The Castaway Hotel - 9 - 24. Chapter 24 - We Intrepid Explorers

The next morning, we got up and I took everyone out for breakfast. On the way back, Peter directed me as to how to get to his house, so we drove over to pick up some of his things. When we arrived, his parents insisted we shouldn’t have gone out of our way to do this, since they were planning to bring his things by later, but I told them it wasn’t really out of our way and I was happy to do it for them. We didn’t actually stay for very long, since we’d spent the whole previous day with them, and returned to the cabins.

Even though it was a little cool, we spent a great deal of time on the private decks and the boys spent some time kicking a soccer ball around. Peter had brought it back with him, when he picked up his other things. The boys seemed to have a good time just bouncing the ball on their legs, heading it from one to another and passing it with their feet, since they really wasn’t enough room to have a game. Even though we had the place entirely to ourselves, the only open space was the parking area and the boys felt it wasn’t suitable for a game.

Overall, it turned out to be a nice peaceful and relaxing day. Most of us also took a nap, at one point or another, since our bodies were still adjusting to the time differences. However, by the time we went to bed later that evening, I think our bodies had started to acclimate to our new surroundings.

Monday morning, most of us woke up refreshed and rearing to go. We were taking a trip to the Blue Mountains, which was one of the places Peter’s father had recommended we visit. It wasn’t very far away from where we were staying, so the drive didn’t take very long. However, since the scenery was so beautiful, it almost made us wish the ride had taken longer. Ricky and Peter wanted us to start out at Echo Point, and all I can say is the view from there was absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking. From that vantage point, you could see the three sisters in the distance, and if you remember from when Ricky came here before, he mentioned there is a legend about this.

As Ricky relayed the story in an email, these three towering rocks, which jut out of the soil and are unlike anything else in the area, were supposedly three sisters. They had fallen in love with three brothers from a neighboring tribe, but since the tribes didn’t get along, the marriage was forbidden. The brothers wouldn’t accept that they couldn’t be united and planned to do it anyways. They kidnapped the sisters and took them to their village, which started a war. To hide the sisters and keep them safe, they had their witchdoctor turned the sisters to stone. Unfortunately, the witchdoctor was killed in a battle and no one else could reverse his spell, so the three sisters have remained this way ever since.

Once we had seen them from a distance, Ricky and Peter guided us closer. They wanted us to walk up the Giant Stairway, which would take us to the top of a nearby summit and then down again, so we could get a up close view of these formations. I had done my research though and knew there was another way to accomplish the same thing. Instead of walking up the stairway, I opted to take everyone to the top using the Scenic Railway. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t think this would be a picnic either, since it’s the world’s steepest railway, at a 52-degree incline, but I felt it would be easier than walking up all of those steps. To say the least, the ride was quite scary, as we journeyed up Federal pass for a total of 587 feet (178 m), until we reached the top. This line was first constructed between 1878 and 1900, as part of a mining tramway. All I can say is, I think we were all happy when the ride ended and we reached the top of the Giant Stairway.

Looking down the massive staircase, it appeared really steep and would be quite a drop to the bottom, if anyone had an accident. With that in mind, I had Jesse grab my hand and had Andrew take Jake’s, before we started down. As we navigated each successive step, I was more and more grateful we had taken the train up, no matter how step and scary the ride was. This was no quick descent and it took us quite a while to get to the base again, especially since we didn’t want to risk falling and getting injured. By the time we reached the bottom, which wasn’t very far from the Three Sisters, I felt as if I’d been climbing Mt. Everest or the Matterhorn. I know we only walked down and not up, and this was a stairway, so we weren’t required to do any rock climbing, but my body still felt as if it had endured the rigors of such a trek.

Once we caught our breath, at least after Jake and I had, we decided to go find a place to eat. I figured this would also give me a little more time to recover, while also nourishing our bodies. Once we finished our meal, the boys talked me into taking them on the Scenic Skyway next. This took us on a 20-meter ride above an ancient rainforest, over a deep ravine and past a dazzling waterfall. Besides looking out the windows that lined the gondola, we also glimpsed breathtaking views through the center of the cabin floor, which had a glass viewing section. A railing surrounded this open area and was there to keep passengers from accidentally breaking through, although I was certain it was made from a very sturdy and heavy-duty material.

