We had noticed at Cape Foulwind that the westerly swells were starting to pick up and so we calculated to see if we could make a stop at some blowholes around high tide. With a bit of extra time on our hands we decided to make a quick sidetrack to Fox River Cave.
We parked at the mouth of the Fox River and gathered together our headlamps ready for the hike up to the cave. The track started out in the forest and we picked our way through the muddy patches along the trail.
After a while the trail came out of the forest and followed the river bed up the valley. We had been warned that we might need to do some river crossings, but luckily the water level was low enough that we were able to balance our way across the rocks to keep our feet dry.
As we walked along the river we were able to get glimpses of the limestone cliffs on either side of the valley. The trail left the valley floor and we started climbing quickly up towards the area at the base of the cliffs.
We slipped and slid our way over the damp, moss covered rocks that formed the trail. After a short, but very steep climb, we arrived at the entrance to the cave. The entrance was much larger than I was expecting, if you look carefully below, you can make out Eric on the trail on the cave floor. The cave entrance gave the impression that you were stepping into another world, with plants hanging from the walls and ceiling and water dripping from every surface.
We scrambled up the trail that lead into the main section of the cave, pausing to dig out our headlamps. The cave immediately started to narrow and could see the huge number of stalactites and stalactites this cave is famous for.
The cave has been well preserved, mostly because shortly after its discovery by a farmer looking for lost cattle in 1906 it was turned into a tourist attraction. A track was built to the cave, the remains of which can still be seen in places today, including some of the stepping stones that were laid in the bottom of the cave.
The recent rain meant that the back sections of the cave were pretty flooded and so we decided that instead of going paddling in the cold water we would head back down to the campervan. A quick calculation told us that we should be able to make it to the blowholes further down the coast just in time for high tide.