Day 28. Devonport 07-03-16

Having had a good night's sleep, after yesterdays excursions, and travelling we agreed today would be a visit/sightseeing day. First we were going to drive to 'Sheffield' to look at the murals, then take a ride to a place called Mole Creek and wander through the Marakoopa Caves on a tour to see the glow worms and crystals etc.. So after a hearty breakfast and an easy paced preparation we set off for the first stop 'Sheffield'.

It was not that far away, again we had millionaires driving (only us on the road) and with a steady pace we made good time and parked up in the information centre car park. We split up as Paul & Trev were off to take photos of the murals and the "girls" with John wandered off sightseeing.. Within seconds we were snapping away with the cameras taking pictures of all the different murals that adorned just about every flat surface available (Only a few of which are in the album-too many to add) and we wandered off in the opposite direction to the others. As we rounded a corner there was an old bearded guy outside a shop with his pet Alpaca.. He would allow people to pet the animal for free but charged for photos. We walked on further still snapping away happily.. We walked from one end of town to the other, returned to the van, and started again. This time, having photographed all the murals, we tried to find the "girls" & John.. Whilst we were walking along the street an emergency vehicle sped past us with sirens blaring and lights flashing.. It headed off at great speed. Shortly after an ambulance that was parked on the opposite side of the road, suddenly did a 'U' turn and shot off in the other direction. Within a minute a fire truck shot by in the same direction as the emergency vehicle, we did not find out what the problem was !! Having not found the "girls" or John we decided to park ourselves at a coffee shop and watch out for them all to pass. We picked a place called "Fudge 'n'good Coffee " partly because it had good vision up the road but also 'free wi-fi' (a must these days) so that we could contact the others. We ordered a coffee and a strawberry milk shake and sat outside with a view of the street. We attempted to contact the others my txt and whatsapp but nothing seemed to work. A little while after the drinks arrived, we spotted John at the end of the street walking away from us. So we drank our coffee and milk-shake and walked back in their direction hoping to catch up with them.. Eventually we did and they said they wanted a cup of tea and a bite to eat. At first we did not tell them that we had already had a drink but they worked it out from the look on our faces.. We went into a different place this time that had lots of shelves of old crockery adorning the walls and ordered food and drinks..This duly arrived and was consumed with relish !!

It was now early afternoon, so we had to get on the road towards the village of Mulberry and Mole Creek (where the caves were) if we were to get the 2:00 o'clock tour. We set off again, on empty roads, and got to the ticket office at 1:55. The guy took our money and said we had to be quick to get to the tour start point. We made it in time and joined up with about 25 other people waiting to explore the caves.. Not long after arriving the whole group followed our guide into the cave which was lit at foot level.. It was not long before it became extremely cold but we all trudged on. She kept stopping and explaining what was happening, why it happened and gave us as much information as possible about how the stalactites and stalagmites were formed. We were also told that it is not permitted, under any circumstances, to touch anything. If we were to touch and break the stalactites or stalagmites and break them it was a $15.000 fine and they issued fines 3 times recently.. Initially we were not permitted to take photos as we would disturb the 'Glow worms' but after the first stopping area we were then allowed to take as many as we wanted. As stages it became very dark, damp and narrow with the 'roof' so low that we had to duck quite low to pass. John, being taller than the rest of us, struggled to get low enough without banging his head, but he did make it. Both Dee & Pat had to be extremely brave to continue the tour, as the further in we got the worse it became for them. However, they both completed the tour in and out and we were all very pleased for them. At one point the guide stopped us all, turned out the lights, and let us imagine what it would be like to try to live down in the depths without light forever. "No thank-you" so she put the lights back on and we continued. She showed us and explained how they form, that the tubes are always hollow and no more than 5mm wide and said that the tube and stalagmite ( protected behind the glass screen) had not visibly grown since she first saw it 24 years ago !! Deeper into the cave we went, still aghast at the wonder of the sights before us, until we could go no further. She gave us a lot more information and then lead us back out. We did, however, stop near the exit, in a large open chamber. Once we were all together she asked that we switch off all equipment with a light source. This done she then switched off all of the lighting in the area and as our eyes became accustomed to the darkness it was possible to see more and more glow worms hanging from the ceiling.. It was, again, an amazing sight but was over all too soon. What a shame they could not allow photography without flash !! But we all respected the fact that we should not… Once outside it was time to head for "home". Get some food for an evening meal. Stop for some wine in a "drive thru" bottle shop. And then back "home" to call it a day..

Ready for another adventure tomorrow !!!!!