Undara Tubes
| QUICK STATISTICS |
| |
| Latitude: | 146°35E |
| Longitude: | 25°48S |
| Date settled: | 1900 |
| Population: | ?? |
| Dist to Cairns: | 300k |
| Dist to Brisbane: | 1,830k |
| Air: | No |
| Train: | No |
| Bus: | Yes |
| Hostel: | No |
| Hotel: | Yes |
This photo was taken standing on the floor of one of the Undara Tubes, looking out into a section
where the roof has fallen down and lush vegetation has established itself where the light has
penetrated the darkness of thousands of years.
The word "Undara" is of aboriginal orign and means "a long way" - presumably referring to the length
of the tubes.
About 190,000 years ago a major crater in the McBride volcanic Province erupted, and the tubes
at Undara were formed as a result of the lava flow following a river, presumably as the path
of least resistance.
The water in the river rapidly cooled the outer layer of molten lava thus creating tubes, while the
inner material which remained molten was able to flow away leaving a complex of tunnels.
Some of the tubes are small, but most are easily large enough to accomodate a group of people
walking normally.
There are two main branches to the lava tubes at Undara - one runs for about 15 kilometers and the
other goes a bit further.
Over time in places where the tube roof was too thin there have been collapses, creating fertile
pockets of forest where plants, animals and insects thrive in this environment so different to
the surrounding landscape.
The lava tubes can only be visited as part of a guided tour, partly because access into the tubes
themselves is not regarded as completely safe.
There is possibility of rock falls as well as concern about the quality of the air in longer sections
of the tubes, so the authorities limit access to sections that are known to be safe.
Near the lava tubes is a unique resort with accommodation based on restored railway carriages arranged
in the bushland setting.
Recommendation
For anyone who has enjoyed the Jules Verne book "Journey to the Center of the Earth", the Undara Tubes would
have to be a 'must see'. There are very few places in the world where you can walk about in horizontal lava
tubes of an extinct volcano, and this is the one most like Verne's book.
