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THE JENOLAN CAVES.
[Illustration: THE CORAL GROTTO. [_Frontispiece_]
THE
JENOLAN CAVES:
AN
EXCURSION
IN
AUSTRALIAN WONDERLAND.
BY SAMUEL COOK.
_ILLUSTRATED WITH TWENTY-FOUR PLATES AND MAP._
EYRE & SPOTTISWOODE,
Her Majesty's Printers:
LONDON--GREAT NEW STREET, FLEET STREET, E.C.
1889.
[Illustration: Coat of Arms]
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 express the feelings of admiration and awe which are
experienced by those who wander through the marvellous subterranean
galleries embellished with myriads of graceful and fantastic forms of
purest white alternating with rich colour and delicate tints and shades.
Of all the caves in New South Wales those at Jenolan are the most
beautiful, and well-travelled men admit that they are unrivalled in any
other part of the world. As they are so little known this book may be
interesting, and serve to give some impression concerning geological
transformations and the slow processes of Nature in the production of
works at once grand, ornate, and unique.
The illustrations are from photographs by Messrs. Kerry and Jones of
Sydney, who have generously permitted the author to make selections from
their beautiful and extensive series of cave pictures.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I. PAGE
HOW THE CAVES WERE DISCOVERED 13
CHAPTER II.
THE APPROACH TO THE CAVES 17
CHAPTER III.
THE EXTERNAL FEATURES OF THE CAVES--THE GRAND ARCH 20
CHAPTER IV.
THE DEVIL'S COACH HOUSE 33
CHAPTER V.
THE NIGHT CAVES 39
CHAPTER VI.
THE NETTLE CAVE 43
CHAPTER VII.
THE ARCH CAVE 48
CHAPTER VIII.
THE CARLOTTA ARCH 55
CHAPTER IX.
THE ELDER CAVE 58
CHAPTER X.
THE LUCAS CAVE--THE MUSIC HALL--THE SHAWL CAVE 65
CHAPTER XI.
THE EXHIBITION--THE BROKEN COLUMN--THE JEWEL CASKET--JUDGE
WINDEYER'S COUCH--THE UNDERGROUND BRIDGE 73
CHAPTER XII.
THE LURLINE CAVE--THE FOSSIL BONE CAVE--THE SNOWBALL CAVE 83
CHAPTER XIII.
THE BONE CAVES 88
CHAPTER XIV.
THE IMPERIAL CAVE--THE WOOL SHED AND THE GRAVEL PITS--THE
ARCHITECT'S STUDIO--THE BONE CAVE 92
CHAPTER XV.
THE MARGHERITA CAVE 99
CHAPTER XVI.
THE HELENA CAVE 102
CHAPTER XVII.
THE GROTTO CAVE 108
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE LUCINDA CAVE 113
CHAPTER XIX.
KATIE'S BOWER 116
CHAPTER XX.
THE RIGHT-HAND BRANCH OF THE IMPERIAL CAVE--THE SUBTERRANEAN
RIVER 122
CHAPTER XXI.
THE FOSSIL BONE CAVE, THE SPARKLING ROCK, AND THE CRYSTAL
ROCK 133
CHAPTER XXII.
THE SHAWL CAVE 136
CHAPTER XXIII.
LOT'S WIFE 139
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE CRYSTAL CITIES--THE SHOW-ROOM AND THE GRAND STALACTITES 147
CHAPTER XXV.
THE FAIRIES' BOWER--THE SELINA CAVE--THE MYSTERY--NELLIE'S
GROTTO 154
CHAPTER XXVI.
THE VESTRY, THE JEWEL CASKET, THE BRIDAL VEIL, AND THE
FLOWERING COLUMN 163
CHAPTER XXVII.
HOW CAVES ARE MADE--THE WORK OF AGES 168
CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE GARDEN PALACE--THE STALAGMITE CAVE AND THE GEM OF
THE WEST 174
CHAPTER XXIX.
THE FAIRIES' RETREAT--THE QUEEN'S DIAMONDS 181
CHAPTER XXX.
GENERAL IMPRESSIONS--CAVES UNEXPLORED 184
CHAPTER XXXI.
CONCLUSION 189
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
THE CORAL GROTTO _frontispiece_
THE GRAND ARCH ENTRANCE _To face page_ 20
THE GRAND ARCH--LOOKING EAST " 25
CAMP CREEK " 29
THE DEVIL'S COACH HOUSE " 33
THE NORTHERN ENTRANCE TO THE DEVIL'S COACH HOUSE " 37
THE NETTLE CAVE " 43
THE ARCH CAVE " 48
THE CARLOTTA ARCH " 55
THE LUCAS CAVE " 65
THE SHAWL CAVE " 71
THE BROKEN COLUMN " 74
THE UNDERGROUND BRIDGE " 81
THE ARCHITECT'S STUDIO " 97
THE HELENA CAVE " 102
THE LUCINDA CAVE " 113
KATIE'S BOWER " 116
THE UNDERGROUND RIVER AND ITS REFLECTIONS " 122
THE CRYSTAL CITY " 147
THE SHOW-ROOM " 150
THE MYSTERY " 156
NELLIE'S GROTTO " 161
THE ALABASTER COLUMN " 174
THE GEM OF THE WEST " 179
MAP OF THE DISTRICT _At end of book._
THE JENOLAN CAVES.
