THROUGH MY EYES

The south west has always been a great place for my mind to escape. Its either the sea breeze, wide open spaces or lack of white noise. Though the one thing I can be absolutely certain of, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

There are a tonne of hidden gems that provide endless opportunities to loose yourself in the landscape. Our most recent visit to this vivid countryside sparked our curiosity to visit the vast cave systems that make up the region. Without putting much thought into it we decided to head out one afternoon to a cave system known as Mammoth Cave. About 21km South of the town of Margaret River lies the largest limestone cave in the region.

Entering the cave is an experience like no other. After following a small path down to the entrance you feel the whole atmosphere change. There is a light breeze blowing through the cave, immediately the temperature drops and moisture rose thick in the air. As the cave opens up beyond the entrance I was blown away by the vast space of the first cavan. The stalactite icicle shaped formations scattered across the roof are something otherworldly. A structure created over thousands of years hanging timelessly above, a whole new world hidden below the ground.

Once we found ourselves alone far within the cave the absolute silence we felt became apparent. Distant sounds of running water could be heard but as your eyes and ears adjusted to the moans and groans of the earth. I never felt claustrophobic down there and even found it as a great spot for reflection and to be alone with my thoughts.

For the price of what it costs to enter the cave it is largely outweighed by the astounding experience it was. And the closer you look the Margaret River area is dotted with hundreds of limestone caves providing a great look into the underworld of the landscape. Caves including Nigili, Jewel and Lake cave are open to the public for people to explore with a tonne of variation between them all.

The South West for me is my perfect escape, I know I can explore this place for a lifetime and never get bored because it always has a surprise in store. And visiting Mammoth Cave this time around was a great reminder on what is hiding just beneath the surface.