On Sunday, March 14, we drove to the Jenolan Caves located in a deep, secluded valley on the western edge of the Blue Mountains. The road down the mountains into the Jenolan Caves area is winding, narrow, and has many dangerous bends and curves. It was terrifying! There were areas where two vehicles could not pass each other. At the end of the road is a spectacular entryway into the caves.
The Jenolan Caves system is thought to be Australia's oldest tourist attraction. In its early days, visitors were shown through chambers by guides using candle light. Recognizing early the need to evolve with technology, Jenolan was one of the first places in Australia to install electric lights. It build (and still uses) Australia's first hydroelectricity plant.
The Jenolan Caves House, a short distance to the entry points into the show caves, is a 100 plus year old Victorian guesthouse. The main part of the enormous three-story building is made of sandstone and fashioned in Tudor-style black and white.
There are 10 show caves which have striking limestone formations created from years of water dripping into the subterranean chambers. We toured two of these caves, the Orient Cave and the Imperial Cave (see Part 5b and Part 5c).
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