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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
THE following historical and descriptive account of the Jenolan (formerly called the Fish River) Caves was written for the Sydney Morning Herald . By the kind permission of the proprietors of that journal (Messrs. John Fairfax and Sons) and, at the request of numerous correspondents, it is now republished. The author is conscious, however, that neither tongue, nor pen, nor pictorial art can convey an adequate idea of the magnificence and exquisite beauty of these caves. Words are too poor to exp
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HOW THE CAVES WERE DISCOVERED.
HOW THE CAVES WERE DISCOVERED.
The Jenolan Caves contain some of the most remarkable and beautiful objects in Australian wonderland. They are formed in a limestone "dyke," surrounded by magnificent scenery, and hide in their dark recesses natural phenomena of rare interest to the geologist, as well as of pleasurable contemplation by non-scientific visitors; while in and about them the moralist may find To see these caves once is to create a lifelong memory. The pink and the white terraces of New Zealand, which before the rece
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THE APPROACH TO THE CAVES.
THE APPROACH TO THE CAVES.
There are several routes to the caves. That commonly chosen is by way of Tarana, a small township 120 miles from Sydney by rail, and 2,560 feet above the level of the sea. The train journey is through interesting country. Leaving behind the new western suburbs with their elegant villas, stately mansions, and well-kept gardens, the traveller arrives at Parramatta with its quaint old church, its fine domain with sturdy English oaks of magnificent growth, its glimpses of river, its old King's Schoo
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THE EXTERNAL FEATURES OF THE CAVES.
THE EXTERNAL FEATURES OF THE CAVES.
That portion of the limestone dyke in which the caves are found runs six miles north and south; and the Grand Arch and the Devil's Coach House—the two principal "day caves"—are formed right through the mountain, near the centre, in an easterly and westerly direction. On the one side McEwan's Creek flows towards the Devil's Coach House, and on the other side is a natural watercourse leading to the Grand Arch, which is only a few yards distant from it. Bearing in mind how the watercourses converge
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THE GRAND ARCH.
THE GRAND ARCH.
The Grand Arch runs east and west, and is about 150 yards in length, 60 feet high, and 70 feet wide at its western end. The eastern end is 80 feet high, and about 200 feet wide. Its proportions and outline are gloomily impressive, and rather awe-inspiring. It is like the portico to some great castle of Giant Despair. The eastern end is a marvel of natural architecture, and the wonder is how so spacious a roof can remain intact under a weight so enormous. The rugged walls are varied by many pecul
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THE DEVIL'S COACH HOUSE.
THE DEVIL'S COACH HOUSE.
The road from the Grand Arch to the Devil's Coach House is devious and uneven, with occasional fissures in the ground indicating the entrance to new subterranean marvels. To the right is the mouth of a cave yet unnamed and unexplored. A little farther on, high up in the rocky wall which connects the two converging mountains of limestone, is the Carlotta Arch, which resembles a Gothic window in the grand ruins of some venerable monastic pile, fretted and scarred by centuries of decay. Almost imme
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THE NIGHT CAVES.
THE NIGHT CAVES.
The "day" caves of Jenolan, although grandly picturesque, are but slightly typical of the interior caverns. As the few bars of harmony dashed off by way of prelude to an intricate musical composition prepare the ear for the movement which is to follow, so an inspection of the external caves trains the faculty of observation for the ready appreciation of the more elaborately beautiful objects in the dark recesses of the enchanted mountain. The contrast between the two is as marked as the differen
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THE NETTLE CAVE.
THE NETTLE CAVE.
The Nettle Cave is for the most part a place of twilight. If visitors are incautious in approaching it they will soon come to the conclusion that it has been properly named, for all around are fine clumps of herbaceous weeds with sharp tubular hairs upon vesicles filled with irritating fluid. The sting of a nettle and the sting of an adder resemble each other, but are yet dissimilar. The adder strikes his tubular fang into his prey, but the nettle victim impinges upon the tubular hair which comm
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THE ARCH CAVE.
THE ARCH CAVE.
