Original post – Spelunking – on
After a couple of days exploring Perth, cousin Joe handed us his car keys and pointed us toward Margaret River. Driving on the right side of the car and the left side of the road was just the beginning of the adventure!
The three-hour drive south took us through lush forests, along stunning stretches of coastline, and eventually through spectacular vineyards. It rained off and on during the trip, but that only made the scenery prettier – misty trees, moody skies, and that fresh, post-rain smell that makes you want to roll the window down and breathe it all in.
Once we arrived in Margaret River, we did a bit of exploring, checking out beaches, sipping wines at a few vineyards, and finally finding a cozy spot for dinner. We ended the night back at our sweet little boutique hotel, cracking open the bottle of wine we’d picked up along the way, and, of course, polishing off a few Tim Tams for dessert. When in Australia…
Margaret River is a great little town, and we could have happily spent multiple days exploring the beaches, wineries, and everything else the area has to offer. In addition to sampling local wine and wandering along the coast, we had one big adventure planned – going down under while down under – aka spelunking!
The next morning we got up early, grabbed a quick sausage roll brekkie, and made our way out to the cave trail. There are five main caves in the area that are open to visitors, and the first one we came across was Calgardup Cave. As we pulled into the drive, we were greeted by a family of roos…. the ultimate Aussie welcome!
The ranger at Calgardup explained that the caves here are managed by different groups. Calgardup and Giants Cave are overseen by the local government and are left a bit more rustic, while Lake Cave, Jewel Cave, and Mammoth Cave are privately managed. Those caves are all well-lit, with easy pathways and even a few dramatic coloured light shows thrown in for good measure.
We figured, why not? We laced up, grabbed our headlamps, and headed into Calgardup and Giants caves.
Into Calgardup Cave
We started with Calgardup, and loved it. There’s a sturdy boardwalk through most of the cave, making it easy to take in the stunning stalactite and stalagmite formations. Many of these formations were limestone and glittering in the light of our torches (headlamps if you’re reading this from the States).
It was supposed to take about 45 minutes to get through both arms of the cave… but let’s be honest, it took us longer. I had to stop and take photos of everything. And when we reached the far end—after crawling through a low section—we sat down on a rock and turned off our lights….pitch black. I waved my hand in front of my face and never saw it coming. Not a glimmer.
Discovering Giants Cave
Next up was Giants Cave, and we’d been warned, this one’s a challenge.
From the start, you could tell it was a different sort of cav e. A long staircase took us much deeper than before, and unlike Calgardup, there was no catwalk here—you’re walking right on the cave floor. There were two massive caverns along the way. In the larger one, you could easily fit over a hundred people. We quickly discovered this was more than just sightseeing, it was an adventure cave, and before we knew it we were climbing steep ladders, squeezing through narrow gaps, using ropes and metal chains to get over boulders, and crawling on our hands and knees to avoid the cave ceiling.
The cave formations weren’t quite as dazzling as Calgardup, but the experience was pretty thrilling.
And if the ladders and rock scrambling weren’t enough, we got one more thrill before we left. Just as Dave was about to climb the final ladder out of the cave, a ranger called down from above: “Hold up, mate! There’s a brown snake tucked into the rocks near the path!”
Backtracking wasn’t really an option at this point, this was the only way out. And let’s just say I wasn’t keen on stepping over a snake. Once Dave made it past the snake (which we didn’t actually see), he had to climb the last ladder. Technically, you’re only supposed to have one person on a ladder at a time, but with a snake down there, I wasn’t about to follow the rules and I was on his heels going up that ladder.
As we walked down the path leaving the cave we passed this Crocodile Dundee Dude headed that way with a snake hook and a bag… not a job I would want!
It sure made for an exciting end to our cave adventure – and a story we’ll be telling for a while.
Pebbled 