Speleo Spiel #319 April – May 2000 Newsletter of the Southern Tasmanian Caverneers PO Box 416, Sandy Bay 7006 Tasmania, Australia STC Officers: President: The Speleo Spiel Trevor Wailes Ph: (03) 6229 1382 (h) [email protected] Newsletter of the The views expressed in Southern Tasmanian Caverneers Vice President: the Speleo Spiel are not Hugh Fitzgerald necessarily the views of Incorporated Ph: (03) 6223 7088 (h) the Editor, or of the Southern Tasmanian PO Box 416, Sandy Bay, Tas. 7006 [email protected] Caverneers Incorporated. http://www.tased.edu.au/tasonline/scaving/ Secretary: Liz Canning Ph: (03) 6223 7088 (h) [email protected] Issue No. 319 Treasurer & Karst Index Officer: Arthur Clarke April – May 2000 Ph: (03) 6228 2099 (h) [email protected] Equipment Officer and S&R Officer: Editorial...............................................................................................2 Jeff Butt Upcoming Meetings and Trips..............................................................2 Ph: (03) 6223 8620 (h) [email protected] Letters to the Editor..............................................................................2 Librarian: Club Matters ........................................................................................2 Greg Middleton Forward Program: Pre-GST and Post Winter Solstice Trip....................3 Ph: (03) 6223 1400 (h) [email protected] Reconnaissance Investigation of South Styx Dolomite..........................3 Scientific Officer: Addendum to the Junee-Florentine Caves List......................................4 Albert Goede Babes in Wonderland, Welcome Stranger.............................................5 Ph: (03) 6243 7319 (h) [email protected] Mt. Owen, New Zealand – Viceroy Expedition.....................................6 Public Officer: Exploring Wolf Hole at Hastings..........................................................8 Steve Bunton An April Fool’s Day Trip to Splash Pot................................................9 Ph: (03) 6278 2398 (h) [email protected] CAVEX 2000.....................................................................................10 Webmaster: The Limestone Quarrying Proposal in the Mt. Cripps Karst Area........12 Hans Benisch KD / Splash Pot / Couldren Pot. The Deepest Cave in Australia?........17 Ph: (03) 6239 6899 (h) [email protected] Track-cutting Through the North Lune Kast to Meesa Creek ..............18 Editor: Kazard Dum.......................................................................................19 Jamie Allison SAR Incident Report: Long Overdue Cavers ......................................20 Ph: (03) 6273 8160 (h) [email protected] An Introduction to ASF: Your National Caving Body.........................23 JF-40: A Piece of the KD – Splash Pot Puzzle? ..................................25 Sub Editor: Arthur Clarke Kazard Dum… A Re-survey ..............................................................27 Front Cover Photo GPS… Selective Availability has Gone!.............................................28 CAVEX 2000 – Cave rescuers Wolf Hole… Beyond Lake Pluto........................................................29 preparing for the lift in the back end of Mystery Creek Cave. Photo by Arthur STC Member Contact Details.............................................................32 Clarke STC Warehouse Sales and Classifieds................................................33 Back Cover Photo Helictites Photo by Jeff Butt STC was formed from the Tasmanian Copyright 1999,2000 STC Caverneering Club, the Southern This work is STC copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of Caving Society and the Tasmanian Cave and Karst Research Group. private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright STC is the modern variant of the Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission Oldest Caving Club in Australia. from the publishers and the inclusion of acknowledgment of the source Speleo Spiel – Issue 319, April –May 2000 Editorial Letters to the Editor This is another bumper issue of the Spiel; it should keep This is your chance to comment about the articles presented in this newsletter. Letters to you going until the snow melts while your enthusiasm for the Editor may be edited for clarity. Your venturing underground may be at a minimum. submission can be emailed to the editor at [email protected] or to posted to: Speleo Spiel Editor, PO Box 416, Sandy Bay, Our president recently celebrated his 50th Tasmania. 