After we completed our roundtrip on the Skyway, I think we all agreed it was worth the time. Not only did we get another perspective of the Three Sisters, but we also got a good look at Katoomba Falls, Mount Solitary and the Jamison Valley.

From there, we took a hike along the Scenic Walkway, which is a 2.8 km boardwalk that goes through parts of the rainforest we had traveled over, when we were in the gondola.

“Damn, are we in Jurasic Park?” Trey wanted to know. He saw the connection with the mythical park in the book and movie.

“We might be,” Brandon observed. “Even with this boardwalk and all of these other people around, I still wouldn’t be surprised to see a raptor or tyrannosaurus pop up.” The other boys laughed, but agreed with that observation, and we continued on, while noting all the different foliage.

Once we finished up our walk, we took a little breather and sat down to chat. We had plenty of time before our next activity, which wouldn’t begin until just before dark, so we took our time and talked about everything we had done so far. The boys were still enthusiastic about most of the things we had seen and happily recounted their adventures in glorious detail, while adding a touch of humor to the mix. When they’d finished this banter, we went off to our final activity, the Blue Mountain Ghost Tour.

Upon reaching the location where this was going to begin, we hooked up with Paranormal Pete, our guide. He was more than eager to fill us in about the dark past associated with the area, in preparation for what we were about to do next. We then rode with him on the ‘Ghost Bus’ to our first stop, the ‘Ghost House,’ circa 1867. Once inside, we were led down hallways that he told us were filled with the ghosts of past residents, whose souls were now in limbo. One ghost was said to be a doctor that reportedly ‘fiddled’ with insides of those that slept there. Two other ghosts were said to be of two young boys, named George and Albert. George is supposed to be playful, but Albert was not.

We were then given a light supper, while Paranormal Pete filled us in concerning more of the details, and then we were taken off to what was claimed to be secret locations. It is said these places are known only to the locals and are not readily accessible to the general public. The first of these was an old jail, which is said to be rife with ghosts, and then to a cemetery that dates back to 1820 and is claimed to be lost in time. Since there were no electric lights, we had to read the tombstones by torchlight, which did add to the eeriness of the place. The cemetery is said to contain the bodies of six children from the same family, who supposedly died six months apart from each other, due to scarlet fever. However, it has always been suspected that the mother had something to do with their deaths.

From there, we went to see the ‘hanging tree,’ where it is believed convicts were hanged without the benefit of a trial. Needless to say, something like that could cause a soul to fail to pass into the world beyond. After that, we were taken to a collection of old wells and pits, before we ended up at an old convict stockade. It is believed that convict laborers that died while forced to work in the area were merely thrown in these pits and wells, rather than being buried. Finally, we visited a pioneer stop, which dated back to 1813, and the ghosts of those that failed to make the journey successfully are said to linger here.

The tour took nearly five hours, so by the time we finished, I was exhausted. I was certain Jake was too, but he insisted I let him drive us back to the cabins, seeing I was so tired. Along the way, a conversation began about the Ghost Tour.

“Okay, who thinks there were really any ghosts at any of those places?” Ricky asked, with a skeptical look plastered across his face. “I think it was all just a load of horseshit.” Some of the others began to agree with him, until a timid little voice piped up.

“I do,” Graham stated, a bit hesitantly. He looked as white as a ghost, so possibly his gift had given him some insight the rest of us didn’t have.

“I can’t say if they were the same things the guy was telling us about,” Graham continued, in a trembling voice, “but there was definitely something unnatural hanging around most of those places.”

“You mean you could see them?” Cole asked, since he was convinced about his brother’s gift.

“I couldn’t really tell what they were, but I could see shadows of things moving, or maybe I should say floating or drifting, around,” Graham answered, “There were also a few times that I felt something touch me, and it made the hairs on my neck stand on end and my body go all cold.”

