Empire (Sydney, NSW : 1850 - 1875), Thursday 26 February 1857, page 5


THE FISH RIVER STALACTITE CAVES.

[FROM A CORRESPONDENT.]

The chain of rugged mountains which divides the metropolitan county from the more fertile districts westward, presents few objects of in-terest to the traveller to compensate for the tedious and uncomfortable journey across them. Almost the only relief from the mono-tony of a wretched road and stunted gum trees is in the romantic scenery which now and then opens out, stretching away as far as the eye can reach over billowy mountain ranges interspersed with huge crags and precipitous ravines, and occasionally with green cultivated patches. One of the few attractions which the Blue Mountains possess - interesting alike to the scientific, and to sight-seekers generally - con- sists in the curious subterranean excavations known as the Fish River Stalactite Caves. The beauty as well as the rareness of these forma-tions entitle them to a description.

The caves in question perforate one of the

limestone ridges comprised in the Blue Mou-tains, and are about forty-five miles from Bathurst in a south-easterly direction. A tri-butary of the Cox River, which falls into the Nepean, running through one of the tunnels should have given the name to the locality rather than the Fish River which is at a little distance. The caves were discovered about

twenty years since by a party who were in quest of some bushrangers that had been making extensive depredations. The party having communicated their discovery. Mr. C. Whaland, now the proprietor of a farm and steam flour mill about fifteen miles from the spot, started from their direction, and

having discovered the place proceeded to ex-plore the caves ; Mr. Whaland has frequently volunteered his services to conduct visitors from Bathurst to the caves, a service as indispen-sable (owing to the intricacy of the road) as it has been willingly undertaken. The solitary position of the caves and the consequent difficulty which any but an experienced bushman would have in finding them, may be inferred from the fact, that there is not a single habitation within

radius of at least ten miles.

The road from Bathurst passes over one of

the wildest portions of the country which opens upon the traveller ascending Mount Lambie, consisting alternately of trackless scrub and steep ranges. The last descent before reaching the caves is extremely pre-cipitous, requiring travellers to be cautious lest they or their horses, or both, should fall ; it is on reaching the foot of this mountain that the entrance to the caves appears in sight.

The principal tunnel opens upon a triangu-lar space entirely enclosed between very steep mountains. The mouth of the tunnel, which is about 150 feet in height, presents an almost perfect circular arch, from which circumstance it probably received the name of "The Devil's Coach-house." On entering the tunnel it at first enlarges in size, afterwards it diminishes, and again greatly increases, until, after a length of six or seven hundred feet, it opens out on the other side of the mountain. Four tunnels have been disco-vered, the others being considerably smaller in size. The sides of the tunnel are very un-even and irregular, in some places presenting a solid wall, in others opening out spacious galleries and winding passages, a few of which penetrate far into the mountain. It is in these passages, or caverns, that the stalactite forma-tions are found. Like the tunnels, the caverns alternately widen and become narrow, at one time barely affording room to pass through, at another leading to spacious chambers where other passages branch off. The passages are extremely circuitous, and strike the visitor as singularly adapted for affording a thorough inspection of the caves, frequently conducting him to some elevation to which there is no access from the part of the tunnel it overlooks. Two of the more attractive caves are entered from near the summit of the mountain into which they pene-trate by gradual circuitous descent. The number of distinct caverns discovered is seven or eight and the greatest length of any single cave may be estimated at from three to four hundred feet. It is probable that the whole of the mountain is perforated by similar caves, the greater number having no discoverable

entrance.

