Underfoot

The tourists are milling about the Mountain lookouts, taking snapshots and selfies of the sun-drenched ranges, but there is a long and winding road that leads to an entirely different view of the Blue Mountains. 

It is a route that requires carefull negotiation - in its upper reaches the kangaroos can take unwary speedsters by surprise, while, closer to the destination, the tight corners and steep grades demand patience and caution.

Eventually, the road brings you to a grand demonstration of the impact that water can have upon a landscape.....

....as well as the benefits humans can extract from that water and its surroundings.

The history of this place is a long and complex one - stretching through geological eons, along the ancient story lines and culture of the Gundungurra and Wiradjuri people, into a 21st century whose speleologists are still finding deeper tunnels and watercourses, far from the light of day.

Jenolan is possibly the best known cave complex in Australia, though far from the only one.  The caves open to the public are only a fraction of those known to the explorers and scientists, but many of the others would require a very strong personality, and skinny hips and ribs, on the part of any would be tourist.

 The forces that have carved, sculpted, and constructed the strange beauty in these caves are a complex mix of organic and inorganic chemistry, along with occasional bouts of the brute force that flood water can apply.

When you have finished underground, the views to be seen on the way back to the carpark are also wonderful......

 .....just kidding - there is a bus that will take you to the carpark at the other end of those stairs.  I kept looking, by the way, but saw no sign of orcs or dwarves, though you might wonder what those noises were, when the guide turned out all the lights, and darkness absolute surrounded you.