The early history of Newdegate Cave and its development for tourism
Prior to the compilation of this paper, the year "1916" was being quoted as the year of discovery for Newdegate Cave, but some newspaper reports quoted 1913 and/or 1917. The authors of this paper were unable to locate published records describing the exact date for discovery of any of the Hastings Caves, despite the fact the caves were located near a logging tramway and found by timber loggers from the nearby town of Hastings. However, many relevant facts relating to the discovery of both the caves and the thermal springs have come to light during recent historical research by Arthur Clarke in three libraries and four Tasmanian institutions: Royal Society of Tasmania, Forestry Tasmania, Department of Mines and the Archives Office of Tasmania.
Firstly, the thermal springs of the Hastings area: these were reportedly discovered in 1864 by Joseph Hazelwood, while in the Lune River area searching for blackwood trees, suitable for cutting into lengths and splitting to make staves for wooden barrels (for whale oil) (undated newspaper cutting, Dorothy Baker collection). Hazelwood was working with a timber-getter named Joseph Graves out of Southport, so the springs were known to both Graves and John Hay No.2 when they moved into the Hastings Bay area to commence logging in 1868. A timber mill built by John Hay No.2 was started on the northern side of Hastings Bay in 1869-1870, together with the infrastructure of an associated township, some seven miles (11km) east of the present Hastings Caves area (Kostoglou, 1994).
The thermal springs were first examined on a more scientific basis in mid-July, 1877 when Thomas Stephens, an amateur geologist who was working as a school inspector in the Southport/ Hastings district, investigated the creek with the springs. Stephens gave a detailed account of a visit to the "Hot Spring" near Southport, in an address to the Royal Society of Tasmania in 1878. He describes the difficulty of access to the area: initially by boat up the Lune River (with Joseph Graves), then a mile-and-a-half walk amidst " ... fine timber and tolerably dense scrub ..." to the creek site " ... where the heated water was briskly bubbling up in the bed of the stream ..." (Stephens, 1879). In his lecture to the Royal Society, Stephens states that the recorded temperatures of the creek water ranged from 72°F to a maximum of 83.5°F that he describes as " ... hardly high enough to justify the name of 'Hot Spring' ..." (Stephens, 1879), but as history has shown - its name as Hot Springs Creek stills stands today.
The timber loggers, bushmen and tramway builders progressively worked northwards from the Hastings mill in the 1880s, then west along the northern bank of the Lune River in the early 1900s. In 1907 the Hay family sold their Hastings Mill to the Huon Timber Company, which then became part of the Western Australian-based Jarrah Company in 1912 (Row, 1980). Recent historical archaeology studies of the southern Tasmanian timber mills and tramways (Kostoglou, 1994), indicate construction of the final mill-log line branched off the Lune River tramway [just south from the present Hastings Caves Chalet], commencing around 1910-1912. This tramway headed northwest towards Adamsons Peak following the flat-floored valley of Hot Springs Creek, as logging continued in one of the most productive southern forest stands of mature giant stringy-bark eucalypts (pers. comm., Handy Jager, 1999). The Hastings tramway terminated on the southern side of Hot Springs Creek, in the southern foothills of Caves Hill, and according to Esperance Council Minutes was completed around early 1918 [Archives Office of Tasmania (AOT): AC678/1]. Meanwhile, on the northern side of Caves Hill, another tramway branch-line (the Adamson's Falls Spur) was being constructed to access timber from the Hobart Timber Company's forest leases on Caves Hill, for their "Strathblane Mill Number 2" (Kostoglou, 1994).
The discovery and initial exploration of the caves at Hastings has been romanticised in the vague and conflicting anecdotes of local residents and descendants of early timber workers from the township of Hastings (Skinner & Skinner, 1976?). The results of recent research by Arthur Clarke indicate that Newdegate Cave was probably discovered sometime late in December 1917 (Clarke, 1999b). Discovery of the cave(s) was first reported in four Tasmanian newspapers during mid-February, 1918; three of these newspapers carried exactly identical stories, describing a cave with a huge entrance opening a hundred feet wide and sixty to eighty feet high: resembling the dimensions of Wolf Hole. The fourth newspaper account gave a quite different story - describing the cave [Newdegate Cave] being found "by Albert Hudson and Percy Lockley, two bushmen employed by the Huon Timber Company, last Christmas" [1917] - Hudson and Lockley had fallen a tree near a cave with an entrance that measured eight feet by six feet (Daily Post, Feb. 14th, 1918). A similar account is detailed in a letter written by Frank W. James, (schoolmaster at Hastings School from February 1917 to December 1919), who relates Newdegate Cave being discovered late in 1917. James says "the log-hauler had been moved to a new station cutting giant trees at a point where a small gully extended northward (the general trend of tramway had been from E to W)" and the Hastings Mill bush manager (Fred Estcourt) "gave instructions for the felling of a fine stringy bark tree and cautioned the men that they were in difficult rocky country with limited escape." In his letter to the Tasmanian Tourist Bureau, Frank James describes the party of men in the bush at the time: "the axemen on the shoe were Barney [Albert] Hudson, and I think his brother Luby [Hudson], also Perc Lockley. Ernst [Joe] Ford, the head of the tramway team was present with the felling party."(AOT: AA494/61). Further detail of the discovery and beauty of this new cave and two other nearby caves (the "King George Cave" and "Beattie Cave") that were both discovered shortly afterwards, is contained in a report given to the Royal Society of Tasmania in April 1918 (Beattie, 1918) by the Tasmanian Government Photographer, John Watt Beattie.