“Is that what that was?” Kevin asked, stunned. “I suddenly felt all cold at the cemetery and thought there had been a cool breeze or something. I also thought I felt someone touch me, so I looked around to see who was messing with me, but none of you were close enough to do anything like that. I wasn’t sure what it was, and then I thought maybe one of you had used a twig or something to reach me and try to spook me, but now I’m beginning to wonder.”

“Okay, wait a second,” Brandon immediately added, drawing all the attention to him. “At the cemetery, did anyone else see a bunch of little lights go on and off, almost like tiny flashes? I didn’t want to say anything then, because I thought my mind was playing a trick on me, but after what Graham just said, I’m beginning to wonder.”

“I think I saw those too,” Sammy responded. “They were near the ground over where he said those kids were supposed to be buried, weren’t they?”

“Yes, they were,” Brandon concurred.

“Then I definitely saw them too,” Sammy confirmed.

“Are you guys sure it might not have been some sort of visual effect the guy had set up to freak you out?” Pat asked.

“I guess it’s possible, although I don’t see how,” Brandon replied. “I even walked over and checked out the area for a short time, because I considered I was just seeing lightning bugs. The things is, I never saw any of those. The lights seemed to stay very close to the ground, just above those gravesites, but they did move a little, just not very far. I guess it’s possible he could have rigged something up, although I don’t think that’s what caused what I saw.”

“Okay, back in the haunted house,” Nick interjected, “did one of you grab my shirt?” No one answered.

“Look, I figured one of you guys was just being a smart ass and trying to get me spooked, but something grabbed my shirt and pulled it out of my pants. Damn, and I was wearing a jacket too, so you would have had to grab my jacket and shirt together to do that.”

“Some of you guys might not agree,” Graham told us, “but I think all those things had to do with the different presences I felt there. Although I couldn’t see anything clearly, because we were in the dark, I did sense other things very close to us. You know that I hate having this gift most of the time, so I wouldn’t make this up, because it makes me look ever weirder than normal. I’m just telling you I felt a lot of things there and I didn’t get the sensation that all of them were nice.”

Well, that certainly put kind of a strange ending on a very busy and exciting day. Muhahaha. I think the boys were seriously considering this tour might not have been a joke, as they’d first believed. The guy was a trained parapsychologist, so maybe he and Graham were more in tune with what was actually happening around us than the rest of us were.

Anyway, once we reached the cabins, everyone turned in, although I do have my doubts about how well some of them might have slept.

The next day, we returned to the Blue Mountains, because I was taking everyone to the Jenolan Caves. I had read where this was one of the top attractions in this area and Ricky hadn’t visited them when he was here before, so I thought it would be something good to do and new for him as well. After studying my options, I decided to take the boys on a couple of different cave tours. There are ten tour caves in all and there are five others that are considered adventure caves. This means the public can still visit them, but they are more primitive and not as easy to get around. There are also other caves that are only open to experienced spelunkers (a person that explores or studies caves) and still others that haven’t even been explored by the group that operates these caves. There might possibly be even more caves, still undiscovered.

An interesting side note is that while we were there, scientists re-dated the age of the caves. They are now reported to be the oldest known caves in the world, dating backed 340 million years. My God! That’s even older than me! At least that’s what the boys told me.

To get to the caves, you must pass through the Grand Arch, which is this huge opening in the mountainside. Once you go through there, you leave the green world above and enter the dark (well, many are lighted) caves below.

The first cave we went to was the Orient Cave. It was discovered in 1904 and first opened to the public in 1917 and features three very elaborate chambers. At one time, the only way you could get to this cave was by going through the River Cave and then entering the Batsend. The Batsend got its name because every time someone would enter from that direction, a large number of bats would fly in front of him until the rodents reached this location. However, all that changed in 1950, when a tunnel was blasted out of the rock. Unfortunately, the explosion also damaged a number of formations in the cave, but at the time no one had been concerned with that issue, only the speed and ease with which they could get the job done.

