Day Twelve: Around Chillagoe
Jumping out of bed like a well-trained sloth, Peter met Denise for a pre-sunrise trail walk to the top of the hill behind our camp site. For 25 odd minutes they huffed and puffed their way over good rocks, bad rocks and rotten rocks to be greeted by a magnificent vista across plains and ranges just as the sun peeped its head over the horizon.
With phones full of images they headed back down the mountain taking great care with foot placement, making sure they arrived back for breakfast in one piece.
The camp was in a bit of a dilemma. It seemed someone had gone around and disconnected all water and power from our vans during the night. Reality soon revealed the entire town was without electricity, therefore water pumps as well, due to a fallen power pole in Dimbulah.
None of that mattered, for we were scheduled to enjoy our first of three cave tours at about 9am. Dutifully, at 8.45, we were the first kids on the block at the waiting area eager to hear what the National Parks Ranger had to say about that formation of the cave systems, including their stalactites and stalactites.
The ranger arrived, full of knowledge. He was able to tell us that the cave tour was cancelled. Apparently you have to have light to see in a pitch black cave. Light requires electricity, which requires a power pole in Dimbulah, which we didn’t have and would not have till 12.30pm. We satisfied ourselves having a long chat to a family from Weipa who had some of the same remote experiences as us. They ran the Weipa Rodeo each year, so had an intimate understanding of the livestock and people stock attending those events.
Disappointed but not beaten, the Landcruiser crew of pilot Julie, Ron, Denise and Richard headed to Balancing Rock to see some acrobatics from a massive stone sitting pretty upon another massive stone; hence the name.
G and Peter headed into the hub cave booking centre to sort out our immediate futures. After some confusion, refunds, and payments National Parks came up with a fantastic solution. We could go on our morning tour tomorrow at 8am in the Donna Cave, then do our 11am tour at, funnily enough 11am, in the Trezkinn Cave whilst maintaining our afternoon booking when the power was back on in the Royal Arch Cave.
Armed with our new plan we trapsed off to the only building in town not requiring power. The old Court House Museum attached to the Police station was outstanding. We don’t know who maintains it, but they deserve a Citizen of Chillagoe Australia Day award. Full of memorabilia, professionally presented, the small building contains bucket loads of information about a life our generation find hard to comprehend.
After lunch we drove the short distance to a covered waiting area for the Royal Arch tour. Our small group had grown. It contained a police officer Peter finally recognised, and the
Weipa crew from the morning tour. Whilst waiting for the ranger to arrive, Peter learnt the bloke he was chatting with was a hydrographer form the Weipa mine. His job was pretty much to predict water levels in the north up to ten years ahead. No pressure by the sounds of it.
The cave tour was excellent. We wound our way though, up, down, across and over all manner of rock formations. We used our imagination to ooh and aah at formations that we were told looked like elephants, walruses, tigers and a few other creatures.
And then…….
Faced with a tight passage between two faces of rock, Richard launched himself with a sideways flick, figuring a bit of momentum should see him through. The launch power was appropriate, the sideways flick was on point, but the passage was indeed tight. For a few extended moments, our good friend was destined to have Royal Arch Cave Chillagoe Qld as the new address on his license. Richard was stuck fast like a cork in a bottle!
Credit where credit is due. Richard, with a newfound dexterity, shimmied and shook in the right sequence to propel himself out of his predicament with the joy and excitement of popping a new bottle of champaign. He was free, ready to take on anything this earthen fortress could throw at him. We were proud of you mate.
Tour done, the crew split, with Denise and Julie going back to camp to do whatever it is ladies do at camp whilst the rest of us visited the Post Office Pub to have a cool drink now that the power and fridge’s were back up and running.
Peter later decided the hill behind the camp was a good fitness environment so tramped up and down again. This time without photos in the mix as he just wanted to give the legs a workout. He met a near dying man on the way up asking how much further the top was. Peter may have exaggerated in his favour just a bit for this athlete was not making the summit anytime before Christmas.
At sometime during the day Peter and G decided to check out the dump point at the local show grounds so they knew where to go on leaving day. They found it right beside the ladies toilets. By the looks of it it may be more appealing on rodeo week-end for the femmes to use the dump point as opposed to the stunning offering provided.
As usual we dinnered together, told almost true stories and laughed a lot. Time for bed.