CHAPTER I.
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
"---- tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything."
To see these caves once is to create a lifelong memory. The pink and the
white terraces of New Zealand, which before the recent eruptions
attracted so many tourists, did not excel in splendour the caves at
Jenolan. But it is common for people to go abroad to admire less
interesting things than are to be found within easy distance of their
starting point, and which, if they were a thousand miles away, would
probably be regarded as worthy of a special pilgrimage. There are
persons living two or three leagues from the caves who have never seen
them, and who, if they embraced the opportunity for inspection, would
possibly regard them with the kind of wonder with which they would gaze
upon the transformation scene at a pantomime. And yet the most frequent
entry in the visitors' book is that the caves are "grand beyond
expectation," and in some of their principal features "indescribably
beautiful."
The first of these caves was discovered in 1841 by James Whalan, who
lived on the Fish River, near what is now the Tarana Railway Station.
Having been robbed by a man named McEwan, he accompanied a police
officer in search of the desperado, and tracked him to the romantic
spot which forms the centre of the cave reserve, where he was captured.
It is possible that some of these caves were known previously to
outlaws, who found in them a secure and convenient hiding-place when
hotly pursued. But the visit of Whalan on the occasion of the capture of
McEwan first brought them into public notice. The name of the
bush-ranger is given to the creek which plays an important part in
connection with the caves. One of the principal features received its
name from the captor, and another--the Bow Cave--is called after some
stolen bullock-bows found therein. They were then known as the "Fish
River Caves," or as the "Binda Caves." They were called the Fish River
Caves because they were in what was then regarded as the "Fish River
District," and not very far from the Fish River post-office. They were
called the "Binda Caves" after a station about nine miles distant to the
northward. And so they were indifferently known until the month of
August, 1884, when their designation was officially changed to
"Jenolan"--that being the name given by Sir Thomas Mitchell
(Surveyor-General of New South Wales) to the mountain from which is
named the parish within which the caves are situated.
The change of nomenclature was recommended on the ground that the then
existing names were infelicitous and misleading,--the caves being not
upon the Fish River, but upon a different watershed, separated from it
by the main dividing range of the colony. The time was considered
appropriate for remedying the mistake, because a map of the parish of
Jenolan was then in course of preparation, and would shortly be
lithographed and issued to the public. The official correspondence on
this subject discloses the fact that "Binda" was first thought of as a
good official name, and then "Bindo;" but the former was found to be the
name of a post town between Yass and Goulburn, and the latter the name
of a village and a mountain nine miles north of the caves, and, like the
Fish River, on the west side of the dividing range.
Some exception was taken to the proposed change. It was urged that the
name "Jenolan" was already applied to a mountain in the Capertee
district; but to this it was replied that the mountain called "Jenolan,"
seven or eight miles from the caves in an easterly direction, was marked
on Sir Thomas Mitchell's engraved map of the central portion of New
South Wales, whilst the other was not so defined--showing precedence in
point of time and importance; and, further, that the orthography of the
two names is different, the one being spelt "Jenolan" and the other
"Geenowlan"--the former being the name of the parish in which the caves
are situated, and the latter the name of a peak near Capertee, in the
county of Roxburg. So it was finally determined to change the name of
the caves to "Jenolan," and in August, 1884, they were gazetted
accordingly. Such a change could not have taken place without
inconvenience and some misconception. Recently inquiries have been made
as to whether the "Jenolan Caves" are newly-discovered wonders, or old
friends under a new designation?
For about a quarter of a century after the discovery by Whalan, little
notice was taken of the caves. They were regarded by a few who knew
about them as remarkable freaks of nature, but allowed to remain
unexplored until some of their hidden beauties were so disclosed as to
rouse the enthusiasm of the present curator--Mr. Jeremiah Wilson--to
whom, for his daring, energy, and patient investigation the public are
greatly indebted. When their fame began to be bruited about, the number
of visitors increased, and among them were Goths and Vandals who did not
scruple to remove many a crystal gem from the still unfathomed caves. It
became evident that unless something were promptly done to secure these
newly-found treasures to the public, and protect them from ruthless
hands, their magnificence would soon be destroyed, and the people
deprived of a possession which should be a source of delight and
instruction to succeeding generations, and excite the admiration of
tourists from all parts of the world. The Government did the right thing
when it prevented the acquisition by private individuals of the caves
and a large area of land around them. It would have been better had the
dedication to the public been made earlier.
The _Gazette_ notice reserving from conditional purchase land about the
caves with a view to their preservation, bears date 2nd October, 1866,
and has appended to it the signature of the late J. Bowie Wilson, who
was then Secretary for Lands in the Martin Ministry. The area specially
protected is six and a quarter square miles in the county of
Westmoreland, and near to it are some important forest reserves.
The official correspondence from 1866 to the present time is not very
interesting, having reference principally to suggested improvements; it
is very bulky, and shows that a large amount of official interest has
been taken in the subject; but the money expended and the work
accomplished indicate that hitherto Government and Parliament have had
but a faint idea of their obligations in regard to the Jenolan Caves.