The Undara Lava Tubes

13^th July – We had another look around the castle and park the next morning and we got absolutely soaked when we went over the suspension bridge above the falls because the rain poured down again. 

Later we headed up towards the Atherton Tablelands and checked out some pretty waterfalls (in the rain). 

Cold and rainy at Ellinja Falls

 

Cold and rainy at Zillie Falls

 

 

 and again at Millaa Millaa Falls

 

 

Next we stopped at Inot Hot Springs.  There was a little creek that was steaming.  We put our feet in.  Parts of it were warm but some parts were burning hot (apparently it is 75  ͦC in some parts).  We were going to wallow in it but it started raining (again). Eventually we arrived at Mount Surprise and the rain finally stopped following us.

Hot and steamy at Inot Hot Springs

14^th July – The following morning we went on a tour of the Undara Lava Tubes. These tunnels were made 190 000 years ago when a volcano kept oozing a constant flow of lava across the land.  The outer crust would form and then the hot stuff kept would flow through the middle.  Eventually the lava stopped oozing and the outer tube stayed. They are pretty big.

A part of the lava tube

 

Walking down into the lava tube



Is it snowing in this dark cave?

No, it is just dusty.

 

Some bats live in there and we saw some rock wallabies too.  We also went for a walk around the rim of the old volcano (called the caldera).  IT was very windy and cold up the top (and of course some misty rain decided to join us).

We found lots of these lovely spiders' webs full of raindrops

hiding in the grass up on the crater rim

 

The Mount Surprise area is a gem fossicking area. They find things like quartz, citrine, peridot and topaz.  We went into the "Gem Den".  It is a shop which had a whole display of different stones and tubs of gems and sparkly jewellery. The man who owned it was cutting and polishing a stone for someone who found it the area.