In his letter to the Tasmanian Tourist Bureau, James states "that in the rush to get clear ... [of the falling tree]... the party made for a cavity which actually turned out to be the cave entrance, sloping steeply. Quite a large log [branch] followed the men into the cave with debris all round the entry. Next day the party took tools and lights and began exploring. A rough ladder was needed to extend to the back floor." (AOT: AA494/61). Prior to being reported in the newspapers, caves in this area were being visited in late 1917 and early 1918 by many local residents, as evidenced by the dated graffiti signatures (Clarke, 1999c). In a letter dated February 5th, 1918, the Secretary of Lands wrote to Crown Lands Bailiff at Hythe (now Southport) stating that "A large cave has been found on the Boar's Back about 7 miles along the tram from Hastings" and expressing concern that a "Picture Hall proprietor is going to take a party down shortly to visit the cave. The experience of this Department goes to prove that parties of this nature tear off the beautiful stalactites and destroy the cave. For the future will you please endeavour to give protection to this spot, and prevent removal of any substance from the cave." (AOT: AA577/8)
Following the February 13th and 14th (1918) newspaper reports of the cave discovery, Evelyn T. Emmett (Director of the Tasmanian Government Tourist and Information Bureau) and John W. Beattie (Tasmanian Government Photographer) both inspected and photographed the cave on Saturday, February 23rd, 1918 , accessing the site by "motor", then "horse train" (Daily Post; Mercury; Feb. 26th, 1918). E.T. Emmett delivered the first major public address regarding the new Hastings Caves discovery in an illustrated lecture on the "Caves of Tasmania" presented to the Annual General Meeting of the Royal Society of Tasmania on March 11th, 1918 (Pap. Proc. Roy. Soc. Tas., 1918, p.120). In a newspaper report the following day, Emmett is quoted as saying: "the new caves near Hastings were of particular interest ... there were millions of glowworms inside, and the stalactitic sights were quite as fine as the Northern caves. Unfortunately children had already done irreparable damage in a few minutes by smashing some of the finer stalactites with sticks." (Mercury, Mar. 12th 1918). Some of these first photographs of Newdegate Cave by Beattie were used in Emmett's lecture, then subsequently published in two Tasmanian newspapers (three days later): in the Launceston-based (Weekly Courier, March 14th, 1918) and the Hobart-based (Tasmanian Mail, March 14th, 1918).
In a letter, to the Scenery Preservation Board (dated February 25th, 1918), E.T. Emmett states that the cave "will prove a very valuable tourist asset" but adding that, it "is on 320 acres applied for by D.C. Inns through the Mines Department" [for a bauxite prospecting lease] and Emmett suggests that the area around the cave should be "proclaimed as a reserve, under the Scenery Preservation Act, embracing this cave and part of the limestone hill in which it is situated, since it is quite possible that there are other valuable caves in the vicinity." (AOT: AA577/6). A recent examination of the early Mines Department map charts, shows that the 320 acre EPC ("Extended Prospecting Claim") area for D.C. Inns which included Newdegate Cave and King George V Cave actually formed part of the 1,000 acre timber lease belonging to the Hobart Timber Company ("Kent 2" sheet for parish Garrett), which might explain why it was Inns who first publicised the presence of the caves and similarly, why the Huon Timber Company and staff were reluctant to announce their cave discovery!
In a letter written to John Beattie by David Inns of Southport, he provided information about another two caves found on "his" land describing them as "far excelling in scenic beauty the first discovered cave."(Beattie, 1918). Following receipt of this letter, Beattie undertook a further two-day trip to Hastings in March 1918 (with David Inns acting as cave guide) to photograph the "first found cave as well as these two new caves". Beattie states that he discovered that "names had already been bestowed upon the caves by Mr. Inns ... the largest cave he has named after his Majesty the King: 'The King George Cave' ... the old, or first discovered cave is named after his Excellency the Governor, 'The Newdegate Cave' "(Beattie, 1918) [in honour of the new Tasmanian Governor: Sir Francis Newdigate Newdegate]. In his short lecture on the "Caves of Hastings" to the Royal Society of Tasmania on April 15th, 1918, at a meeting presided by Governor Newdegate (Pap. Proc. Roy. Soc. Tas., 1918, pp120-121), John Beattie displayed his talents as a photographer, showing graphic illustrations of all three caves in a series lantern slides (Tasmanian Mail, April 18th, 1918). Beattie's handwritten notes and caption titles for his set of 36 lantern slides describe the third cave as "Small Cave (Beattie)" (from unpublished "Beattie Scrapbook" in Crowther Collection, State Library of Tasmania) and since the lecture, the cave has been known as Beattie Cave.
In some later newspaper reports, Fred Estcourt (the bush manager of Hastings Mill), is given credit for discovery of the caves, especially Newdegate Cave, and is reported as one of the first persons taking tour parties to the caves. In a recent interview with Charlie Plummer, a Dover resident who was born at Hythe (Southport) in 1909, he describes going with "Freddie Estcourt" on a visit to all three caves on the one day in mid-to-late 1919 (pers. comm., Charlie Plummer, 1999). Charlie says that Fred Estcourt took the credit because he was "boss" of the gang of men that found the cave.
Interestingly, despite the lack of factual or published documentation (circa late 1917), the 1918 report of cave discoveries by Beattie tends to match the chronological order of date inscriptions that accompany early signatures inscribed on formations in each of the caves (Clarke, 1999c). These three popularly visited caves at Hastings (Newdegate Cave, King George V Cave and Beattie Cave) have an abundance of speleograffiti drawn with pencil or carbon-black on the paler coloured, smooth faced speleothems. Although these three segment (day-month-year) dates are not necessarily a reliable indication of cave discovery, it is interesting to note that the earliest three segment date occurs in Newdegate Cave on 24-11-1917 and most of the 1917 and 1918 dates in this cave are located in the upper entrance 'foyer' above the present Spiral Staircase. In King George V Cave, where there are 151 recorded signatures, 61 of these are associated with 1918 dates and the earliest three segment date is 23-1-1918; most dated visitor names here, including "F. Estcourt", occur in the months of April (29 names) and May (24 names) in 1918 Clarke, 1999a). In Beattie Cave, the earliest signature date is March 30th, 1918. An anomalous signature located in the far lower reaches of Newdegate Cave, includes the inscription: "FOUND IN 1912 BY E.L. CHESTERMAN", but recent photographic analysis of this signature indicates it was inscribed with a blue ball-point biro-type pen.
