Friday April 9, 2010 - Capricorn Caves

We headed north of Rockhampton to the Capricorn Caves. These are limestone caves that are above ground. At one time lots of water flowed through them but now they are dry. Just before we went inside we saw a green ant nest high in the tree. The ants secrete juices that help the leaves to stick together. These nests are waterproof and if they were to fall from the tree they would not break apart.. They are very strong.

On our tour was a family from the area that had 5 children, another family of 4 from Sri Lanka but now living in Brisbane, three ladies from Sydney, and another family from Montreal. It was fun having all the children as they added their own views on what we saw. The most impressive chamber was the Cathedral. There have been many weddings here. The acoustics in the chamber are very good. Later in April 3 opera singers are going to perform in this chamber. It should be an amazing concert. While we were in this chamber the guide played a tape of some music and turned the lights off and on to highlight some of the chambers properties. Finally all the lights were turned out. It was very dark. Before the guide did all this she told us what to expect. All the children went to be close to their parents.

After the tour was done Charles went to get our lunch from the car. He had to give a blood offering to the mosquito gods before we could eat. We were driven under the shelter to eat as the mozzies were not so bad in the shade. We were really looking forward to having a swim after lunch as it is hot and humid. The pool was very nice. The top layer of water was warm and the bottom was cold. By the time we finished swimming the layers had been stirred up to make a nice water temperature. When we got in, there were 3 dead frogs in the water. Charles got them out.

On our way home we went to the Mt Archer Lookout. We could see Rockhampton, the mountains to the north and east, and the river that runs through town. After returning to our accommodations we rested and then went for a swim. Thank goodness for swimming pools and AC.