Hidden Earth 2019

Land Down Under: Anglo-Irish Caving Expedition to Tasmania 2018-19

45 minute Lecture|Petie Barry

Abstract

Mount Field National Park in Tasmania contains many of Australia's deepest and most dramatic caves. Typically active stream caves with much vertical development, they approach depths of 350m+ and up to 20km in length. With many of the sinks in the rainforest of the Florentine Valley, and a single major rising at the Junee Resurgence over 10km away, there is potential for a huge cave system to be discovered. Despite decades of exploration by local cavers, little of the low-level master-cave conduits has been discovered, and large breakthroughs can be made with relative ease. With expedition leader and former Australian resident Seamus Breathnach having a host of local contacts, plans were made for an expedition to the opposite side of the globe.

Accordingly, over Christmas and New Year's of 2018-19 a party of Irish and British cavers spent three weeks in the area in pursuit of the fabled Junee-Florentine master-cave. Despite the hazards of torrential rain, massive bush fires (not on the same day), and gnarly friable rock, a number of significant discoveries were made, leading to that well-known expedition staple - 'the major going lead discovered right at the end of the expedition'