Thursday, 26 August
According to their signage Margaret River does breakfast at The Urban Bean, but our decision to head there for a day-starter was based on location in relation to the accommodation and the fact I'd spotted it the night before as it was on publicity material. The prospect of a big breakfast can be relied on to have Hughesy licking his chops in anticipation, but lack of an obvious lunch stop among the stops on the tasting trail meant I was inclined to go for breakfast and the big evening meal and hopefully survive on a light lunch.
In any case fuel would be needed since Madam was keen on visiting a limestone cave, had selected Lake Cave and indicated that Hughesy wouldn't be given a chance to chicken out. I'd seen a limestone cave some fifty years ago and while I was sure it would be spectacular I wasn't over keen on indulging in a major photo opportunity given my non-photographer status.
Once we'd paid our money and started on the tour things weren't improved when I found myself at the front of the party, leading the way down a set of stairs that may well have induced vertigo in a mountain goat. Hughesy doesn't like heights, prefers not to look down when faced with them, and wasn't keen on being there in the first place, but retreat wasn't an option so on I went.
Despite all the reservations I must admit that the cave itself was spectacular, the sense of time reduced to the drip, drip, drip of calcite was mind-blowing (a calcite straw with soot from a candle from fifty years before had grown about an inch) and, had I been a photographer I'd probably have been in seventh heaven. However, having now seen two limestone caves I won't be queueing up to look at any more, thank you very much.
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