The Arch Cave runs north-westerly from the line of road to the Carlotta Arch, and has a gradual descent. It is about a hundred yards long, and in some places about half a chain wide. The roof is decked with beauty; the floor is covered with dust. There is now but one complete column in the centre, and that is formed by a stalactite which extends in a straight line from the roof to the floor. It is surrounded by a number of other magnificent pendants of a similar kind, more or less ornate, and cr
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THE CARLOTTA ARCH.
THE CARLOTTA ARCH.
On returning to the mouth of the Arch Cave, the tourist proceeds towards the Carlotta Arch—so named in honour of a daughter of the Surveyor-General of New South Wales, Mr. P. F. Adams, who visited the caves 10 or 12 years ago, and has always taken an interest in their exploration and preservation. Ascending some stone steps, guarded by galvanised wire, an excellent view of the Ball Room to the eastward is obtained. The steps make access easy. Previously the rocks were slippery, in consequence of
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THE ELDER CAVE.
THE ELDER CAVE.
On leaving-the Carlotta Arch and the bridge, the visitor—mentally gratified, physically tired, and conscious that his perceptive faculties have been somewhat strained—rejoices that the cave-house is conveniently near, so that he can promptly ensconce himself in an easy-chair and meditate upon the charming scenes upon which his eyes have feasted. If he be unusually robust he may economise the return journey by taking a peep at the Elder Cave, which lies just off his homeward course. It derives it
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THE LUCAS CAVE.
THE LUCAS CAVE.
The Lucas Cave presents, in grand combination, almost every type of subterranean beauty to be found in the natural limestone caves of Jenolan. It rivals the Imperial Cave, which, however, is commonly regarded as the more attractive, and displays a more dazzling magnificence than that which characterises either the Arch or the Elder Cave. The approach to the Lucas Cave is by a zigzag path from the valley, leaving the high Pinnacle Rock to the left hand. The route is not difficult to agile people,
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THE MUSIC HALL.
THE MUSIC HALL.
By means of a wire ladder the excursionist descends still deeper into the bowels of the earth. He then goes farther down by 18 or 20 steps, cut in a clayey substance, to the vestibule of the Music Hall. Some of the stalagmites are stained with clay. They have evidently been used as steadying-posts by visitors who had previously placed their hands on the red earth when working their way down the declivity where the steps are now formed. The other stalagmites away out of reach are white and gliste
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THE SHAWL CAVE.
THE SHAWL CAVE.
Returning to the main passage, the tourist descends 41 steps, and enters the Shawl Cave, a magnificent chamber, the roof of which slopes at an angle of about 43 degrees. Into one side the "formation" of carbonate of lime has floated like lava in volumes, and presents the appearance of a suddenly congealed cascade. All the adjacent rocks are covered with fine sheets of formation, white and coloured, and hanging in graceful folds. On a far-off wall is more formation of a similar kind, projecting f
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THE EXHIBITION.
THE EXHIBITION.
At the western end of the Shawl Cave, and on its southern wall, is a remarkable formation denominated "The Butcher's Shop." Experts in the preparation of animal food have discovered in this strong resemblances to sides of beef, joints, and "small goods" covered with a reticulum like the netted membrane sometimes thrown over meat exposed for sale. One would hardly expect to find anything æsthetic about such a display. As a realistic production, however, it will bear favourable comparison with som
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THE BROKEN COLUMN.
THE BROKEN COLUMN.
To the eastward are several interesting stalactites. One represents a black fellow's "nulla-nulla," another a lady and child, another the palm of a hand blackened by candle smoke. On the south side is a spacious platform like the stage of a theatre—the front, about 40 feet wide, is supported by two columns. The height is about 18 feet, and across the top is a curtain of formation representing drapery gracefully arranged, with a fringe of little sparkling stalactites. On each side of this is a sm
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THE JEWEL CASKET.
THE JEWEL CASKET.
Eastward, about 40 feet, is the "Jewel Casket." On the way to it are openings to numerous unexplored caves. Affixed to an immense block of limestone are some 30 or 40 shawl-pattern formations of various sizes, which give forth musical sounds when struck with a hard substance, and which, with a little practice, could be played upon like a mammoth harmonicon. En route from the Exhibition to the Jewel Casket, although the passage has not been so dry for twenty years, the rocks are covered with mois
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JUDGE WINDEYER'S COUCH.