Early calls for protection of the cave(s) and establishment of the Caves Reserve
Following the discovery of all three caves, there were immediate calls for protection of these sites including reservation of the land area and gating of the entrances. In his broadsheet and lecture manuscript, Beattie makes various references to the conservation values of Hastings Caves. Following his graphic description of "The King George Cave", Beattie says: "it is so dainty, so fragile, that one shudders at the intrusion of the rough element among such delicate surroundings. Drastic measures must be taken, and that immediately, to safeguard this and the other beauty spots of this wonderful cave series of the Hastings district" Beattie describes the access by the "sawmill trainway, and ... seven miles of tram" adding that "something will have to be done to make this valuable tourist asset ordinarily accessible to everybody ... the most pressing need now is the establishment of suitable measures for their protection." (Beattie, 1918).
The Esperance Municipality Council Minutes for 1918 describe their dialogue with the Government Tourist Bureau and the need for a "reserve area in area of newly discovered caves at Hastings" [from minutes of 13.4.1918] and subsequently from minutes of 11.5.1918, that there was "only 6 months timber cutting left at Hastings." (AOT: AC678/1). In subsequent correspondence from the Esperance Municipality Council Chambers (22.5.1918), Council requested "a report be made on the Hastings Caves with a view to having them sealed or otherwise protected from vandalism. It is stated that already there is evidence that the beauty spots are being seriously damaged." (AOT: AA577/6). At the June council meeting, it was suggested that the caves could be locked and the "key given to Mr. Innes, the owner of the property, who should be appointed caretaker at a small annual salary." (Huon Times, June 11th, 1918).
In correspondence to the Scenery Preservation Board from the Mines Department in Hobart (dated June 10th, 1918), they relate the circumstances of Mr. Inns "Extended Prospecting Claim" due to expire on August 18th, 1918. The letter from the Secretary of Mines states: "As these caves are likely to become a valuable state asset as an attraction to tourists in the future, I would suggest that they be located by survey and an area be reserved so that land may not be sold or leased for mining purposes, as was done in the case of the Ida Bay Caves." (AOT: AA577/6). The minutes of the Southern members of the Scenery Preservation Board (3.7.1918) describe the visit by four board members to the Hastings Caves [on April 9th, 1918] and the need to survey a sufficient area "to cover the caves ... as soon as the prospecting claim which now covers the caves expires next month, with a view to having the caves brought under the Scenery Preservation Act and the entrances protected." (AOT: AA264/1). A letter (dated 17.8.1918) to C. E. Radcliff (the District Surveyor) from the Scenery Preservation Board requests him to "survey an ample area say 100 acres or thbts [thereabouts] round the Hastings Caves" (AOT: AA577/6). The survey for an area of 131 acres was completed on March 23rd, 1919 and subsequently approved for reservation by the government as a "Caves Reserve", proclaimed on May 29th and gazetted on June 24th, 1919 [excluding the area of "Tramway Reserve"] (AOT: AA615).
Minutes of the Scenery Preservation Board (August 8th, 1919) indicate that the survey of the (Hastings) Caves Reserve cost £16.0.0. These same meeting minutes record that the Board will write to the Premier to make the recommendation that management of caves in Tasmania, including the Hastings Caves be placed under government control, with the further recommendation that Premier and government institute "a forward cave development policy" (AOT: AA264/1). This follows on from a letter (dated June 12th, 1918) when the Secretary of the Scenery Preservation Board wrote to J.W. Beattie requesting a set of photographs of the "Caves of Tasmania" to be supplied to the Board (AOT: AA577). In February, 1920, E.T. Emmett sent a letter to Esperance Council requesting that in order to protect the two newly discovered caves: King George Cave and Beattie Cave, these should be closed to the public; Council agreed to this request (World, Feb. 2nd, 1920). Late in 1920, the Tasmanian Government agreed to the earlier request from the Scenery Preservation Board placing management of caves "in the hands of the tourist branch of the Railway Department with an advisory board of Messrs. J. Beattie, E.A. Counsel and P.S. Seager under the Director: E.T. Emmett." (Daily Telegraph, Dec. 2nd, 1920).
The caves were being regularly visited by local Hastings and Southport residents while the Hastings Mill was working; this is evidenced by the names contained in graffiti signatures in all three tourist caves (Clarke, 1999c). Following the closure of the sawmill and the decline in population in the district, it was suggested that the need for protecting the cave entrances with gates may not be necessary, despite the urgings of the Esperance Council in this regard. In a letter to the Scenery Preservation Board from the Secretary of the Department of Public Works (dated August 14th, 1919), it states "now that the greater part of the population has left Hastings and the Sawmilling Company has taken up the tramline leading towards the caves this is going to make it difficult for people to get out to them, and under these conditions I do not think there is any necessity at present to take any action in protecting the entrance to caves." (AOT: AA577/6). However, following the subsequent requests by the Esperance Council including statements regarding the desecration of the caves [signature inscriptions and souvenir removal of speleothems], the council minutes for March 3rd, 1920 record that "Gates ... [are] ... to be placed at all 3 caves." (AOT: AC 678/4). Analysis of the dated signature inscriptions in these caves shows a significant gap from 1922-1928 for both Newdegate Cave and King George V Cave and an even longer hiatus of 1922-1933 for Beattie Cave (Clarke, 1999c).
The road track to Hastings Caves and development for tourism (1918-1974)
The Huon Times reports on discussions of the May (1918) meeting of the Esperance council, stating that the caves could be accessed more directly if a road was constructed from Anderson's Road near Southport, stating that "a route, such as ... proposed would save at least nine miles", compared to travel via Strathblane, then onto the present tramway route (Huon Times, May 14th, 1918). In a subsequent article it states "that is hoped that the Government will be induced to make a traffickable road as soon as possible" (Huon Times, May 17th 1918). Almost a year later, the Esperance Council minutes for 8.3.1919 describe the local unemployment situation resulting from the closure of the Hastings Mill and because of the [first World] War. These council minutes state that this unemployment could be alleviated by the construction of a road to Hastings Caves and Adamsons Peak (AOT: AC 678/3).
