Jenolan Caves

Hey All,

My family and I spent the last two days in Jenolan Caves walking up stairs, taking millions of photos, making friends with a wonderful family, the Morath's, and spending time in our private guest house with 30 rooms (we were given one and the rest weren't lent out).  The first night we got there, the family went to a ghost talk about how the caves were haunted and how the hotel ghosts acted.  A lot of orbs (big white circles of light that have really plausible explanations, but people like the supernatural) were talked about and I thought it was a crapshoot to make people buy tickets on the ghost tours and stuff.  After thoroughly freaking myself out, all the while staying the perfect skeptic, we commenced our day with four different tours starting with the orient.  I think, by vote, that that was the most beautiful and by far out favourite.  The orient was also where we met our new friends, Micheal, Terry and the kids, Jake (12) and Liam (10).  Mum and Ian finished their long day by talking with the Morath's and Gavin and I dragged our weary, footsore bodies out the door and onto the ghost tour.  And what an experience that was.  The two of us spent equal time leading the entire group or trailing behind with this pit of darkness growing behind you.  The ghost tour, while not terrifying at all, was a great experience because of the understanding you got of the predicament of those who discovered all these caves buried deep in the mountain.  In the 1800s, when they discovered these caves, their only source of light was a candle and later on a lamp that they held in their mouths.  When holding those little lanterns that the guides gave us, one really got a sense of how these caves were found, except without platforms and railings, and ladders (when necessary).  The Mills/Farquhar/Harrod family is currently to be found in Canberra (pronounced Canbra), the nation's capital.  God, names of places in Australia are AMAZING!  For example, Jake Morath told us about a place named Woolloomooloo, Mudgee, Wollongong...  Spectacular, isn't it?

Love you all,

Hugs,

                                            This 2 shots are the figure of a platypus that didn't appear shy for us. At one point he scratched his chin and his duck bill was stuck up.  There is a family that live in the water that flows out of Jenolan caves and they didn't live up to the phrase "shy as a platypus!"

Ali