JUDGE WINDEYER'S COUCH.
Leaving the Jewel Casket, the visitor proceeds in a northward direction along a passage, from the Exhibition to "The Hall to the Bridge." There is an ascent of 13 steps west, and then the way to the Hall is under a low archway, through which it is necessary to proceed on hands and knees. Through this archway is a little cavern, something like the Jewel Casket, with a floor of diamond drift and delicate coral. At the top of the steps the Hall runs north-west. Then the way lies down a gradual slop
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THE UNDERGROUND BRIDGE.
THE UNDERGROUND BRIDGE.
The Underground Bridge is not a brilliant achievement in engineering, but seems to be well constructed and safe, which is an important consideration; for, although it is so many hundred feet below the summit of the mountain, and yet down so low as to be on the same level as the foundations of the Cave House in the adjacent valley, it spans a black yawning gulf, at the extremity of which, 50 feet still farther down, is a clear pool of water 20 feet deep! The Bridge is about 42 feet long. It has w
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THE LURLINE CAVE.
THE LURLINE CAVE.
Seventy or eighty yards from the Underground Bridge is the Lurline Cave. The course is south-west, through a curved gallery with 53 steps in different flights, and two archways—one like loveliness when "adorned the most," and the other formed by an ornate mass of stalactites. The Lurline Cave is justly regarded as one of the most charming chambers in the group. The coup d'œil is magnificent. It does not need any close examination to find that it has some distinctive features which show that, alt
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THE FOSSIL BONE CAVE.
THE FOSSIL BONE CAVE.
About 15 yards north-west from the Lurline Cave is the Fossil Bone Cave. To reach this cavern it is necessary to ascend 12 steps. It is scarcely less beautiful than the Lurline Cave. The lime formation represents pensile boughs of weeping-willow, garlands of flowers, and stalactites covered with all kinds of floral decorations. Here also are some fine "shawl" formations hanging from the rocks. One of them is called "The Gong," because it produces a sonorous note similar to that of the Chinese in
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THE SNOWBALL CAVE.
THE SNOWBALL CAVE.
About 40 yards through a hall, running north-east of the Fossil Bone Cave, is the Snowball Cave, which is about 9 feet high, 25 or 30 feet long, and from 6 to 10 or 12 feet wide. It runs north-north-east. Its distinctive feature is that its roof and a portion of its walls are covered with little white masses like snowballs. Some of the patches of carbonate of lime stick to the walls in isolated discs, and others are massed as though snowballs had been thrown at a mark, and a number of them had s
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THE BONE CAVES.
THE BONE CAVES.
The Bone Caves are intensely interesting, and a considerable amount of attention has been paid to them by scientists. In 1867, Professor Owen, when writing to the Colonial Secretary, said that the natural remains obtained from the limestone caves of Wellington Valley in 1832, "revealed the important and suggestive fact that the marsupial type of structure prevailed in the ancient and extinct as well as in the existing quadrupeds of Australia." Seventeen years ago there was an expedition to the W
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THE IMPERIAL CAVE.
THE IMPERIAL CAVE.
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, wh
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THE WOOL SHED AND THE GRAVEL PITS.
THE WOOL SHED AND THE GRAVEL PITS.
About 35 yards from the entrance to the Imperial Cave, northward, and thence about 30 yards east, is "The Wool Shed." The approach to it is narrow and low. In some places it has been formed by blasting, and in others by excavation through a red, sandy substance underneath the limestone. It widens as the Wool Shed is approached. In the floor is a hole going down to the former entrance to the cave, now closed by a stone wall. The Wool Shed is about 20 feet wide, 15 feet high, and 70 feet long. The
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THE ARCHITECT'S STUDIO.
THE ARCHITECT'S STUDIO.
The height of the "Studio" is about 18 feet. This atelier is a marvel of beauty. There are in it two temples of the most lovely kind. Large masses of splendid stalactites hang from the roof. On the walls are columns profusely decorated with coral and tracery and bosses, and carvings which could be imitated only by the most cunning workmanship. Near the centre is a large stalactitic mass, most graceful in shape, with numerous appendages; and underneath appear several stalagmites. Some of them hav
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THE BONE CAVE.