The consideration for a 'track' to the caves was raised again, six years later by the Scenery Preservation Board itself, in early February, 1925 - following receipt of correspondence from "Messrs. Estcourt and Asquith", plus a similar letter from J.W. Beattie. The Department of Public Works reply stated that they would not be "prepared to recommend any expenditure in opening up the track to Hastings Caves, owing to the heavy expenditure that would be necessary in opening up a new track ... as all the bridges on the old tram line are practically washed out, and what is remaining of the old trussell-work on the line is not safe for traffic" (AOT: AA577/6). In November 1927, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works visited the area with a view to considering the route options for a road to Hastings Caves. Three options were suggested: firstly, direct to the caves from the (old) Dover to Catamaran Road (via Strathblane); secondly, a road from Hastings township, connecting back to Southport, or the third option, a shorter 1 mile track from the end of the present Strathblane tramway which terminated on the northern side of Caves Hill (Mercury, November 1st, 1927). A figure of £1800 was set as an estimated cost per mile of road construction and it was suggested that if lands could be opened up as rate earning properties for settlement, grazing, orchards or dairying, this could offset any road upkeep costs. This view was opposed by the Conservator of Forests who stated that some 23,000 acres of land around the Caves Reserve was presently State Forest and "came within the provisions of the Paper Pulp Act" and that "land in the South was intended by Nature for forests, and it would support a bigger population used for timber than for agriculture." (Mercury, November 19th, 1927).
Archive records of correspondence from various government sections and the Esperance Council (circa 1928-1933) indicate that, despite the fact the cave entrances had been previously gated with wooden barriers and there was still no formal track or road access, all three main tourist caves on Caves Hill were still being regularly visited. There are 12 signatures with 1929 dates in King George V Cave, including "F.G. Pitt" and seven others in the "Lenna" party, dated "27-2-29"; elsewhere near this list of signatures, Pitt has signed his(?) name as "F.G. Pitt - KCMG" (Clarke, 1999c). During recent conversation with Eve Masterman, a nonagenarian, she relates a family bush-walking excursion in the early 1930s with her sister and brothers from Hobart in a "T-model Ford" down the old Dover to Catamaran road, firstly to climb Mt. La Perouse, then a visit to Newdegate Cave. She recalls the long walk along the remains of the overgrown tramway, crossing flooded creeks with washed out bridges, then up from the end of the tramline along a narrow rough track to the cave entrance. After nearly seventy years, she still has a guilty conscience - because they removed some boards from the entrance barrier to get inside; she recollects that most of the boards were quite loose and not attached by any nails! They explored the entrance chamber with hand-held candles, being very careful not to break anything, then gingerly slid down some rough poles to the big chamber down below, where they all went off exploring in different directions. Some years later, her sister (Nan) went on to write the children's novel: "They Found A Cave" (pers. comm., Eve Masterman, 1999).
In the late 1920s, early 1930s, there are numerous reports of local residents acting as cave tour guides: including Fred Estcourt and Amos Wolfe; the latter being accredited as the discoverer of Wolf Hole. On September 20th, 1933, the Esperance Council minutes record the need for a permanent tourist guide to be appointed for the caves at Hastings. The Council subsequently sent a letter to the Tourist Bureau requesting that the caves be opened for public inspection and placed under the charge of the Esperance Council. This was agreed to and Council took over the caves a few months later and immediately appointed two guides: George Aird of Hastings and Henric ("Eck") Brown of Dover (AOT: AC678/5). Numerous anecdotal stories from local residents relate to "Eck" or "Donkey" Brown, who ran a trucking business in Dover, and laid out bench seats (fore and aft) tied down to the sides of his truck in order to take people to dances as well as excursionists to the caves. A range of lighting devices were used for guided tours by the Council guides in Newdegate Cave: candles, kerosene lanterns, carbide lanterns (removed from bicycles) and sometimes dynamo driven or battery operated torches. Councillor H. W. Brown is depicted in a photograph as the "present cave guide to Hastings Caves" standing in front of the boarded entrance to Newdegate Cave(Mercury, Sept. 2nd, 1938).
Cave tourists were also taken to King George V Cave and Beattie Cave, which had both been partially developed for tourism with fixed wooden entrance ladders and handrails, but in the case of Beattie Cave, it has been stated that, when it was being used as a tourist site "enlarging of the entrance about this time expedited the deadening" of the cave (Elliott, 1970). In Beattie Cave, there were also excavated stairs with manfern trunks embedded as stair treads. Both caves had well formed tracks leading to them. A former tramway spur line contoured along the southern flanks of Caves Hill to within a few metres of King George V Cave and the eight to ten foot wide (tramway width) track to Beattie Cave had been partially excavated across the forest floor and benched into the hillside slope leading up to the entrance. [The Beattie Cave track is still quite obvious, leaving the Caves Road at a point close to one of the few remaining giant stringy-barks, which was being prepared for felling: it still shows the wide yawning 'front' which had been chopped out by the tree-felling bushmen.] Esperance Council had anticipated that both these caves would also eventually be accessed by road and Council minutes indicate that from December 1935 till September 1938, they kept up a dialogue with the State Government to have all three caves at Hastings opened for tourism (AOT:AC678/5-6). Council was also requesting an extension of the State hydroelectricity scheme to this southern region, so that "all three caves: the King George, Beattie and Newdegate caves could thus be illuminated." (Mercury, Sept. 2nd, 1938).