7006. birthday.....having removed his beard for the occasion, he Speleo Spiel Index looks very fresh-faced and has held his age well. Congratulations on a great job as Congratulations on 50 Trev. I hope we are all caving as new Editor of SPELEO SPIEL, well when we hit the half-century mark! following on from the example lead of Jeff Butt, which followed on from the On a sad note: my old Scout Venturer Leader and good inaugural efforts by John Hawkins- th Salt. Just a brief comment about a friend, Steve Edgar passed away on the 16 of May. possible item of improvement or Steve introduced me to the world of caving along with addition to the Spiel.... Maybe many other adventure activities. Many will sadly miss him. sometime after say, either issue #320 or maybe at end of this year (2000), we could run a single issue of Speleo Spiel, or part of an issue(??) that is Jamie Allison an index of the last 20 issues of Spiel Editor or all those issues up to end of year [email protected] or whenever the index is done. The index could be done in sections, similar to the Index format in the special Index issue of Southern Club Meetings Caver (e.g., the October 1985 index issue), where there are indexed General business meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each references listing each issue of month (7:30pm for a 8:00pm start). Social gatherings and special Speleo Spiel by Content, index by events are held on the third Wednesday of each Month starting at Author, index by Title, index by 8:00pm. Meetings are convened at the Shipwright Arms Hotel in the Subject Matter and perhaps index by area just inside the front door (near the fireplace). All are welcome Karst Area. I figure that the workload and encouraged to attend. for this could be easily spread around Wednesday, June 7. General Business Meeting with say ten members (with email access) each member doing two Wednesday, June 21. Social Gathering and Slide Shows issues each - or five of us doing four Wednesday, July 5. General Business Meeting issues each - so that it does not all Wednesday, July 19. Social Gathering fall on the hands of the editor or just one or two interested people. Upcoming Trips and Events What do you and other readers think? Please contact the trip organiser for more detailed information. Jeff will show some caving in NZ slides... and June 21 (Wed) maybe Hugh and Liz can also show some caving Arthur Clarke slides from Vietnam...between us there might be [email protected] enough slides for a reasonable show! Jeff Butt June 24 - 25 Pre-GST and post winter solstice caving extravaganza (full details on page 3) Liz Canning From the Gear Store New Club Members Emailing the STC List Server For most of April and May the rope-rack A very warm welcome to There seems to be a few strange things has been rather empty with Niggly, our new club members. happening to the STC List Server of late. Splash Pot and KD rigged...things To send a message to everyone on the Full Members: should be back to normal soon! list, simply address your message to: Mike Weeding, Susan [email protected]. To email The Annual Rope Testing day was held Ingram and Phil Rowsell the list owner, Arthur Clarke (for list on Saturday June 3rd after being problems etc.) send a message to delayed by a week due to heavy rain Prospective Member: [email protected] last weekend. Details in the next Spiel. Chris Ward 2 Speleo Spiel – Issue 319, April –May 2000 Forward Program: Pre-GST and Post-Winter Solstice Caving Extravaganza: June 24 – 25 By Liz Canning The moment you've all been waiting Depending on who decides to come let me know by June 13th (or for: we may also get access keys for earlier if possible) on email some horizontal caves. And then of ([email protected]) or phone Come for a weekend of caving, course there's always Splash Pot.... 03 6223 7088. If you want to book eating and drinking, and sitting and Accommodation for Saturday night in for dinner on Saturday 24th, at chatting in front of open fires at is $27 per person in twin or double around 7:30 pm (and are confident Tyenna Valley Lodge, Maydena. rooms. This includes a shared of emerging from your chosen cave Caving possibilities are as wide as kitchen and lounge, and breakfast is in time!), then also let me know this. your imagination, but will certainly provided. There are also some And to add to the fun there are at include some trips for the newer frosty campsites available at $5 per least 2 cavers' birthdays at this time- members of the club, such as person, and include use of the but they wont tell you who they are! Gormenghast (no SRT required but showers / kitchen. some climbing), and perhaps Sesame or Three Forty-One for If you want to book in for ♦♦♦ those with some SRT experience. accommodation or camping, please Reconnaissance Investigation of South Styx Dolomite: 26-27/11/1999 Party: Chris Sharples, Rolan Eberhard By Rolan Eberhard The presence of karstified dolomite generally for publication in this proved relatively straightforward, in the valley of the Styx River, south magazine. The present report is even if the donga was pretty of Maydena, has been known since confined to our brief trip to the South scrubby in places (coming back 1986 when Stefan Eberhard Styx area. uphill was somewhat tiresome, explored a large enclosed particularly in the several hundred The first day involved a drive south depression on the southern side of metres of scrub between the from Hobart to the valley of the the river. This depression, which forested lower slopes and the alpine Russell River, which rises on the covers an area of several hectares vegetation near the top).