THE BONE CAVE.
Ascending a flight of 10 steps out of the Architect's Studio the course is south-west about 30 yards to the Bone Cave. The way is difficult, a portion of the journey having to be performed on hands and knees. The cave, which runs north and south, is about 10 feet high, 150 feet long, and from 5 to 30 feet wide. In the middle of it is a passage only partially explored. The Bone Cave is guarded by iron rods and wire netting. Bunches of stalactites hang from the roof, and the floor is strewn with b
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THE MARGHERITA CAVE.
THE MARGHERITA CAVE.
From the Bone Cave to the Margherita Cave is about 130 yards, travelling north-east to the top of the first 10 steps, then east into the Architect's Studio, and then north about 30 yards. The Margherita Cave varies from 10 to 20 feet in height, and is from 10 to 15 feet wide. It is remarkable chiefly for the magnitude and beauty of its stalactitic formation, the best portions of which are fenced off with iron rods and wire netting. The formations are nearly all of the same general character. Alt
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THE HELENA CAVE.
THE HELENA CAVE.
Leaving the Margherita Cave by a descent of five steps, and travelling north-west about ten yards through a festooned hall, the Helena Cave opens to view. It was named in 1880. Helena is the prenomen of Mrs. Hart, whose husband accompanied Lieutenant-Colonel Cracknell on his visit to the caves, and took photographs of some of the chambers, when for the first time they were illuminated by electricity. Mr. Hart was connected with the photographic branch of the Government Printing Office. The pictu
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THE GROTTO CAVE.
THE GROTTO CAVE.
At the point of exit from the Helena Cave there is a descent of four steps. Then it is necessary to ascend 14 steps north-north-east on the way to the right-hand branch of the Imperial Cave. From the top of the steps the distance to the junction is about 80 yards. On the left side of the passage, at the foot of the lower steps in the left-hand branch, is a drive down into the gallery of the right-hand branch, the fall being about 70 feet. It was by being lowered down this hole that the cave-keep
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THE LUCINDA CAVE.
THE LUCINDA CAVE.
After travelling a few yards south from the grottoes the visitor arrives at the Lucinda Cave. The hall is from 5 to 15 feet wide and from 6 to 25 feet high. The approach to the cave is through limestone rocks. The path has a gentle slope, and in some places the walls are besprinkled with a white substance like wool. Near the centre of the passage is a hole in the roof partly lined with formation which sparkles like a starlit sky. A little farther on is a descent of four steps through a passage,
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KATIE'S BOWER.
KATIE'S BOWER.
Taking a course between the parallel fences of wire-netting, and travelling about 25 yards, the Jewel Casket is seen on the western side of the cave. It extends about 20 feet due south, and is about two feet six inches high by about six feet wide. It does not contain any new type of beauty, but rather represents a collection of the most enchanting cave splendours. Even the stalactites and stalagmites are overlaid with ornamentation. It is a focus of dazzling brilliancy. Returning to the junction
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THE RIGHT-HAND BRANCH OF THE IMPERIAL CAVE.
THE RIGHT-HAND BRANCH OF THE IMPERIAL CAVE.
Having thus completed his inspection of the left-hand branch of the Imperial Cave, the visitor returns to the junction, passing through all the chambers previously noticed in it excepting the Architect's Studio and the Bone Cave, and proceeds to explore the still more wondrous and beautiful works in the right-hand branch....
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THE SUBTERRANEAN RIVER.
THE SUBTERRANEAN RIVER.
The first object of interest in the right-hand branch of the Imperial Cave is the Subterranean River, which runs at the bottom of a fearful chasm about 50 yards from the point where the two branches bifurcate. After having wandered through marble halls and crystal palaces, and bowers where "rural fays and fairies dwell," the course seems rather gloomy. But attention is attracted by some curiously-shaped nodules, like those found in a part of the Arch Cave, and by basins with thin laminated sides
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THE FOSSIL BONE CAVE, THE SPARKLING ROCK, AND THE CRYSTAL ROCK.
THE FOSSIL BONE CAVE, THE SPARKLING ROCK, AND THE CRYSTAL ROCK.
