Jenolan Wild Caves

Jenolan Caves is the almost the closest caving area to Sydney, and yet it is almost the best the state has to offer (it is just further away than Bungonia, and not quite as good as the legendary Yarrangobilly). But the caving there is just really, really great fun!

The climb back up from Yawning Gulches into '22 passage in Wiburds Lake Cave is always an entertaining feat... The easiest way up is through this tight tube. This photo just begs the question: Who is this man? And... why does he look so happy, considering that he is stuck deep in a vertical squeeze?

This is the "other" way back up from Yawning Gulches into '22 passage - if you are willing to attempt an exposed and difficult climb. Perhaps herein lies an answer to the above question... Note that he has hands stuck deep into a crack in the rock... a crack which just happens to be directly below the person in the photo above...

Elsewhere at Jenolan... Playing around in the clean upper levels of Dwyers Cave. The rest of this cave, on the other hand, is full of the most horrifying mud that you will ever encounter.

Most of the wild caves at Jenolan tend to be of a far different nature to the beautiful, expansive tourist caves. They often tend to be like this - small, muddy, and full of inconvenient pools of water in all the wrong places. This is taken at the back of Hennings Cave.

This photo is taken at the end of a crawl into one of the areas of nice decoration in the otherwise vast Mammoth Cave.

Not all of the Jenolan Wild Caves are covered in disgusting mud... This nice formation is in the ex-tourist cave, Alladin Cave.