Since this new tunnel made access to the cave available from the Grand Arch, we were able to journey along a 120-meter path called the ‘Binoomea Cut.’ Binoomea is an Aboriginal word meaning ‘dark places.’ As we were to find out, the cave is 470 meters long and there are 358 steps you need to navigate at different points, so this is not just a stroll in the park. Since it was winter in Australia, we were already dressed warmly and prepared for the cool temperatures in the cave.

The cave was sealed by two airtight doors, which prevent the air currents inside from changing. Each of the areas within the cave contains sophisticated lighting, which accentuates the colors found in the various formations. As I said previously, there are three chambers and we eagerly explored each of them.

Some claim the Persian Chamber is the most beautiful of all the caves at Jenolan. It is just over thirty meters in height, its walls are highly decorated and it appears as if every centimeter is covered with stalagmites (the g for ground up,) stalactites (c for ceiling down) and shawls (think of a shawl a woman might wear – a covering). Its most spectacular feature is an enormous column named the ‘Pillar of Hercules,’ which is a ten-meter tall stalagmite and the largest in the entire cave system. It is highlighted by angled lighting and covered in a delicate shawl (paper thin secondary deposits of calcite that form over the feature.)

“Wow, that’s really pretty,” Andrew told me. “Look at the browns and oranges in it. I’m going to have to remember what it looks like, so I can paint a picture of it later.” I thought that sounded like an excellent idea and told him so.

At the base of this chamber is what is referred to as the Curiosity Shop and features a wide range of helictites. Helictites are formations that defy gravity and grow sideways out of the wall, as opposed to the stalagmites and stalactites.

“Those are really strange looking,” Shannon observed, while indicating the helictites. “Some look like worms or tentacles growing out of the wall. I imagine it was kind of creepy for the first guys to come in here, since they only had torch light to see them with.” He was right. It could have looked pretty spooky to those not understanding what they were encountering,

The Egyptian chamber is merely an extension of the Persian chamber and contains the largest shawl in the Jenolan system. The walls of this chamber are also highly decorated and there is a small hole in floor that leads from the chamber and into an area that is called the Jungle. The Jungle got its name because it was said the discoverer of this area, James Wilburd, could flash his light down and identify a large assortment of animals hiding among the formations.

The final chamber, the Indian Chamber, is viewed on two different levels. The top level gives you an excellent view of the Indian Canopy, which is also the logo for the Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust. The Canopy is a collection of very thin stalactites that are in a cluster and extend from a knob attached to the ceiling. The stalactites hang down and form a rather large and beautiful ‘V’.

“That’s lovely too,” Andrew observed. “Will you be able to find pictures of these for me later, so I can paint them and put them in my room to remember what they looked like?”

“I most certainly can,” I told him. “I saw some pictures of them online before we came here, so I’ll be happy to help you find them so you can duplicate these magnificent wonders.”

On the bottom level of the Indian Chamber you can see the Crystal Basins, which are small sinkholes that are occasionally filled with water.

Once we left that chamber, we had seen all there was to the Orient Cave. It had taken us about an hour and a half to get through it, but I think everyone felt it was well worth the time and effort. Upon leaving this area, we proceeded on to our next tour, where we would explore the Imperial Cave.

I was told the Imperial Cave tour is the easiest of all the tours, because it follows the path of an ancient riverbed and is fairly level. You can reach it directly off of the Grand Arch and it was once considered to be the grandest of all the caves at Jenolan, hence its name.

This tour requires a great deal of walking, since it covers 1,070 meters, but since the path is fairly level, it’s not too difficult for those with health related issues. This cave also has several amazing features, beginning with ‘The Sinkhole,’ which is a large hole in the floor of the cave. Near it lie the bones of a Tasmanian Devil, although no one is sure how or when they first appeared there. Another feather is ‘Ridley’s Shortcut,’ which got its name because a man named Ridley fell through a sinkhole while exploring Elder Cave and ended up at that spot.