The increased popularity of the caves as tourist visitor attractions did not go unnoticed. When Albert Ogilvie took office as Premier of Tasmania in 1934, he gave instructions for the caves to be opened up and pledged the sum of £15,000, the bulk of which was to be provided for construction of the Caves Road by the Public Works Department (PWD). From this amount, £1,000 was to be spent for lighting one of the three caves and £300 for construction of a 40 feet x 16 feet bathing pool at the thermal springs (Mercury, June 29th, 1938).
After completion of the Pinnacle Road to Mount Wellington, the Government authorised commencement of the road construction to Hastings Caves via the thermal springs in January, 1935, as an "unemployment relief" project, initially employing about 16-18 men (pers. comm., Handy Jager, 1999). Within a month, the PWD supervisor/overseer of road-works (J.C. Dwyer) was making reports "of good progress on new road Hastings Caves, via the Hot Springs." (Mercury, Feb. 20th, 1935). Esperance Council minutes indicate that late in 1935, another 20 men were engaged after the closure of the Catamaran Colliery, and in Minutes of 18-12-1935: "a further 42 men required in the new year." (AOT: AC678/5).
Handy Jager (from Raminea) was one of the men who worked on the road construction, starting early in 1936, soon after the closure of the Jager family 'Mystery Creek' mill, just north of the Ida Bay railway near Blayneys Quarry. Handy says that the road-making work force was divided into three groups at different campsites: the last group (where Handy worked) doing the actual road forming itself. In the road forming gang, each man was given a personal issue of a pick, mattock and spade and shared two or three wheelbarrows, carting bedding dirt and gravel from the one lorry truck that was initially deployed. Handy's brother (Henry "Bill" Jager) was the only person killed during the roadworks, suffering a broken spine during tree clearing operations at a new basalt road metal quarry site. Handy Jager also describes some of the tough weather conditions: the winter of 1937 was extremely wet, with men working calf to knee-deep in mud and some men were 'laid off' after making a demand for issue of gumboots; the following winter of 1938 there were 32 frosts in a row, freezing the road top which allowed trucks to drive over without breaking the road surface. The new road was roughly six miles long and took four years to construct; it roughly followed the old logging tramway near the eastern end, and then again near the present Caves Chalet, the along the way to Chestermans Road and in the final mile or so to the present car park, it followed the exact route of the former tramway (pers. comm., Handy Jager, 1999).
Although exact records are scanty, it appears that the actual development of Newdegate Cave as a tourist cave commenced sometime late in 1937 or early 1938, when men from road working gangs under Jim Dwyer's supervision were seconded to the cave development, while still on the payroll with the PWD (pers. comm., Handy Jager, 1999). In 1938, Councillor H.W. Brown was still taking tourists into the cave and over 300 visitors reportedly signed the visitors' book at the cave entrance between February 14th 1938 and August that year, shortly before Council tours stopped (Mercury, Sept. 2nd, 1938). After spending several weeks forming the track to the cave entrance which was "muddy with topsoil and rotting vegetation" then up through "scrub, ferns and dogwoods", Handy Jager recollects that one of his first jobs inside the cave was the construction of first access ladder to replace the "two or three large bush poles and hand-line poles, plus small pieces jammed into cracks in the rock as foot holds/ hand hold". For construction of the first ladder "down the cave bank on the far left hand side", Handy states: "thirty foot long spars were man-handled from the bush outside the cave ... I had to be a trapeze artist to hammer the split spar rungs on inside the cave ... we mainly used candles and kerosene lanterns, but sometimes lit spools of magnesium ribbon ... they burnt at a foot a minute ... maybe burning several feet at a time, but sometimes the whole 100 foot reel at once." Handy says there were three ladders used to access the bottom, prior to the construction of the concrete Spiral Staircase: "the second ladder was made of sawn timber which came from the Lune Mill and was positioned slightly to the right of the first spar pole ladder; the third ladder was a steel one in almost the same place as the second ladder and was held in place by steel spikes ... later on we were using carbide lights as well as kero lights." (pers. comm., Handy Jager, 1999).
Correspondence records of the Tasmania Government Tourist and Immigration Department indicate that the first 110 volt DC power plant: a five kilowatt Generator, directly coupled to a 10 horsepower diesel engine was shipped to Hobart on July 15th, 1938 by George Kelly and Lewis P/L in Melbourne on board the S.S. Lanena (AOT: 494/58). It was proposed that a log cabin structure with a shingle roof would be built to house the power plant, just past the start of the access track to the cave on the left hand side. (This shed was eventually built with a corrugated iron roof and causing some furor at the time; the foundations for this site are still seen today.) Because of the moist atmosphere in the cave, it was decided that the wiring for the cave lighting would be sheathed in rubber and encased in lead tubings. The £1,000 that was budgeted for illumination inside the cave was also to include the cost of other associated construction works including paths and stairway 'bridges' in the cave.
Preliminary work on the thermal pool area commenced early in 1937 and in July that year, Esperance Council made a request to the Minister for Tourism for the site to be protected by a Reserve (AOT: AC678/6). In late September 1938, E.T. Emmett recommended the construction of "a caretaker's cottage and tearooms to serve the Hastings Caves and Warm Spring". This was agreed to, and although originally built as the "Caretaker's Cottage" for the first caretaker and caves guide (Bevan Donnelly), it still stands today as the Hastings Caves Chalet. [A little over an acre of land was reserved around the Chalet and gazetted on November 7th, 1941, at the same time as an area of 19 acres around Hot Springs Creek and the thermal springs was gazetted as a Reserve, nearly two years after Newdegate Cave was opened for tourists (AOT: AA615).]
