2/25/02 In The Caravan, OZ (Kelly)
We woke up this mornig and drove about 30 minutes north of Rock Hampton to tour the Capricorn Caverns. Rockhampton sets astride the Tropic of Capricorn, marking the beginning of the tropical north. Hence, this is why the caves are called the Capricorn Caverns. They were awsome. They are made mainly of limestone which, everyone should know, erodes very easily. Bats are in abundance in these caves as well, which unfortunately are causing the caves to crumble. Of course this happens over thousands of years. Bat droppings collect at the bottom of the floors which over years and years compact making a very nutrient rich soil for plants to grow. One in particular is the Straggler Fig. This tree grows up in the cracks of the rock eventually causing the rock to tumble because it can no longer support its weight. Off the soap box...Phill and I found a whole that we climbed through, which was an extremely tight squeeze. Our tour guide lent us his flashlight to do it. The whole brought you up to the open air (outside); I definitely got really dirty during the process. The cave also has a cathedral in it that even to present day is used for weddings and such. There are pews that literally set amongst the cave walls with occassional bats flying around. I really found it to be quite surreal. There is a speaker system set up in it, which is hidden. Our tour guide made us sit down in one of the pews and relax while he played Enya. During this he displayed a little light show, turning on and off various lights in various locations so you could focus on only one aspect of the rock at a time. This could definitley have been used for some sort of meditation.
Once our tour was over we got back in the car to drive to our next destination, Rubyvale, population 2!! We decided to get off of our track a little and head about 3 1/2 hours west. Rubyvale is known for its sapphire gems, so we thought we would learn how to sieve for them...until tomorrow!
Posted by Admin at February 27, 2002 12:30 AM