In order to avoid the lime-light on the surface I determined to spend my 60th birthday underground at Jenolan Caves on Sunday 19th January 2014. The party was 'crashed' by my sisters Mindy and Marguerite with their partners Peter Hay and Cameron Elwin plus the three Elwin children. And it was great fun for all.
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| Peter Hay (green) Mindy Byrne (blue) and Andy (?focus). Orient Cave - 'Twelve Apostles' at bottom left |
The Orient Cave takes 90 minutes to see three enormous chambers from many different vantage points. Named after the exotic points in the Orient, Persia, Egypt and India, these chasms are up to 45 metres high with magnificent adornments including stalagmites, stalactites, columns, flow stone, shawls and all manner of combinations of limestone formations.
By chance my family was visiting Jenolan Caves when President Kennedy was shot in Dallas in November 1963. As a nine year old my memory was more of the change in the adults' behaviour after the newspaper truck arrived about 11.30am when the news went around the public bar where people were having pre-lunch drinks. The caves themselves were the same, of course, after 40 million years ... however, the new LED spotlights and stainless steel railings do make a significant improvement on the old.
Andrew and Allan
Helictites
Andrew and Mindy Byrne
Lilla and Audrey Elwin
Lil, Aud and Cameron Elwin
Orient shawl, the symbol of Jenolan
Andrew Byrne aged 60
Jenolan Caves House (1904)
Carlotta Arch ten minute walk from hotel and Grand Arch.
Marguerite (Doll), Felix and Cameron back in Sydney
