Oberon Weekend-Jenolan Caves

While our tire tyre was getting replaced we went on a tour of the Lucas Cave, one of the Jenolan caves.

 Our awesome guide Beth chose it because it offers a bit of everything that the other caves offer.

 In awesome WB Family style, someone approached us in the parking lot and gave us their "50% off your next visit" passes and so we got in for half price.

 This is one member of the wallaby family that lives by the entrance of the Lucas Cave.  We were told that if we all left them well enough alone and didn't get right in their faces with cameras and such then they would stay there.  It was pretty cool to see him there.  As a side note, it gave me a location to consider when I need to find alternative Australian accommodation at the end of the exchange.

Above you can see us in front of an awesome view downward.  This is the point where, after walking up many, many steps (300 or so) they stop and check to see how everyone is feeling as this is your last opportunity to escape the 600 or so stairs still to come inside the caves.

The Lucas Cave is ANCIENT.  So it was really interesting to see evidence of the world's changing magnificence.

Here are some of the stalactites that have been around for more than 100,000 years (the aging of stalactites depends on multiple factors). You can make out the guiderails that have been installed in the last few decades to make this tour much more 'family friendly' than the pre-concrete and rails tours that took place 75 years ago.

here Dave shows off the height of the enormous cavity that we travelled through

the 'shoal' stalactites create a wavy curtain as the limestone precipitates in a unique curly fashion. One of the few places in the world such patterns exist.

After we went through the cave we took a walk around this really amazing blue lake. The dissolved calcium and carbonate ions create a scattering of the light. The eerie bright blue hue isn't quite given justice, but it did just hide the platypus family that we were looking to see. 

can you make out the face in the rock that Big C is trying to emulate?

Dave and Monkey ventured down another million or so steps to take their photos with this arch.

**an update on the tire tyre situation.  We bought one brand new tire tyre and it only cost $100 to have it mounted, balanced and installed.