Page:Cyclopedia of Western Australia, volume 1.pdf/28
about 6 ft, long and proportionately broad; it is extended as though for inspection, and with its numerous companions round about gives so curious and natural an appearance that the chamber has been named the Shawl shop. Passing on we see in the foreground the Arab's Tent, another shawl formation so cunningly arranged that it seems to be the entrance to a tent. In fact, wherever we go these beautiful shawl formations to which distinctive names have been given hang all round us, the whole producing an effect that is really indescribable. Almost in the middle of the Cauliflower Chamber is a curious freak of Nature. The root of a jarrah-tree growing on the hill above has descended in search of moisture through the hill itself a distance of 50 ft., then the whole height of the chamber (some 40 ft.), and is finally lost in the soil some 30 ft. below the floor. There are many more formations — the Crystal Floor, the Bedford Hall, and others which we cannot here describe in detail. In fact, to give any thing like an adequate description of the beauties of Yallingup is almost beyond one's power. To be appreciated they must be seen, and the oftener they are viewed the more marvellous they appear.

Another View of Shawl Formation at Yallingup
MARGARET RIVER CAVES.
These are situated some distance south of Yallingup, and are reached by a further coach journey. They are equally rich in formation, and many of them possess peculiar and distinctive features. In some the entrance itself is unique, while in others, notably the Lake Cave, every part aids in completing an almost perfect picture.
The first cave to be visited is the Wallcliffe, situated close to the mouth of the Margaret River. This is the oldest known cave which the hand of the vandal has not marred. It is rather small in extent, but contains several remarkable figures. The rushes used for lights by those first exploring it have in some measure dimmed the brightness of the stalactites, but it possesses two curious formations known as the Devil's Hand and the Poultry and Fruit Show. To the south of Wallcliffe and on the coast lies the Blackboy Hollow, which contains an interesting formation known as cauliflower or "coral." This is soft in character and pure white in appearance, changing to a delicate hue when light is thrown at the back of it. Many of its wonders have received appropriate names — the Organ Pipe, the Queen's Crown, the Broken Column, and the Mammoth stalagmite. The Broken Column is a very fine example of stalactite and stalagmite having been joined together, only to be torn asunder by some action causing subsidence of the floor. The tint is pale amber, which when combined with the newly-forming white stalactites of the ceiling produces a most charming effect. Next comes the Witchcliffe Cave, one of the smallest and unfortunately the one that has suffered most from early visitors. It is somewhat difficult to reach the entrance, but extremely easy to explore. Its value lies rather in the extensive view of the country gained from the entrance than from the actual beauty of the cave itself. Perhaps the favourite, and certainly one of the most interesting, of all the caves is the Calgardup. Most of the chambers in this vast cavern are of an indescribable beauty. Within the main dome innumerable stalactites, white and glittering, hang from the ceiling and walls like icicles, while many of the older formations are amber in colour like those of Blackboy Hollow. One of the chief marvels of the cave is the Suspended Dome, a large bell-shaped mass some 5 ft. in diameter suspended in mid-air by a stalactite. This is