How much abuse can one cave take?

Posted on April 30, 2026 by marilyn

MT ETNA, CENTRAL QUEENSLAND – 20-30 April 2026
As a general rule, a person who’s never caved before doesn’t wake up one morning and think “I’m going to go caving” and off they go.  You’re usually introduced to caving by someone who’s already been caving, like a friend or your parents.  And, generally, when you take a person who has never been caving you teach them to “leave no trace” and “caving softly”.  This is why, when I visited Johansen’s1 Cave at Mt Etna, it was disappointing to discover the amount of graffiti and unnecessary and often incorrect navigational directions in the cave. Continue reading →

Posted in Caving, MSS | 6 Comments

Johansen’s Cave – not all doom and gloom

Posted on April 30, 2026 by marilyn

MT ETNA, CENTRAL QUEENSLAND – 20-30 April 2026
It wasn’t all graffiti removal in Johansen’s for me, I did get to look around, and Garry sent me some photos so I could see where I didn’t go and others that give some idea of the scale of the chambers. I was surprised that there were some very nice formations that I didn’t get to see and, incredibly no graffiti in that area! At the end of the surveying, when all the passages were added up, there is 3+k of passageway in Johansen’s, impressive!!! Continue reading →

Posted in Caving, MSS | Leave a comment

Finally, the pinnacle of our trip The (12) Apostles

Posted on March 31, 2026 by marilyn

GREAT OCEAN WALK – 31 March 2026
For those of you wondering if Peter and I could manage six nights with only 1 x 2l of cask wine.  You’ll be pleased to know that we managed just fine.  Confirmation that neither of us are alcoholics, but Peter did need to make a quick stop at the liquor store after we got back to the Big4 Caravan Park on Sunday night! Continue reading →

Posted in Bushwalking, CMW | 2 Comments

How many hills are too many?

Posted on March 30, 2026 by marilyn

GREAT OCEAN WALK – 29-30 March 2026
So, we’re now into days 5 and 6 and the idea of doing the whole 104k of the walk (I think the others had that goal) has well and truly gone by the wayside.  It’s now about doing sections that aren’t as challenging and making sure we see the “highlights”.  And, the 5th day will see us moving to Johanna Seaside Farm House – a “must stay” if you’re in the area. Continue reading →

Posted in Bushwalking, CMW | 2 Comments

How do you know when to cut your losses?

Posted on March 28, 2026 by marilyn

GREAT OCEAN WALK – 27 & 28 March 2026
So, we’re now into days 3 and 4.  The Great Ocean walk covers about 100k and it’s recommended to do it over 8 days.  We have 7 days at our disposal, with the plan to walk the following distances … 8k, 13.5k, 10.5k, 17.5k, 16k, 18.5k, 19.5k. I’m pretty sure that the group I’m with are keen to do the whole trip, but at my age I’m not sure I’m up for the days over 16k. Continue reading →

Posted in Bushwalking, CMW | 6 Comments