Note: Some MSS trips have limited numbers where priority is given to their members, please contact the trip leader to register your interest.
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25th-27th January- Timor Caves Australia Day long weekend
Lake Cave exploration with divers and visiting other caves around the place. Surveying of BBQ Pitch Cave. Contact: Daniel Burt <daniel@danielburtphotos.com>
1st/2nd February- Gloucester Caves Dive Trip
Survey trip to survey of the GL1 extension, involves a 7m roof sniff (not for the light hearted!). Camping at the Gloucester Holiday Park. Contact: Tam Durney Tambalyn.durney@gmail.com
29th/30th March- Nundle
Gold panning! Basic Camping. Contact: Brian Reeves: 0402 099329 or kanga941@gmail.com and for the trip book Daniel Burt <daniel@danielburtphotos.com>
12th/13th April- Timor Caves with SSS
Hosting our friends at the Sydney Speleological Society, photo-tagging and documentation. Staying at the hut for a small cost and camping on private property close to the project area. Contact: Jodie Rutledge jodie@rutco.com.au
18th- 21st April (Easter): Glenrock Caves
You can expect small vertical caves mostly, but lots of opportunity to find new caves and we do find the occasional big one! Do some limestone mapping, fungi tests and check out the South East caves that haven’t been visited for a while. Basic bush camping, 1.5hrs north of Aberdeen. Contact: Brian Reeves: 0402 099329 or kanga941@gmail.com and for the trip book Daniel Burt <daniel@danielburtphotos.com>
25th-27th April- Timor Caves Anzac Long Weekend
Staying at the hut for a small nightly fee. Easy caving and time around the combustion fireplace! Contact: Daniel Burt daniel@danielburtphotos.com
Saturday 3rd May: Orange Speleological Society 70th Anniversary Lunch
Come help celebrate! All club reps and fellow cavers are invited to join in the celebration.
10th-11th May- Gloucester Caves Dive Trip
Continue the push of the recently dive extension in GL1 extension. Involves a 7m roof sniff (not for the light hearted!).
Saturday Morning: Meet in Gloucester at 8:30am for coffee and pie at Batter & Dough bakery https://maps.app.goo.gl/okADQUY7LaoyFwCV6
– Head to cave location > https://maps.app.goo.gl/BMwe5uM8mGfAmpjo9
– Have a brief and discuss the dive plan further
– Begin transporting gear (estimated time ~15 min to first sump)
– Pass through sump with everyone who is comfortable (~20min)
– Transport gear to second sump (~10min)
– Diver 1 (Tam) and possible Diver 2 (Daniel Butler) complete a dive (approx 1.5 hours each) then report findings.
– In this time cavers can explore the new dry section. There is plenty to see in that time and great photos to be taken.
Once dives are complete we can start heading out of the cave, pack up and debrief.
We’ll be camping at Gloucester Holiday Park- book yourself in.
Sunday is essentially a repeat of Saturday.
- Packup and head to the cave around 8am,
- Transport in fresh cylinders for day 2 of diving
- Complete roof sniff with those willing too.
- Diver 1 and 2 complete dives consecutively.
- Collect gear and head out.
- Debrief then head home.
Contact: Tam Durney Tambalyn.durney@gmail.com
5th-7th July- Timor Caves – Joint trip with Sydney Speleological Society
Photo-tagging and documentation trip. Some easy caving on the side. Staying at the old hut $10 per person per night plus $3 trip fee. Most arriving late Friday night. Contact: Jodie Rutledge jodie@rutco.com.au
12th July (Saturday)- Gloucester Caves Dive Trip
Survey of the new dive extension in GL1 extension. Involves a 7m roof sniff. Meet in Gloucester at 8:30am. Contact Tam Durney for details: Tambalyn.durney@gmail.com
14th July- Tuglow Caves (limited to 8 participants)
Vertical caving, must have good fitness and be SRT proficient. 70m of decent, and multiple rebelays. Contact: Andrew Baker Andrew.Baker@environment.nsw.gov.au
2nd-3rd August- Timor Caves – Joint trip with Metropolitan Speleological Society
Caving beginners trip, no vertical gear required. Staying at the hut for a small cost of $10 pppn plus trip fee. Contact: roderick__smith@hotmail.com
30th-31st August- Gloucester Caves Dive Trip
Survey of the new dive extension in GL1 extension. Involves a 7m roof sniff. Contact Tam Durney for details: Tambalyn.durney@gmail.com
18th-19th October- Gloucester Caves Dive Trip
Short notice (sorry)- but conditions were just right to spring this one onto the club calendar. Plan is to survey and continue pushing the new dive extension. Contact Tam for details: Tambalyn.durney@gmail.com
15th-16th November- Glenrock Caves
You can expect small vertical caves mostly, but lots of opportunity to find new caves and we do find the occasional big one! Basic bush camping, 1.5hrs north of Aberdeen. Contact: Brian Reeves: 0402 099329 or kanga941@gmail.com and for the trip book Daniel Burt <daniel@danielburtphotos.com>
22nd November- Training Day- Glenrock recreation area
Meet: 9am at the start of the Yuelarbah walking track (car park)
What are we doing: Abseiling and ladder skills for the kids and beginners. More technical skills training can be arranged if members wish.
What to bring: lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, helmet and any vertical gear you might have. If you don’t have any gear, just let Brian or Daniel know as the club does have some gear to lend out.
Contact: Brian Reeves: 0402 099329 or kanga941@gmail.com or Cathi Humphrey-Hood <cathi@emeraldimages.com.au> and for the trip book Daniel Burt <daniel@danielburtphotos.com
29th November (Saturday)- Pilchers Mountain (near Paterson)
The main focus of the trip is to assist Helen Smith investigate the species of spiders which are found within the caves.
Meeting: prior to 8am at Paterson and set off in convoy to the property at 8am sharp.
Once at the property there is about a 2km walk up a reasonably steep hill to the start of the gorge and rainforest. The fault caves are in sandstone and conglomerate rock so NO stalactites, stalagmites etc as one would expect with limestone caves.
There are some vertical caves so if you want to do these, you would need to bring all your own gear including ropes.
Participants will need lunch, water, sunburn cream and normal caving gear.
The caves that we will be doing, generally do not require gear other than a hand line. We can split into groups to do different caves. I am Ok with a small group heading off to undertake a vertical cave, eg. Rebel cave is a vertical cave that would take pretty well all day. I would want to be heading back down the mountain at the very latest by 5pm.
Contact: Garry K. Smith gksmith29@icloud.com
Number limit restricted to 16 participants.