Day Trip to Maldon, Vic

January 3rd 2006

6

Carman's Tunnel is what remains of one of the area's gold mines.
It was abandoned in 1884 after 22 years and very little gold.
There's the entrance, in the face of the hill.


The tunnel is carved through solid rock, so it doesn't really need all the timbers.
The guide told us they weren't there when the mine was in use, 
and were only constructed for realism for the tourists.

At this stage, my anxiety was beginning to rise, despite the fact that the lady selling tickets
had said that once you get past the initial 30 metres (100 feet) 
it's "wide enough to drive a car through".
My problem isn't with the size, it's the thought of being too far from an exit !

But I wanted to see it, so in I went, and surprised myself by not having any panic symptoms.
(Thank you, Mr Bill Patterson !)

One of several tunnels that were carved through the rock
in search of the elusive gold bearing quartz.


Maggi and Bill wore hard hats. Sal and I braved it ! 


You can't tell from the pic, but this is actually a vertical shaft
which filled with water back in the mining days. There's still some water
down there, but the level is dropping rapidly.


Nearly lost her ! Maggi hung back to take a photo.
She's almost as much of a shutterbug as I am.
The guide explained that the wall you can see here 
on the left is part of a fault line, and didn't need
to be blasted or carved. That's its natural profile.


Sorry... couldn't resist. This is the toilet block. Isn't it fantastic ?!!

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