WILD
CAVE TOURS
Mole Creek, Tasmania, Australia
Winter Newsletter 2008
DEB'S NEWS
Thanks to those cave tourists who have alerted me to just how long it’s
been since the last newsletter! But I’ve been pretty
busy. While maintaining the business, I have been
back in education full time, starting a new degree
in 2005, the Bachelor of Environmental Science. I am
now in the second half of my honours year, studying
the contribution of soil water storage to the
Lobster Rivulet of the Mole Creek Karst system.
|
Cave water sampling |
Deb in the laboratory |
ENVIRONMENTAL TOURISM
There has always been a strong science component to the Tours, whether
joining me for a half day trip as 2 or 3 people or
as part of a group experience, tailored to suit. In
fact, it’s your encouragement as visitors which has
helped push the ongoing development of incorporating
science into the tour experience.
When delivered in a way that is more than just “infotainment”; in a way
that treats the visitor as an intelligent, thinking
person, science enables us to understand our place
in the scheme of things, as a part of the ecology of
the planet. Not as apart from it. So, by actually
understanding the natural features we see on a Wild
Cave Tour, we not only enjoy the experience more
fully, but the insight also helps us to see how
humanity may move forward into a new era of
environmentalism together.
It is not a realisation that some ecosystem somewhere deserves
protection, so much as realising the necessity of
protecting OUR ecosystem, Planet Earth, to ensure
our own survival. It’s that simple.
In the caves of Mole Creek, we can see in miniature an example of the
interdependence of life systems and species, and how
the abiotic world (water, fire, climate…) interacts
with these systems. It is an encapsulated view of
the Earth. Bite size is another way of looking at
it.
first
hand biology lesson
Mind you, the size of the Tasmanian cave spider (as seen in our tour
caves) demands respect for the size of THEIR bite!
And yes, your intrepid guide has survived to
document the effects. Not that YOU are likely to
experience such a dubious honour. These are normally
inoffensive creatures. It’s just that one day I was
operating the lock of a cave gate. The padlock is
enclosed in a cubic steel box, open only at the
bottom to prevent bolt-cutters being used to gain
illegal entry to the cave. The poor spider who
happened to be trying to make its home in this cosy
little box was almost squashed by my fumbling hand
and of course you know what happened. Although the
bite was painful, I realised by the next day there
would be no lasting effect. But I can still see the
fang marks! Impressive tale to tell!
CAVE CREATURES AND PHOTOGRAPHY
The most fascinating aquatic creatures we see are the glow-worms and the
cave shrimps. Thanks to modern digital technology,
more people are now able to successfully capture
quality images to remember these delights. Digital
cameras also make action shots of caving a lot
easier, since many affordable point-and-shoot
cameras now take better pictures in low light
conditions (their small inbuilt camera flashes are
quite sufficient). So you can print off the best to
show friends and family and to keep the memories
fresh.
THE TYPICAL WILD CAVE TOUR VISITOR
There is no such creature! It could be you. You could be a honeymoon
couple, someone enjoying an active retirement going
around Australia, a member of a corporate group
enjoying company rewards for your hard work or a
young person on the school trip of your life,
sampling the wilderness of Tasmania. You could be an
adventure nut, looking for that next thrill. Because
each trip is different according to the interests of
who comes, and at last you have found a green island
at the end of Australia where people still treat YOU
as a VIP, it will be a trip you will never forget.
And because people like you keep coming, I keep
doing it! Each trip is new for me, too.
SEE YOU UNDERGROUND
If you have not yet experienced a Wild Cave Tour, I look forward to
showing you the underground wilderness of one of the
favourite caving destinations in Australia. My
assistant, Paul, is also an experienced Mole Creek
caver. Our collective experience exceeds 40 years.
If you have children too young yet to bring wild caving (under 14 years)
then may I recommend the wonders of Marakoopa and
King Solomon’s show caves at Mole Creek. They are
some of the most beautiful and tastefully presented
in the country.
Regards,
Deb Hunter
August 2008
Wild Cave Tours
165 Fern-lea Rd.,
Caveside Tas. 7304
Ph/fax (03) 63678142
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