In August, 1938, the Assistant Engineer (Bevan Donnelly) was seconded from work as the supervisor at the thermal pool site to make recommendations regarding bridge work required inside Newdegate Cave and was subsequently employed as the person responsible for most of the engineering works in the cave. At the sites were the two "bridges" were required: at the entrance slope "of approximately 30°" and at "the second consisting of a sheer drop of 25 feet approximately from the path to the main body of the cave", Donnelly recommended (on August 22nd, 1938) the construction of two wooden stairways, using "either green hardwood or seasoned timber". He suggested that the second site should be "a descent in three stages of stairs ... keeping the stairway close to the rock face and ... convenient landings for sightseers" (AOT: 494/58). On October 29th, Bevan Donnelly applied for the position of cave guide and caretaker; he was one of six applicants and eventually was selected as the first caves guide after continuing in his role as the 'Bridge Engineer' in charge of major construction works in the cave.
Most of the materials for cave development works including log bearers, timbers and green hardwood boxing for concrete works was carted to the entrance by horses or manpower (Skinner & Skinner, 1976?); much of this original timber appears to have been left in the cave. In November 1938, there were six men employed in construction works, in addition to the contractors. Tourist Bureau correspondence indicates that in mid-November, 1938, when the electrician ("Mr. D. Lowry from Jenolan Caves") had completed the "installation of a portion of the lighting", it was decided following the advice of other cave experts from Jenolan Caves that the staircases should be constructed with concrete. The Premier (Olgivie) authorised an additional £300 in funds, though the final estimates on November 11th, with galvanised iron pipe railings and cyclone mesh wire guards; totaled a sum of £385 (AOT: 494/58). The Spiral Staircase was reportedly designed by Alan Knight, when draftsman for the HEC; (he later became the HEC 'boss') (pers. comm, Roy Skinner, 1999).
In early December, during construction of the Spiral Staircase, the Government Architect discussed a proposal with Bevan Donnelly regarding the construction of a "design for the entrance to the Newdegate Cave and which has the approval of the Hon. The Premier. The canopy over the entrance is in the form of a huge mushroom the stem of which rests on the low rock formation at the left hand side of the entrance." A log cabin structure with bark roof was built instead. One of the last stages of cave development in mid-December, 1938 is detailed in a letter from the PWD to the Director of the Tourist Bureau in regard to "two small bridges or ramps to be erected in Cathedral Chamber" which were constructed as timber stairways (AOT: 494/58). Roy Skinner suggests that a section of flowstone that had been partially cut through may represent the first original site for these "back-end" stairs or the result of a mistake by early developers due to poor lighting at the time. The cast iron entrance gates that were erected at the entrance were the original entrance gates to St Davids Park Cemetery in Hobart and were donated to the Scenery Preservation Board and cave by the Royal Society of Tasmania (pers. comm., Roy Skinner, 1999).
The original proposal was for the cave to be opened to the public in mid-December, 1938, but this was changed to coincide with an amended opening date for the Royal Hobart Hospital on January 18th, 1939. Newdegate Cave was opened the following day on Thursday, January 19th, 1939 by the Premier Angus Oglivie in a ceremony that took place beside the new thermal pool in the company of a large contingent of dignitaries, including interstate guests, plus government and council officials and many other community leaders (Mercury, Jan. 20th, 1939). In a letter to the Premier from the Director of the Tourist Bureau, he states that in the three days following the opening ceremony, there were 404 visitors to the cave and adds that "guide Donnelly ... [was] ... assisted by Lowry and Brown" (AOT: 494/58). In the five weeks since the opening of the cave, 2,928 persons had visited the cave, including 411 people on one day: Sunday, February 12th, 1939 (Mercury, Feb 24th, 1939). Subsequently, it was reported by the Premier of Tasmania, that within the first 3 months of opening, Newdegate Cave had nearly 7,000 visitors (6,002 adults and 615 children) passing through the turnstiles (Mercury, May 19th, 1939).
Roy Skinner states that shortly after the cave was opened for tourists, sawdust and silica were brought into the cave for use on wooden staircases, which became slippery and slimy when wet. There were separate sawdust and silica heaps for use as required. Some sawdust was also used to soak up mud on the clay-dirt paths and in addition, ground silica was brought in to give added traction to both the clay pathways and subsequently the concrete stairs that became greasy due to mud and clay of visitors footwear. Whenever this deteriorated in appearance, the stairs were washed down with high-pressure hoses to clean off excess silica or dis-coloured sawdust.
Handy Jager recollects that late in 1938 and early 1939, even after the power plant was installed, the main lighting was by means of "carbide lights (taken off our pushbikes), kero lights and torches (with 3 or 4 or 5 batteries). Workmen were still using candles when the cave was opened because the electricity plant was not very reliable due to problems of motors, globes blowing and lots of shorting out in wiring ... the guides always carried candles and torches and kept spare candles in a tin box". Stuart Nicholas, a life member of the former Tasmanian Caverneering Club (TCC), relates that when his father was working for Headbergs (which became Nettlefolds) in Hobart, who were agents for Kelly and Lewis motors, his father used to frequently get 'call-outs' in the late 1930s-early 1940s to ride south on his motor bike to attend to repairs to the diesel engine, often late at night.
As the first formed caving club in Australia (in September, 1946), the Tasmanian Caverneering Club (TCC) was actively involved with Newdegate Cave, following a request to foundation president (Dr. Sam Carey) from the Director of the Government Tourist Bureau on October 10th, 1946 (TCC Archives). TCC members began a survey of the "illuminated section" and additional sections following extensive exploration with a view to investigating the possibility of further development for tourists. In late December 1946, TCC found the "Christmas Cave" extension where "straw stalactites over fifteen feet long occur." (Elliott, 1970). In March 1947, when the water flow in Mystery Creek dried out, TCC members dug through the sump and "got through downstream to extensive caves which were named after the Governor, Sir Hugh Binney. Shortly after their discovery, these caves were sealed by water and the Club started digging a tunnel to provide an all weather passage ... [and] ... search for another surface entrance into Newdegate in 1947 ... Erebus chasm entrance located ... explored in 1948 down 275 feet, but no connection to Newdegate." (Iredale, 1953). A foundation member of TCC, recollects the "gruelling slog, weekend after weekend" in excavating the 110 feet long tunnel, taking three-and-a-half years to complete, then in September 1950, assisting TCC patron (Governor Sir Hugh Binney) through the tunnel and into Binney Chamber (pers. comm., Dr. Max Banks, 1999).