“Man, can you imagine strolling through a cave and having the floor give way?” Kevin joked. “Suddenly, your falling through the darkness and feeling kind of like Alice did, when she fell into the rabbit hole.” I thought that was an interesting, but apt, analogy.

Then there’s ‘Lot’s Wife,’ which is a slim, two-meter tall stalagmite, but we also got to view the Alabaster Column, which is a creamy white calcite deposit. ‘Crystal Cities’ is a series of rimpools that are often filled with water, and ‘Shawl Cave’ is filled with a wide assortment of delightful and delicate shawls.

“Although they are hard for you to see,” our guide told us, the roof and walls of this cave are embedded with vast quantities of marine fossils.”

“How can that be?” Vinnie asked, confused.

“There is a simple answer to that question,” the guide responded. “These caves were once located underwater and corals, the same animals that form the coral reefs, left deposits in them. Over the centuries, extreme seismic forces have pushed the rocks containing the caves upward, until they reached the levels where we find them now.” This seemed to answer Vinnie’s question and taught the boys a valuable lesson in earth science.

The tour took about an hour to complete and I was about ready to leave, so we could do something else, but some of the boys did not want to go just yet.

“We want to see the cave those people are talking about,” Andrew and Jesse announced, while pointing toward a group that was about to go on another tour.

Those people were obviously talking about some features they had heard about in the cave they were about to tour, which prompted the boys to want to see it too. After discussing the idea of one more tour with the others, Jesse and Andrew convinced enough of them to go too, so we ended up on the Chifley Cave tour next.

Jeremiah Wilson, the first official ‘Keeper of the Caves,’ discovered this cave in 1880. It was originally named the ‘Left Imperial Cave,’ since it seemed to be part of that structure, but was later renamed. It was then named in honor of a deceased politician, the Rt. Hon. J. B. Chifley, MP (Member of Parliament) and former Prime Minister of Australia. It was also the first cave in the world to be equipped with electric lights, and even though it’s hard to believe, that happened in 1880 too.

In 1923, a tunnel was cut to link this cave directly to the Grand Arch, which made it easier to get to. This cave is 690 meters long and there are 421 steps to navigate, which are mostly at the beginning of the tour. Chifley Cave contains several chambers, all of which are richly decorated and contain wonderful examples of dogtooth spar crystals. These are a type of speleothem, which is a secondary mineral deposit formed within a cave, and the deposits here consist of calcite crystals that have acutely shaped points that resemble a dog’s teeth.

This cave also has another unique feature, which is the one that drew Jesse and Andrew’s attention when hearing the others describe it. There are two areas within this structure that are illuminated with colored lights. Colored lights are almost never used in the caves, but here it gives a unique and magical look to the features, even though they were similar to the structures we’d seen in the other caves.

“Andrew, isn’t that beautiful?” Jesse asked. “Would you paint that for me when we get home. It looks like a rainbow mixed in with the rock and I think it’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.” Andrew assured him he would, provided he could find a picture to remind him what it looked like.

By the time we’d finished this tour, I was completely beat, so I was looking forward to any activity where I could remain seated for the rest of the day. With that in mind, I got everyone back on the bus and hadn’t gone very far when I located a place to eat. This would give me a chance to relax and catch my breath, while the boys refilled their tanks, and once we had finished there, I took the boys to ride on the Zig Zag Railway next. Thank God I had surmised the cave tours might be exhausting and planned this as a follow-up activity.

The railway got its name because it consists of a series of sloping ramps that form the letter ‘Z’. It was constructed between 1866 and 1869 and was a civil engineering miracle for its time. It was a way for trains to climb hills in difficult country, with only a minimal need for tunnels or the use of heavy earthworks.

The steam locomotive used here travels over twelve kilometers of narrow gauge track and passes through two tunnels and over three magnificent sandstone viaducts as it makes its journey up the beautiful Blue Mountains. This rail line was originally constructed to carry people and produce from the western plains to Sydney, but it was replaced in 1910 by a ten-tunnel deviation.