About 20 yards north from the ladder to the underground river is the entrance to the Fossil Bone Cave. Here is a stratum of coffee-coloured slatey substance in layers like those of the Wianamatta shale. It is so soft that a gentle touch is sufficient to pulverise it. It is slightly honeycombed, and its outer surface is covered with imitations of delicate lichens. In this cave there is not anything in the shape of a stalagmite, except an empty brandy bottle on a little shelving rock, and that wou
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THE SHAWL CAVE.
THE SHAWL CAVE.
About 30 yards from the Sparkling rock is the Shawl Cave. It is approached through a passage from six to eight feet high and two to four feet wide, containing numerous small but pretty grottoes. The Shawl Cave is very interesting. To the left of the entrance is a grotesque pillar with little domes of snowy whiteness and masses of stalactite. The cave is about 25 feet long, 15 feet high, and from 12 to 15 feet wide. It contains three magnificent "shawls." One is 14 feet long, 18 inches deep, and
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LOT'S WIFE.
LOT'S WIFE.
The alabaster pillar called "Lot's Wife" stands in solitary grandeur within a gloomy cave. Its sombre surroundings are in harmony with the tragic old-world history recalled by the central figure. The nimble thought skips over ages and ages, and in the "mind's eye" appear the rich plains of Siddim and the flowing Jordan, and the fugitives and the lava, and the terrible climax. As the Biblical record of the catastrophe is supposed to teach the folly of disobedience on the part of wives, and the pe
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THE CRYSTAL CITIES—THE SHOW-ROOM AND THE GRAND STALACTITES.
THE CRYSTAL CITIES—THE SHOW-ROOM AND THE GRAND STALACTITES.
From "Lot's Wife" to "The Crystal Cities" is about 20 yards north, through a hall from 9 to 15 feet high. On the right-hand side is a concrete wall, which rises about 12 inches from the floor, to protect the "Cities" from dust raised by the tramping of feet. At the end of this concrete wall is a descent of two steps, which brings visitors in full view of the exquisitely beautiful cave, in which there is a group of dazzling Lilliputian cities, whose buildings are of crystallized lime. The streets
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THE FAIRIES' BOWER.
THE FAIRIES' BOWER.
A few paces only from "The Show-room" is "The Fairies' Bower," rich in grotesque lines and mystic crypts, in the purity of the formation which decorates it, and in delicacy of tints and shades. In the midst is a peculiarly-shaped stalactitic pillar resting on a dome, and which may be regarded as the Pixies' trysting-place. Then there are the "Diamond Walls," covered with millions of gems, each of which, as it flashes through the gloom, sparkles like "a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear," or, like th
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THE SELINA CAVE.
THE SELINA CAVE.
North-west from the diamond walls is a gallery to the Selina Cave. Midway, or about 20 yards from the junction at the diamond walls, is "Cook's Grotto," named after Mr. Samuel Cook, of Marrickville. It is a lovely nook, with stalactites of rare purity and beauty. This grotto is about five feet high and from 2 to 10 feet wide. In front is a conical sloping rock with a waxy-looking reticulated surface; and the grotto itself is filled with stalactites as white as the foam of an ocean billow dashed
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THE MYSTERY.
THE MYSTERY.
From the "Selina Cave" to "The Mystery" is about 25 yards north. In the gallery leading to this wondrous cavern may be noticed a number of small testaceous shells resembling those of cockles, embedded in the walls. The cave itself is rightly named, because of the wonder it excites by its sublimity. The spectator is first fascinated by its magnificence, and then puzzled to account for the many peculiarities and eccentricities of form which present themselves. It is an enigma. Some of the conforma
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NELLIE'S GROTTO.
NELLIE'S GROTTO.
About 10 yards north-west from "The Mystery" is "Nellie's Grotto," named in honour of Mrs. Carruthers, of Sydney, who visited the cave shortly after its discovery. This grotto varies from one to five feet in height, and is about 20 feet from end to end. Its beauty is bold and striking. Its chief features are taken in at a glance, and its general effect is unique. In the foreground on the right hand side is a pillar of great thickness and apparent strength, standing on a gracefully waved and ripp
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THE VESTRY, THE JEWEL CASKET, THE BRIDAL VEIL, AND THE FLOWERING COLUMN.