In the early 1950s, there were sporadic explorations in Newdegate Cave as well as other parts of the Hastings karst. TCC members believed there was the possibility of locating another highly decorated section in Newdegate Cave which they hoped to be able to name as the Cornelius Chamber in honour of the present guide: Harry Cornelius, who had worked at the cave since 1940 (TCC Archives). Roy Skinner took over as the Hastings Caves Superintendent from Cornelius in 1954 and continued to encourage cavers in their exploration activity. Following further exploration of Mystery Creek, and the discovery of the complex maze named Hells Half Acre a few years later, TCC members made a three-day expedition into this part of the cave on the March Long Weekend in 1957. As a precaution against possible dramas due to unexpected rain and flooding, TCC members took telephones and cable lines as well as their camping equipment including firewood for the three day expedition; the drum of cable wire and their campsite charcoals are still evident today.
Roy Skinner relates some of the other changes in cave development. Concern was expressed regarding the muddy track to the cave, so manfern logs were placed to form a pathway; these were often covered in sawdust to soak up excess moisture in the boggy parts of the track. In 1963, the original wooden staircase into the Cathedral and up the Palm Grove to Titania's Palace were replaced with concrete stairs (Skinner & Skinner, 1976?), after being condemned as unsafe by the PWD. The original wooden stairs were used as 'temporary' support and boxing for the concrete stairs; it took three months to complete both stairways. Materials were brought up to the cave entrance by tractor or wheelbarrow and initially a flying fox was used to ferry concrete from the entrance out to the back of the cave, then subsequently a petrol driven cement mixer was carried in pieces and re-assembled in the cave. The concrete was carried by hand in buckets or wheelbarrows to the respective sites, including some of the 'potholes' in the clay floor path built up to create a more even level walking surface; manfern logs were previously used to fill some low spots (pers. comm., Roy Skinner, 1999). Clay and rubble were also used to consolidate part of the bank on the RHS above the creek.
In regard to the power plant, the original Kelly and Lewis engine and generator was destroyed in a fire that burnt down the log cabin. This was replaced with a Petterd diesel system in another log cabin, but as Tourist Bureau records indicate that late in 1966, through to April and May 1967, the cave was often closed for up to a week at a time due various malfunctions in either the power plant or wiring system in the cave (AOT: AA494). Roy Skinner states that the cave was re-wired completely, twice during his twenty-year time as Caves Superintendent, firstly with PVC in early 1960s. In turn, the Petterd was replaced with two Lister engines, still running on 110V, but now installed in the 'new' A-frame power plant at the car park.
Prior to cave management being transferred to the Tasmanian National Parks and Wildlife Service in 1973, it has been stated that during the time of management by the Tourist Bureau, the cave had just been a 'milking cow' with proceeds going direct into government coffers, or being used to support losses incurred elsewhere, including the thermal pool. Despite the fact that Newdegate Cave had received so many accolades in regard to its speleothems (dating back to 1918) and could quite easily be described as the most highly decorated dolomite cave in Australia, the Tourist Bureau had not been interested in speleothem protection or cave conservation values, being simply intent in the cave as a revenue base. Similarly, there had never been any interest in cave fauna till speleologists came to the caves (pers. comm., Roy Skinner, 1999).
The cave rehabilitation, fauna habitats, invertebrates and mammal species
During the period (1954-1974), while Roy Skinner was Caves Superintendent for Newdegate Cave, he states that there were less than ten invertebrate species known from the whole Hastings Caves karst area. In their "Hastings Caves Visitors Guide", Skinner and Skinner describe nine invertebrate species and the skeletal remains of a Potoroo (Skinner & Skinner, 1976?). These cave fauna species were seen as being largely incidental to the cave, which had been developed for cave visitors over six decades, as a money-making operation for the State government.
Past managers probably acted with the best intentions, but as Roy Skinner stated there was never any concern or emphasis on conservation values, only just the bare essentials of maintenance including washing down stairs and disposing of discarded materials, usually somewhere out of sight and out of mind. Along with the realisation that some of the past management practices had not been in the best long term interests of Newdegate Cave, the need to rehabilitate the cave reflected the change in thinking over the last decade or two, particularly in relation to cave geomorphology, hydrology and cave biology including ecosystems.
The removal of discarded cave development materials constituted the majority of early rehabilitation efforts in Newdegate Cave. The bulk of the material initially being removed from the cave included the rotting remains of the old ladder spar poles and wooden ladder components, the original staircase timbers and their log supports, plus the timber flats used for the concrete boxing that had all been dumped in various parts of the cave and in the streamway. In addition to the timbers, there were the metal, glass and plastics from discarded containers, old wiring, light globes, flash bulbs, torch batteries, pipes, plus the bric-a-brac and paraphernalia including coins, that had been discarded by several generations of cave tourists. Additional work required included the removal of more timber and manfern logs, washing of sawdust caked flowstone and other speleothems, removal of rotting sawdust dumps, plus the silica rock, clay deposits and lumps of concrete that had been placed on delicate cave floor surfaces. Associated with this was the need to survey and monitor those parts of the cave affected by sediment accumulations, lampenflora deposits, lint and hair, then determine the appropriate strategy to deal with these 'foreign bodies'.
During the course of removal of timber, rotten wood, other discarded material and 'accumulated rubbish' from the site (Sutherland, 1999), it became apparent that numerous cave species were also being inadvertently evicted from Newdegate Cave. Although there is relatively little natural input of organic matter into the cave today (like many other tourist caves with enclosed or gated entrances), the absence of organic input has been inadvertently replicated by the presence of the introduced wood and timbers - remnants of the former wooden staircases, supports and handrail structures that were brought into the cave when it was first developed for tourism during the late 1930s. Some of the species in Newdegate Cave are surface dwelling species that have probably evolved in the cave over many generations since their ancestors were introduced into the cave with the forest logs and timbers in the late 1930s and with the workmen who developed the cave. Despite a loss of natural habitat in an artificial environment of concrete stairs and pathways, these abandoned staircase timbers, supports and other wood brought into the cave have helped maintain a cave ecosystem providing a food source and a habitat shelter for some 40-50 invertebrate species.
