Monday 24 January – today we plan to take in the natural features of the area with a couple of cave visits but find that all the caves, bar one have been flooded. Not deterred we pay for a tour of the Trezkinn Cave.
It takes a fair effort to climb the well appointed steps to the cave entrance where we and a group of fellow tourists, join our guide to descend the steep and narrow steps of the cave.
The cave displays spectacular stalagmites and stalactites. There is plenty to be impressed with. I took my heavy camera and tripod into the depths. This afforded me the opportunity to take photos in low light. Between the humidity in the cave and the weight of the equipment, I had worked up a sweat by the time we climbed out into the sunlight. It was well worth the effort though. The view from the cave entrance looking over the countryside was gorgeous.
Our guide pointed out the
Our afternoon treat was to book a tour with Dave from the Eco Lodge for a visit to some of the marble mining sights. A highlight of this tour was the beautiful black marble with 400 million year old shells inbedded through it.
All the marble mined in the area is either sent to
We ended the day with a drive out to the old smelter. Here I was able to indulge my love of taking photos as there were so many objects that drew my interest. Ron also enjoyed a walk through the area as there was plenty to keep him intrigued in the ruins of the large smelters. Dave told us that the hole through the top of one of the three smelter chimneys was made by a visiting American soldier taking pot shots with an anti aircraft gun. According to Dave, 3 thousand American soldiers were camped in Chillagoe during the second world war, to protect our northern coast from the Japanese. They obviously often got a little bored waiting!
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