THE VESTRY, THE JEWEL CASKET, THE BRIDAL VEIL, AND THE FLOWERING COLUMN.
About 25 yards north of Nellie's Grotto is "The Vestry," a cavern about 12 feet high, 8 feet wide, and 20 feet in length. It is called The Vestry, because of its propinquity to some very fine cathedral-like architecture, and not because any minister requires it to robe himself in, or because it is used for the meetings of any parochial assembly. This Vestry runs east and west, and there is here a large area of unexplored caves. Indeed, it may be said that there are in almost every part of the mo
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HOW CAVES ARE MADE—THE WORK OF AGES.
HOW CAVES ARE MADE—THE WORK OF AGES.
There remain now to be described but four of the caves ordinarily frequented by visitors. These are "The Garden Palace," "The Stalagmite Cave," "The Gem of the West," and "The Fairies' Retreat," with "The Queen's Diamonds." But, as already intimated, it is impossible to foretell what visions of loveliness may be disclosed by future explorations. Quite recently the curator has wormed his way into another splendid cave of large dimensions and great beauty. An opening of about eight feet leads to a
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THE GARDEN PALACE—THE STALAGMITE CAVE AND THE GEM OF THE WEST.
THE GARDEN PALACE—THE STALAGMITE CAVE AND THE GEM OF THE WEST.
The "Garden Palace," about 14 yards north from the Flowering Column, is remarkable for the beauty of its proportions and the charming grace of its arches and dome. It has on the left hand side a magnificent stalactite descending from the roof, and coming to a fine point on the top of a stalagmite, which rises a short distance from the floor. There are also many other stalactites and stalagmites of rare proportions. Near to it is a fascinating little crypt that can be peered into from a small ape
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THE FAIRIES' RETREAT.
THE FAIRIES' RETREAT.
It is about 40 yards north-east from the Gem of the West to the Fairies' Retreat. The passage is from 8 to 20 feet high and from 6 to 14 feet wide, and rather damp. The visitor ascends a short ladder to a rocky ledge, where there is a small opening and a narrow passage, along which he has to wriggle his way in a recumbent posture and with his feet foremost. Long before he has reached the immediate entrance to the Retreat he begins to think Puck has led him a "pretty dance," and he has gained som
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THE QUEEN'S DIAMONDS.
THE QUEEN'S DIAMONDS.
After seeing the Fairies' Retreat there remains but one other surprise, and that is "The Queen's Diamonds." These are in a casket easily accessible, and the opening to which is about three feet wide by one foot high. The jewel case itself is about four feet wide, three feet deep, and 12 feet long. When the light is turned into it the brilliancy of the scene is perfectly dazzling. The prismatic formations are wonderful, and the blaze of magnificence mocks the descriptive power of either pen or pe
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GENERAL IMPRESSIONS.
GENERAL IMPRESSIONS.
When the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon she went to Jerusalem with a great train, with camels that bore spices and large quantities of gold and precious stones, and fully satisfied the curiosity commonly attributed to her sex. She proved the wisdom of the far-famed monarch, admired his house and its appointments, the apparel of his servants, the attendance of his ministers, and the magnificence of his daily table; and, according to Josephus, she said: "As for the report, it only att
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CAVES UNEXPLORED.
CAVES UNEXPLORED.
And as you glance once more along the limestone mountain ridge you wonder what hidden beauties yet remain to be revealed. To the north from the Devil's Coach House numerous caves are known to exist, and it is probable that some of them may present features more remarkable than any yet discovered. The creek, which runs quietly along, has on its way some oblique outlets before it sinks into the earth, and recalls, with its surroundings, the pleasure-place of Kubla Khan,— The first of these caves i
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CONCLUSION.
CONCLUSION.
The journey from Sydney to the Caves is long and expensive, but the route is interesting all the way. Thirty-six miles from the city after crossing the Emu Plains and the magnificent bridge over the Nepean at Penrith, 87 feet above sea-level, the train begins to climb the mountain range, and after travelling 52 miles it attains an altitude of 3,658 feet. The first zigzag up Lapstone Hill brings into view a splendid panorama, and, notwithstanding the disregard of railway surveyors for fine scener
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