Typically included amongst diverse range of species in the moist rotting timbers of Newdegate Cave there were terrestrial flatworms, oligochaet worms, isopods, millipedes, symphylans, springtails, beetles, hemipteran bugs, insect larvae (including glowworms), small flies, moths, a cockroach, mites, harvestmen and spiders (Clarke, 1999b). It was quite surprising to find many small invertebrate species, particularly spiders, harvestmen and beetles, had taken up residence in some less moist, more unusual habitat niches: in the bayonet bases of broken light globes, in rusted tins and inside pipe conduit. Cave biologists would describe most of these species as epigean (surface dwelling) species, but there were at least a dozen hypogean (subterranean dwelling) species including troglobitic obligates. In the streamway there was also a surprising number of species including the hydrobiids (aquatic snails) and aquatic flatworms attached to wood fragments and pipes, along with aquatic (crangonyctoid) amphipods, anaspidacean syncarids and horse-hair worms. Most of the obligate species (terrestrial and aquatic) are endemic to Newdegate Cave or this Hastings karst area (Clarke, 1999b).
With the knowledge of this species diversity, and the presence of many unidentified as well as new undescribed species (Sutherland, 1999), it became obvious that the future rehabilitation efforts had to be selectively modified to maintain the cave ecosystem and its diversity and avoid unnecessary disturbance or removal of invertebrate species. It was necessary to work in conjunction with, and ahead of the rehabilitation team to determine the sites that represented important habitats for invertebrate species in the cave. Following an appraisal of the remaining sites with accumulations of discarded timbers, including the still exposed boxing beside some of the concrete stairs, a number of sites in Newdegate Cave were earmarked to be left intact; fortunately, most of these were located away from the obvious gaze of the cave tourist's eyes! During Arthur Clarke's investigations of the invertebrate habitats, Roger Griffiths and Peter Price commenced rehabilitation work to remove a covering of clay and exotic silica deposits from cave coral, flowstone, gours and calcified mud platelets beside the entrance pathway, but this in turn revealed another important biological site (Clarke, 1999a).
Under the layers of mud and silica that had been previously placed over cave floor speleothems (presumably to raise the side passage floors up to the pathway level), there was an abundance of skeletal remains of small mammal species, many of them partially crushed or fractured. An analysis of these bone pieces indicated the presence of eight native species and one introduced species, comprising five rodents, two pygmy possums and two Antechinus; the deposit appears to represent the scattered remains of a presumed owl pellet accumulation (Clarke, 1999a). Recent historical studies indicate that this part of the cave was an thoroughfare for early cave visitors, during the twenty years or so prior to the cave's development for tourism, thus accounting for the breakage and crushing of many bone pieces. Bone deposit sites in caves are often very valuable and important, because they can reveal present and past occurrence records and distribution patterns for mammal species in the surrounding region; these indicate the present of two species not known from this area today: Broad Toothed Rat and New Holland Mouse (Clarke, 1999a; 1999b).
Acknowledgments:
I am indebted to Dorothy Baker (from Grove) for the copy of her newspaper article about the discovery of the 'Hot Springs' and to the anecdotal information supplied by Handy Jager of Raminea, Roy Skinner and Terry Donnelley (both from Dover). I am also indebted to the assistance given by Max Banks - Honourary Secretary of the Royal Society of Tasmania and the similar assistance given by staff at the Morris Miller Library at University of Tasmania (where the Royal Society library and archives are housed) and to staff both in the Tasmaniana Library of State Library of Tasmania and the Archives Office of Tasmania (AOT).
References:
Beattie, J.W.,(1918) The Caves of Hastings - Fresh Discoveries. Their Exceeding Beauty. Great Hall of Dazzling Splendour. Unpublished (undated) broadsheet in archival collection of Royal Society of Tasmania, University of Tasmania.
Clarke, A., (1999a) Owl pellet remains in Newdegate Cave (H-X7), southern Tasmania. Paper presented to 21st ASF Conference, Rockhampton, January 1999. 12pp.
Clarke, A., (1999b) Cave Fauna Interpretation: Hastings (Newdegate) Cave. Unpublished draft; (16-iv-1999); 7pp.
Clarke, A., (1999c) An analysis of the early speleograffiti in three caves at Hastings, in southern Tasmania. Australasian Cave & Karst Management Association, Journal No. 35 (June, 1999): pp. 33-37.
Elliott, D., (1970) Tasmanian caving areas: caves of the Hastings district. Southern Caver, Vol. 2(4): 3-7.
Iredale, K.S., (1953)The First Six Years. In Elliott, D.M. (Ed.) Tasmanian Caverneering Club - Handbook, pp. 4-8.
Kostoglou, P., (1994) Archaeology of the Tasmanian Timber Industry - Report Number 5: Historic timber-getting between Hastings and Dover. Unpublished report to the Forestry Commission, Tasmania. 190pp.
Row, M., (1980), The Huon Timber Company and the Crown: A Tale of Resource Development. Pap. Proc. Tas. Historical Research Association, Vol. 27(3) September 1980: pp. 87-102.
Skinner, R.K. & Skinner, A.D., (1976?) Hastings Caves State Reserve Tasmania: A Visitors Guide. 16pp.
Stephens, T., (1879) Notes of a visit to the 'Hot Spring', near Southport, in 1877. Pap. Proc. Roy. Soc. Tas. 1878, [published 1879], pp. 63-64.
Sutherland, L., (1999) Cleanup opens Pandora's box of creatures: Unidentified cave beasties. Sunday Tasmanian, April 4th 1999, p. 10.