The Shaft

04/18/08

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 The Shaft is a CDAA rated sinkhole site near Allendale.  The hole appeared in the middle of a paddock about 100 years ago.  The landholder tried to fill the hole with stone from the paddock but was unsuccessful! 

The shaft was the site of Australia's worst cave diving accident in May 1973 when four divers died after running out of air presumably due to disorientation from nitrogen narcosis. 

The site has a small (maybe 1m diameter by 3m long) entrance through the limestone with an 8m drop into a lake of about 15m diameter. 36m or so below the lake is the rock pile where the landowner had tried to fill the hole in.  The underwater size of the Shaft is enourmous and despite the crystal clear water torch beams vanish into the blackness.  Photography in the Shaft is very difficult due to the sheer size of the cave.

 

The tripod positioned over the hole

AB is lowered into the hole

The rock pile at 36m

AB models a DiveOz beanie on sawtooth rock

Me at Sawtooth rock wearing a DiveOz beanie (photo courtesy Andrew Bowie)

Self portrait with the entry hole in the distance

AB climbing the ladder from the lake

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This site was last updated 12/17/04