Other than visiting wineries and enjoying the beautiful scenery, there are a number of fun things to do in Margaret River. One of my favorite excursions was to Jewel Cave.
The Margaret River area has a number of caves from which one can choose. I was not particularly thrilled with the idea of voluntarily going underground into a cold, dark, space stretching nearly 145 miles under the surface of the earth, but my husband, Erik, was keen and after all, visiting a cave ranked number two on our hotel’s “must see” list.
And so we selected Jewel Cave, the second longest cave in the world, renowned for its calcite crystals. To get the full effect of the crystals, our guide led us ten stories or so underground where we found one of the spectacular sights I have ever seen. The space was much warmer than anticipated and I felt as if we were standing in a room made entirely of crystal.
Of course this was with illumination. Our guide gave us an idea of what it must have been like to be the first visitor to Jewel Cave when he shut out all the lights. I can’t recall ever being in such complete and total darkness. Erie but intriguing. After one long minute the light was restored.
When a friend called the other day to ask about recommendations for her upcoming trip to Margaret River, I found myself detouring from our list of favorite wineries to give Jewel Cave the review it deserves: worth a visit.
You can find more information on Jewel Cave here: http://www.margaretriver.com/pages/jewel-cave/