Mt Surprise - Morning tour to the Undura Lava Tubes

We are starting to get used to life without newspapers - nothing since last Thursday. Forecast for today in Mount Surprise is 12 to 29 degrees, although the temperature of 13 at 8:00 am did feel a little cool. The sky was mainly clear and a beautiful day beckoned for our bus tour to the Undara Lava Tubes.

We were on the second tour from the caravan park so we got an extra half hour in bed - before we presented ourselves at the office for a 9:00 am departure. Our tour was to take in the Kalkani Crater with a 2.5 km rim walk, before being taken to walk through three of the Lava Tubes at Undara - the "Archway", the "Ballroom" and the "Wind Tunnel".

One of Bedrock Villages many tour buses

Briefing at the start of the Kalkani Walk

Kalkani Circuit Track - 2.5 kms

Nearby Volcanos from the Rim Track

Wildflowers beside the track

Undara Volcano in the distance

Floor of Kalkani Crater

Greener foliage indicates a collapsed Lava Tube

Smoko at the end of the Kalkani Rim Walk

The lava tubes were formed over 190,000 years ago when the Undara Volcano erupted and spewed an estimated 23 cubic kilometres of lava over a period of 6 to 12 months. The lava flowed down old river beds for more than 90kms to the north and 160 kms to the north-west. The lava tubes were formed when the crust of the flow cooled and solidified, while the hot lava inside continued to flow, leaving a void behind. Many of the tubes have collapsed giving access to some of the tubes that remain in place.

Di at a lava tube entrance

Bush turkey's nest

Entering the Lava Tube

Entering the Archway

Inside the Archway

Coloured walls in the Archway

Looking back through the Archway

Looking down into the Ballroom

Inside the Ballroom

End of the flow

Di at the end of the lava tube

Cane Toads get everywhere!

Bats on the Wind Tunnel ceiling

Walls in the Wind Tunnel

Collapsed lava tube outside the Wind Tunnel

After our tour of the Lava Tubes we were driven back to Bedrock Village in time for lunch. After a sandwich we went for a walk around the sites of Mount Surprise. We started with the Gem Den to check up on our fossicking tour tomorrow morning. We will need to be at the store at 7:45 am to be transported to their claim for the morning dig. We continued on our way around town passing the old Telegraph Office and the Police Station. We finished our walk around town at the Mount Surprise Hotel where we took the opportunity to see whether the beer was cold - it was!

Our camp at Bedrock Village

Old Post Office and Telegraph Office

Beware of the Police Wife?

Mount Surprise Hotel