Day 10 Going Underground.

05/11/2024

The rock around Margaret River is young (geologically) and pourous limestone. This means that as the rainfall seeps through the rock, it dissolves the rock. Caves are formed after enough time.

There are over three hundred caves in the Margaret River region. A reasonable number of them are accessible to the general public. Our friend Brian is slightly claustrophobic. We left him to do his own thing. Diane and I set off for Lake Cave.

Lake Cave is so named because it has an underground lake in the middle of it.

Ten thousand or so years ago, the cave would have been much larger. At some point, the roof collapsed. This left behind a massive sinkhole called a doline. This means that there is a long climb down to the cave and an even longer climb back up.

It is worth the effort and the cost ($25) though. the cave is spectacular. Apart from the eponymous lake there are stalactites, stalagmites, a suspended table and other geological features.

We just had approximately 300 steps back to the top to negotiate.

By this time we needed lunch and as the White Elephant was nearby, we decided to go there. Diane’s fish and chips were some of the best she had ever had. My cheeseburger was pretty good as well. After lunch we set off along the beach to try and walk off the effects, before heading home.