It is now time to notice the stalactites which adorn the caverns, and constitute their chief attraction. These protuberances, which either suspend from the roofs or cover the sides of the caves, are formed by water trickling through beds of limestone, and bringing with it the calcareous particles with which it becomes

charged ; as the water evaporates the particles adhere and densify, each succeeding drop add-ing to the mass. To use chemical terms, the carbonate of lime is, during the percolation, held in solution by carbonic acid ; on exposure to the air the latter is separated, and the former deposits in the form of stalactites. Where the percolation is limited and regular the stalac-

tite presents a simple slender stem, having a tube through which the water drops; but where it is more abundant the deposits assume all kinds of fantastic and grotesque shapes, some ending in a narrow point, others in a knob resembling a mushroom. The effect of groups of long delicate pendent stems with their transparent liquid points, is very striking, par-ticularly by the artificial light by which only the caves can be explored. In many cases the dropping proceeds more rapidly than the evaporation, the consequence of which is, the

exuberant drops release themselves from the stalactite, and falling on the floor the carbonate of lime deposits in similar shapes, which are called stalagmites; a succession of these

droppings gradually causes the stalactite and its stalagmite to lengthen and approach each other until they unite in a solid column. Throughout the caves this process is seen in every stage of development, beginning with the small icicle like protuberance and finishing with the massive pillars which ultimately fill up the cavern. In some of the stalactite caves in Europe the formation has proceeded so rapidly that it has entirely filled up the entrances, and this may ultimately be the fate of the caves we are now describing. The stalactites and stalagmites being amalgamated the continual deposits increase their bulk, until it requires little stretch of imagination to picture a series of fluted Corinthian columns, the excrescences above and below corresponding with the capitals and the bases. Some of the pendent stalactites resemble elaborately carved chan-deliers, others rich folds of drapery ; but the peculiar formation suggests to the majority of visitors images of cathedral ornaments, some shapes resembling pulpits and reading-desks, with niches for stalls ; here a circle of slender

columns enclose a shrine, there they represent the pipes of an organ ; further on a row of rough stalagmites rise like minarets or turrets, while the passages themselves feel like mouldy corridors. These resemblances, of course, vary with the fancy of the observer, but the figures are beautiful throughout, and it is doubtful whether their beauty is to be recommended by comparing them with even the finest or most elaborate workmanship, the designs of which they may possibly have originated. So far from their beauty arising from fancied similarity to these embel-lishments, it consists rather, as that of veins in marble or the golden streaks of a sun-set, in their fantastic freedom and irregularity, and in their unlikeness to any other combina-tion that the mind can picture.

The colours as well as the shapes of these formations attract great admiration. They are mostly white; some are slightly tinged with colouring matter showing the presence of iron ; others, where the percolation has been purer, are perfectly white, and reflect the light upon innumerable crystals. Some of the larger and more compact masses have the appearance of wax, and bear a beautiful polish; this descrip-tion, which is known as alabaster, has been extensively used for statuary.

It is to be regretted that the organ of acquisitiveness should be so mischievously developed by visitors to these caves. It would seem that scarcely any one explores them without breaking off and carrying home some of the most beautiful stalactites he can find, as a trophy of his visit, the spoils supplying the place of shells or vases as mantelpiece ornaments in the Bathurst drawing-rooms. The inclination is harmless when prudently restrained, but the practice is becoming very destructive to the appearance of the caves ; indeed, they are said by those who occasionally visit them to be gra-dually impoverishing. This habit is considered characteristic of Englishmen wherever they travel, as is also the craving for recording their names conspicuously at such places, a craving which must have been thoroughly surfeited with some visitors at the Fish River Caves. No obscure Hodge or Giles can inspect these curiosities without determining to let future visitors know that such a person has been there. The same vanity probably that seeks its gratification in appropriating the more beautiful stalactites also prompts the perpetua-tion of an unimportant name, and it may appear to some a very proper arrangement that near the shattered fragments the names of the depredators should be ignominiously pre-

served.

All who have explored the Fish River Caves agree that they well recompense for the long and rough journey encountered in reaching them. The principal visitors have been from Bathurst, but occassionally picnic parties have been formed at Bowenfels and elsewhere on the Bathurst Road; the excursion generally lasting three or four days. The great distance of the caves, and the formidable road, have, however, prevented the visitors being very numerous. Stalactite caves have been dis-covered near the Abercrombie River, also at Boree, in the Wellington District, and in one

or two other places ; but those above described are generally considered the most

beautiful.