been widened to accommodate the huge number of visitors who now visit. It's hard to imagine how cramped & compact the original site would have been but if it wasn't for the determination of the original excavators then we wouldn't have the fossil record we do now. And of course, exploring the passageways under the ground is actually really exciting and brings out the small child in anyone.

 

  

We then got the chance to explore a self-guided smaller cave on site, which ended up being a little more terrifying than we imagined. It was deserted and the different areas of the cave are lit up by motion detecting lights on the ground. As we strolled through, believing we were alone, we suddenly heard strange growling noises from the far corner of the cave. We inched closer to investigate and when two figures came hurtling towards us then I won't pretend my heart didn't skip a beat. Combined with the sharp scream escaping the boyfriend behind me, we both ran the other way as fast as we could until reality set in and we all fell about laughing. The two figures turned out to be two mischievous Ozzies who had hidden from us until the lights automatically switched off. It was definitely an eventful (but hysterical) end to a great day at the caves!

 

Watch out for the blog which see's us arrive into the states capital, Adelaide, with no end of the heat in site.

Day 10 & 11. Thunder Cave, Sherbrook River and London Bridge (or Arch)!

16.01.2013

It was still Day 10 of the trip, but there were many more amazing sites to be seen. We were in Port Campbell National Park and had just enjoyed the beauty of both the Twelve Apostle's and Loch Ard Gorge. First stop today was Thunder Cave, a huge cavern cared into the limestone cliffs. Whilst you aren't able to go into the cave itself, you get an awesome view of the sea crashing into it and the sea foam it creates. The  noise of the foamy, raging sea is incredible and comparable to thunder, hence the name!

We continued to explore the area, and took a walk along the coast. We ended up at the point where Sherbrook River meets the Southern Ocean. Standing there on the sand means that in one direction you see the quiet, trickling river streaming towards you and in the other, you see (& hear) the rough ocean slamming into the coast. It is a dramatic difference to take in. Even on a hot, sunny day like this there is no rest bite for the shore from the raging ocean. We loved standing on the edge of the rocks and seeing the massive waves explode up on them. There was not a single other person around and we were spoilt with these magnificent views all to ourselves!

London Arch is a natural arch found on the Victorian coast. Originally, it was a double spanned natural bridge which, due to the similarity in appearance, gave it the name London Bridge. Until 1990, you could walk out onto it but in January of that year the nearest arch unexpectedly collapsed leaving two tourists stranded, awaiting rescue by helicopter. Whilst it is now just a single arch, it still provides a spectacular shot -especially with the raging waves surrounding it.

We had planned on spending the night in Port Campbell itself, but upon arrival we didn't like the park so we drove the extra 70km to stay in Warrnambool. We paid $42 to stay at Hopkins River Holiday Park, which was relatively expensive compared to other parks. That said, it was a huge place filled with families taking advantage of the hot sunshine, but this also meant there were a lot of young children around. We made use of the pool to cool down, and there were lots of facilities on site for both adults and kids to enjoy.

The next morning, we decided to enjoy a day on Warrnambool beach. It was forecast to hit a blisteringly hot 38oC so we made sure we slip, slap, slopped using high factor sun cream. It's always nice to enjoy a day at the beach but by the afternoon it was starting to get too hot, and we made a move. The radio had warned us that the extreme heat meant there was a severe bush fire alert today and needless to say, our journey saw us drive through the thick smoke of a raging bush fire nearby. Luckily we weren't too close, but it was still an experience to drive through the smoke with our headlights on in the middle of the day. It is a very real reminder of the danger of the burning sun in this dry, barren corner of the country.

                                                     The plume of smoke of a bush fire, and driving towards it.

After making it through the smoke, we made our way to a free camp spot in a town called Dartmoor. This would be our last day in Victoria on this part of the trip. The town itself was tiny, with a population of just 218 people and yet it still had a shop, Post Office, Butcher, Mini Museum, Library, School, Church, Motel/Hotel and a Bowls Club! I couldn't imagine living in such a remote place, still  thinking my hometown of 130,000 people is too small! By the time we arrived, the temperature had risen to 40oC and we spent an evening with the Kindle under the cooling shade of the tree's having explored he town and it's free shower facilities for campers. But, as you can imagine, it was an uncomfortable night spent in in Priscilla with no electricity outlet for the fan!

Escaping the 40oC heat in Dartmoor under the shade of the trees!

Day 10. The Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge!

16.01.2013

As much as we didn't want to leave the mesmerising Johanna Beach, we got up early on Day 10 as we had so many sites to see. We were continuing our journey along the beautiful Great Ocean Road towards some of Victoria's most famed natural landmarks.

Our first destination was the most famous of them all, the Twelve Apostles which form part of the spectacular Port Campbell National Park. When visiting the site, you are bluntly warned of two dangers here; snakes and unstable cliffs! To quote the sign, "You may fall and DIE." This didn't deter us and you will be pleased to hear we didn't encounter any dangerous reptiles (on this occasion, but we do see a snake later on in the trip!) or fall down any cliffs. 

If you aren't aware, the Twelve Apostles are a collection of limestone stacks located on the coast near the Great Ocean Road. They are formed by erosion caused by the rough sea conditions experienced in the Southern Ocean. The basic process is that the sea erodes the soft limestone rock to form a cave, which continues eroding to eventually become an arch, which over time collapses to leave a giant stack of rock which can be up to 45 metres high. It is ongoing and there are still many caves and arches lining the Victorian coastline which have yet to collapse. 

Despite originally being called the Sow and Piglets (our next stop, the Loch Ard Gorge, was the Sow and theses stacks were the piglets), the site was renamed in 1922 for tourism purposes even though there have only ever been 9 stacks not 12! In 2005, a 50 metre high stack collapsed and another followed in 2009 meaning there are now only 7 left - and with an erosion rate at the base of the pillars of 2cm a year, more will tumble. However, the waves continue to batter the coastline and more stacks will form in the future.

As they are now, the stacks are breathtaking and it a very special place to visit. Being another hot & sunny day, we had magnificent blue skies as a backdrop to this beautiful coastline. Along with the other visitors there, we stayed for a while just to soak up the beauty and atmosphere. I would return here in a heartbeat and recommend any visitor to Australia to make the journey if they can!

Having loved every second of the 'piglets', we were equally as excited to see the 'Sow' - or Loch Ard Gorge as it is known today. You learn about it's history on the signs scattered around the gorge. The site was named after a ship called Loch Ard, which ran aground nearby in 1878 after a 3 month journey from England to Melbourne. Only 2 of the 54 people on board survived; a 15 year old ship apprentice who was washed up ashore here and a 17 year old Irish girl immigrating to Australia who the apprentice saved upon hearing her cries. The arch of nearby Island Archway collapsed in 2009 forming two unconnected rock pillars which have been officially named as Tom and Eva in memory of the two survivors of the tragedy.

Once you arrive, you are able walk along the edge and look back to get this amazing shot back towards the gorge. However, for the best view of all you walk down the stairs onto the beach itself. From here, you get an incredible view and it shows just how beautiful the ugly process of erosion can be. On one side, you see wonderful rock formations and on the other, you see the pathway which has been carved into the rock by the sea, forming this picturesque oasis. The waves gently lap onto the golden shore, with the steep cliff faces & rich, blue sky forming an amazing backdrop. Once again, we were witnessing one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen and the memories will last a lifetime.

This was just one half of one hell of a day - in the next post we continue our journey to visit Thunder Cave, London Bridge and where Sherbrook River meets the ocean!