Western Australia - Cave Exploring

It occurred to me today that with all the excitement of the holiday season, I never posted the photos from our adventures in Western Australia. Steve posted about the Ironman race (the reason for our visit), but aside from all that fun, we still managed to do a lot of exploring. So much in fact, that we took almost 500 pictures! So, to make it easier, I'll break the recap up into a few posts over the next few days...

We spent most of our time in the south west region of Western Australia around Busselton, where the race was held. While we only touched on a very small amount of a very large state, I felt we really saw a lot of what was nearby! There were more wineries than I ever thought possible in one little space, beaches, quaint little towns and caves! Lots of caves actually, but we chose the Calgardup Cave in Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park because you could explore it on your own, no guided tours. Just you, a helmet with a light and a flashlight, or torch, as the Aussies say.

Going into the cave...It was chilly the further down you went and dark! Very dark! I guess that makes sense, seeing as it was a cave...

You were told to stick to the walkways and stairs. It was really easy to get around...

...although there were some low bits that required you to duck down for awhile. Guess that's why the helmet is a good idea!

Steve loves caves. We explored a cave in Tasmania and Steve and his cousin went to one when they were in Kangaroo Island. This was one of his favorites though, because you could just take your time, explore at your own pace and just enjoy the silence. Man, there is a real silence when you're in a cave! There's nothing like it. We were the only people in the cave for most of our visit and if you turned off your lights, sat quietly, you would hear nothing but the occasional drip of water in the cave. It was a mixed feeling of complete relaxation and total spookiness!

I have to admit, caves are pretty cool! Imagine being the first person to stumble upon one? How exciting!

If you're ever in the neighborhood, I would definitely recommend you check this cave out. We really enjoyed it!