Marakoopa

 I camped at Mersey Creek National Park where I enjoyed a quiet spot right next to the river. It was beautiful and peaceful. I took the morning slowly, choosing the spend most if it reading by the river before packing up and heading out. I didn’t really have an intention of where I wanted to go next, other than east to the main road so I could make my way south. It was gently raining so I figured I wouldn’t have too many stops. As I drove I saw a sign for a National park with cave tours and I thought “what a great way to spend a rainy day”. I stopped at Marakoopa cave and chatted with the ranger and got booked on the tour. We saw lots of great topography in the cave with rock formations of curtains, straws, terraces, and a curious, stalagmite that had a V at the end. I’m the many caves I’ve visited I’ve never seen a stalagmite like that and it had a box around it to protect it, and the ranger said it was really unique. As we went deeper into the cave the formations changed from a dark rusty red (from the irons in the soils) to a creamy white as the water was purified by the rocks. In a few places the formations had a beautiful vertical striped patterning of red and cream anywhere the strains met looking like marbled meat. In other portions of the cave straws and stalactites came from the ceiling looking like someone above spilled a gallon of heavy cream and then stopped time. At the end of the tour we stopped to see the glowworms that occur only in coastal Australia and New Zealand. When the lights turn out the glowworms look like bright blue stars above. While, I’ve seen them plenty in New Zealand, seeing them never ceases to be magical. At the end of the tour the ranger pulled me aside and said I was “a delight to have on the tour” and loved my enthusiasm and told me I could join the second tour where they go to a different section of the cave for free if I wanted. I was grinning the whole tour so I must have charmed him with my smile, and enjoyment of the tour, he was a good guide, and I happily took a free second tour. The second half we followed the cave upwards where the tunnels were larger and a deeper red color as the cave was shallower. It was great to get to join both portions of the tour and get to see the whole cave. 

After, I headed to my next campsite where I ate dinner listening to the kukkaburras laugh into the sunset. 

My big struggle right now though, is I ran out of sweets 3 days ago and I haven’t found a gas station with good snacks in it since. I’m resorting to apples for dessert, which is just not right if you ask me. I don’t know how much longer I can go on like this. I’m going to need to find something good soon. 

It’s funny, if I don’t think I will stay at a campground more than one night I can’t be bothered lately to put up my tent and instead just sleep in the backseat of Clancy (my Toyota Corolla) and tonight as I curled up with my book to sleep in the backseat of my car I thought “I’m really living the good life”. Which I truly am, as proffered by this blog, but it does seem funny to genuinely think sleeping in the backseat of a car. 

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