Thursday, November 14, 2019

Crack of Doom area in Newnes State Forest, NSW, Australia


A wonderful day out visiting:
    - Crack of Doom slots
    - Cathedral Cave
    - Diamond Cavern
in Newnes State Forest, NSW, Australia

GPS tracklog file is in this link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15ucc_RTVk1lVpmDl1Zc8TnejZWBJk4eR/view?usp=share_link

A more detailed trip report will be written up one day ... watch this space  :-)
For now, enjoy the pictures.



Pictures - taken in 2019 November
A pagoda-like rock formation

1)  Me  :-)   ... Photographer: Jim
Bushwalking motto: No rock un-climbed  :-)


Cathedral Cave

2)  At Cathedral Cave


3)  Looking out of the cave from its back wall


Crack of Doom 2 slot

4)  In Crack of Doom 2 slot (Will be in Crack of Doom 1 slot later in photo #9.)
- A looong slot, seems to go on and on
- Constantly 50 cm wide.


5)  The end of the slot is a most difficult climb ... Refer to photo #6.
- White arrow: Yuri is climbing up now.


6)  To climb up, you'll need to be a spiderman, like Onni here !
- Left pic: Photographer: Yidan
- Right pic:
       • You can see how high up Onni is compared to Jennifer (white arrow).
       • This place is not for you if you are afraid of heights  :-)


7)  Yuri giving a helping hand to Kristina, else some of us will not be able to climb out.


Crack of Doom 1 slot

8)  Next, to Crack of Doom 1 slot ~~~
- Black arrow: Entry into the slot is behind the black arrow.
- Yellow arrows: We'll exit out of there.


9)  At Crack of Doom 1 slot ~~~
- Mostly 20 cm wide only !
- Need to inch forward sideways like a crab, even then it is still difficult to squeeze through. And so, it took us forever to reach the end.
- If you intend to come here, best is to skip breakfast and previous night's dinner.
- And if you are fatter than me, forget it  :-)
You really have to admire the very first person who dared to venture into this slot.
What if the end of the slot is not passable ?
Geez, I wouldn't like to squeeze myself all the way back out again.


Diamond Cavern

10)  At Diamond Cavern


Flora

11)  Dendrobium striolatum (Streaked Rock Orchid) growing on a vertical rock face.
- It is a small orchid with cylindrical leaves.
- Flowering stems has one or two yellow, cream-coloured or greenish flowers with reddish stripes.
- Often grows on cliff faces, like here.


12)  Yellow circle: Mistletoe
- I was told that Mistletoe is a parasitic plant, grows by attaching to a host tree or shrub. Its roots penetrate the bark of host branch and take water and nutrients from the host plant.
- There you are, learn something new everyday !


Comment

Unfortunately, all these wonderful places are in a state forest, not a national park. Any time, the NSW government can lease the forest to a mining or logging company and destroy them all  :-(

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