We boarded the train at Clarence Station and then journeyed to Bottom Point and back again. It made for a very relaxing journey and took another hour and a half of our day. It was also an interesting experience and exposed us to some lovely scenery. At times, it seemed as if we could reach out the window on one side of the car and touch the sheer rock face of the mountain that had been cut away to make room for the track. Not only that, but when you viewed the viaducts from a distance, they conjured up images of an old Roman aqueduct, which might have been left over from the distant past. I found the train-ride to be a lovely end to a rather long and tiring day, although I’m not certain the boys appreciated it as much as I did.

After stopping for dinner on the way back, we returned to the cabins and took it easy for the night. Some of the boys did go out and kick the soccer ball around for a bit with Peter, and when they came inside, Peter offered a suggestion.

“I know we originally left tomorrow open,” Peter began, “but if you haven’t planned anything else, I was thinking maybe we could all go for a swim. I know a place with a large indoor pool and I could show you how to get there, if you thought it was a good idea.”

“That sounds wonderful,” I agreed, “and I’m sure the boys would love it.”

“You know, we could go to the athletic fields first and play some soccer, then go over there afterward, to shower and swim,” Peter suggested.

“I’m sure if you mentioned that to the others they’d probably agree rather quickly,” I assured him. “I think they’d love to get away from walking around all these place and doing something like that instead.”

“And you wouldn’t mind driving us?” Peter asked, just to be certain.

“No, of course not,” I confirmed. “You’re our guide during our time down under, so I’m at your command.” Peter just smiled and then thanked me for being so nice.

Everyone turned in early that evening and was raring to go the next morning. After grabbing a quick bite to eat, we drove to Peter’s house, so Peter could grab a few things. Mrs. Dennis was busy baking when we arrived, so Jake and I went in the kitchen and chatted with her briefly, while we waited for her son. During our conversation, we explained what we had planned over the next two days and asked if she’d like to join us. She quickly agreed to go with us the following day, since she was free and her husband would be working. However, she passed on our Friday plans. That was fine with us and I understood, after she explained her reasons to us. At least we hadn’t sidetracked her, because all the time we were going over these things, she continued preparing the various dishes she had been working on.

As soon as Peter announced he had what he needed, we said good-bye and were soon driving to an area where the boys could play soccer. Jake and I had agreed to be goalies again – I guess we still haven’t learned the toll it generally takes on us. It was a fun game, although none of us seemed to be playing really well. Once the boys began to tire, we got back on the bus.

Peter wanted me to take him home first, so he could try to get his mother to join us too. Since it wasn’t that far away, I agreed, but Mrs. Dennis insisted she was too busy to go swimming. Jake and I tried to encourage and convince her to go with us as well, but she remained adamant that she needed to complete the tasks she was involved with, so we went off with out her.

We had a great time at the pool and I took a nice hot shower both before and after. It helped a great deal to drain the stiffness and weariness out of my body and I felt refreshed and ready to go, once I got dressed again.

We drove back to Peter’s house, so I could talk the Dennises into joining us for dinner. Peter’s father had arrived home from work before we got there, so I explained our intentions. Mr. Dennis thanked us, but said he was tired and would prefer to stay home, especially since his wife had already fixed their dinner. I tried to tell him they could just put what she had prepared in the refrigerator and heat it up the following night instead, but that still didn’t convince him. I felt badly that they wouldn’t join us, but we ended up leaving them behind and going off on our own.

After we finished our meal, Peter guided us around the local area, so he and Ricky could point out various places they wanted us to see. They took us by the school they’d attended together, past some of the other athletic fields where they had competed against Peter’s mates and they showed us some of the other places they used to hang out, before Ricky took us past Kylie’s house. We didn’t happen to see her around, but both Ricky and Peter were gawking out the windows and anxiously hoping they could spot her. I think both boys were drooling and they were definitely fogging up the glass.

Once we finished this little tour, we headed back to the cabins for the evening. We’d be coming back this way in the morning, so we could pick up Peter’s mother, before heading out to one of the places that Ricky had so enthusiastically told us about in one of his emails, shortly after he first arrived as an exchange student.