Page:Cyclopedia of Western Australia, volume 1.pdf/27

climate than those mentioned can afford the pleasant town of Albany, nestling amid the hills at the head of King George Sound, may be made the starting-point of many pleasant excursions. The Sound itself forms a never-failing attraction. Notwithstanding the fact that there is supposed to be but one beautiful harbour in Australia, there are few more charming experiences to a lover of Nature than to enter King George Sound in the early dawn of a perfect spring morning. All around are rugged hills untouched by art of man, and from the shore is wafted the sweet scent of that glorious blossom of Western Australia, the Boronia. The deep-blue of the water, mingling with the changing colours of the surrounding foliage, aids in completing a scene that is not excelled, if indeed rivalled, in any harbour on the Australian coast.

Those who seek for health and pleasure away from the sea and yet not far from Perth usually find their way to Kalamunda or the Mundaring Weir. Both situated in the Darling Ranges, while they cannot claim that bracing air of higher peaks are still sufficiently above the level of the plain to afford a pure and revivifying atmosphere. From Kalamunda the valley of the Swan stretches out in a vast panorama, and when the day is clear the outlines of Rottnest Island in the far distance are easily discernible. The great attraction of Mundaring is, of course, the Weir from which the Eastern goldfields and inland towns along the route are supplied with water. Pleasant as a resort at any time, it has an added interest toward the end of winter, when the overflow is so majestic, giving to the tourist the impression of a gigantic waterfall.

But the crowning glory of Western Australia from a scenic point of view rests in her marvellous caves, which those fitted by experience to speak upon the subject have pronounced the equal, if not the superior, of any known to exist. These, as their importance demands, we propose to treat in detail. The principal are those at Yallingup and Margaret River, which, though a considerable distance from Perth, are yet easier of access and more thoroughly opened up than those at Lake Yanchep, less than 40 miles from the capital.

These wonderful caves are situated in the southwest corner of the State, between the Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste, in undulating limestone country which skirts the coast at a distance of from half a mile to three miles. The whole of the district extending north and south for some 50 miles is honeycombed with subterranean galleries of marvellous beauty and variety, unrivalled by anything of the kind in Australia.

Though their existence has been known for nearly thirty years little attention was paid to them until very recently. The whole country in the vicinity has now, however, been made a public reserve, and every effort made to explore them and make them available for public inspection and recreation. To reach them it is necessary to proceed by train to Busselton, a pretty little seaside town about 150 miles from Perth. The distance from there to the caves is about 20 miles, made by conveyance over a road that for the greater part of the journey winds in and out among the luxurious peppermint-trees, and then turns off into the forest until it reaches the

so named after a small rivulet in the vicinity. The entrance to the cave is about 250 ft. above the stream, and resembles a slightly inclined tunnel cut through the limestone rock. From the landing at the end of this shaft the cave branches away into two directions. Immediately on the left we enter the "Theatre," an immense domelike chamber, circular in form and spacious in area, the ceiling of which is beautifully ornamented with thickly-studded stalactites of somewhat massive formation. The proximity of this chamber to the entrance and the consequent atmospheric effects have in some measure dulled the brilliancy of the scene. On the other side a smaller chamber, profusely decorated with a finer and more delicate form of stalactite, forms a marked contrast in its glittering lustre. These two chambers, however, are only the introduction to the marvels of the cave. As we go forward gallery after gallery, each with its own peculiar charm, is opened to our view. Nature has here been particularly lavish, and every chamber is adorned with fragile and fantastic stalactites of every conceivable shape and variety. From the floors rise massive stalagmites, some over 30 ft. in diameter, which have almost the appearance of columns supporting the arches above, so that in whatever part we may be the whole effect is wondrously beautiful and magnificent.

The distinctive feature of Yallingup is perhaps the "Shawl" formation, which admittedly has no equal anywhere. These shawls are varied in colour, some appearing to be pure pearl, while others are striped with cream and scarlet. So regular are the stripes and colours and so natural the folds and fringes that one almost needs to touch them to be sure that they are not actual articles. The most noted is the Folded Shawl, which is