TANTANOOLA CAVE: In the South East of South Australia
The first person to venture into this underground hideaway was no speleologist or cave expert. Boyce Lane was a Tantanoola lad out hunting rabbits with his pet ferret when it wandered off.
"Waited patiently, got impatient, so he decided he would investigate moving some rocks and this is how he found the cave. That was on the 28th of March 1930".
"He was very frightened because he accidentally knocked some rocks and they went rolling down the slope and splashing into water, so he went out much quicker than he came in that first visit".
Soon word was out and the locals flocked to see one of the most unique caves in the country.
"It's actually in a dolomite rock, not totally limestone".
"And this is the reddy-coloured rock you'll see up here".
The Tantanoola Cave may not be as big as its counterparts further north at Naracoorte. But this one chamber contains some of the most spectacular cave formations to be seen anywhere. The cave is considered a baby in geological terms, less than a million years old, but over that time the slow drip of water carrying particles of calcite combined with the reddish tinge of dolomite and iron, has created wave-like formations known as shawls.
"This one I often call a crinkle cut potato chip, it doesn't look real".
And then there are these oddities known as helicites, a conundrum of the cave, which defies the experts and gravity.
"It is a bit of a mystery because even the experts are not sure why they grow in the opposite directions they do, and we have a lot more in the Tantanoola Caves".
This cave is one of the wettest in the State, and the myriad of tiny droplets on the ceiling each hanging from a slow growing stalactite creates a magical effect.
"And all the little water droplets that sparkle like stars, twinkle like stars. They are up there".
And under this subterranean firmament the pool provides a stunning reflection of nature's work carried out over thousands of years.
"I always call it our magic pool, because it's just a magical reflection".
It's a serene spot but it hasn't always been so. This formation known, as the broken leg is proof of the frightening forces, which have shaped the Tantanoola Cave, some snapping massive columns formed over generations.
"It could be local volcanoes erupting or perhaps an earthquake. I'm more inclined to think it was an earthquake as in a big jolt in the earth, but a few thousand years ago now".
"So as we've seen in other parts of the cave where the stalactites have joined up to create columns this has literally been sheared in two by the forces of the earth".
"A very strong earthquake did affect the whole cave".
The seismic forces are just part of an interesting mix. Add dolomite, endless amounts of underground water and plenty of time, and you end up with one of the most interesting cave chambers in the State, a mini cathedral underground.
The Tantanoola Cave is located on the Prices Highway between Mt Gambier and Millicent and is open daily from 9.15am until 5.00pm. There are regular tours. For more detail email info@postcards.sa.com.au
