35 hours – what was I thinking!

Posted on September 18, 2026 by marilyn

SYDNEY – PORTUGAL – 14/9/26 – 18/9/26
20 years ago, possibly whilst drinking copious quantities of red wind, I recall talking to Christine (although she denies this) about going to Portugal for 6 months once we retired.  I had visions of drinking lots of wine, walking along white sandy beaches, with blue fishing boats resting on the beach, with me wearing a flowing dress, and flirting with good looking Portuguese young men (bear in mind that we talked about this 25 years ago LOL). Continue reading →

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Heaton’s Cliffs – Part 2

Posted on September 5, 2026 by marilyn

HEATON STATE FOREST – 5th September 2026
Last May, Trish M and I went on an adventure looking for access to a couple of cliffs.  We didn’t get to the bottom of the cliffs and vowed that we would return.  Trish M couldn’t make it this time but Heather R and Trish N were up for the challenge. Continue reading →

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“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine!”

Posted on August 25, 2026 by marilyn

CAVING, NSW – 25 August 2026
For the past few years, I’ve been part of a group of experienced cavers (in no way am I that experienced) who advise on a specific cave area.  After our last meeting, we were sitting around deciding what cave we should visit to check out things (like the gate) and see if it was showing any wear and tear.  The one they picked sounded like there was a squeeze, and as no one had been in the cave for a while, we weren’t sure that it was navigable. Continue reading →

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What if …?

Posted on August 9, 2026 by marilyn

FOOD FOR THOUGHT – 9 August 2026
On a recent trip to Wombeyan Caves, we came upon a couple of disused quarries.  One was a limestone quarry (probably used to make cement), and the other was a marble quarry. I’d not seen cross sections of caves before.  When underground, I don’t imagine how much rock is between me and the surface. At the marble quarry, in a cross section there was a “hole” which started me thinking … Continue reading →

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Caving – brass monkey weather

Posted on August 9, 2026 by marilyn

WOMBEYAN CAVES – 7-9 August 2026
I probably shouldn’t have gone on this trip, but with only four of us registered, I didn’t want to let the team down by dropping out.  Heather and I had rented a cabin for the weekend (it’s cold at Wombeyan this time of year), for some reason I had visions of an electric blanket on the bed … I probably should have read the fine print on the booking confirmation.  Continue reading →

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