It is incredible what someone can do with a butter knife, a fork and a whole lot of time. The someone is Ron Cranlin and he responsible for creating the tourist attraction known as 'The Chambers of the Black Hand'.
Here's the information from their web site: Venture 12m underground for a truly immersive art experience viewing 900 sculptures hand carved into the sandstone walls. You will be amazed by the detail and variety of artist Ron Canlin’s sculptures as you make your way through all 26 Chambers. This is a one of a kind experience where there is something for everyone and you won’t believe it until you see it with your own eyes!
I admit that after I booked last night, I started having second thoughts about going that far underground - not knowing exactly what to expect. When I arrived, there was no evidence of anything much - there was a larger structure, and two tinier structures - all only single-storey and made of corrugated iron.
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| Lift (near the ute), bathroom, and entrance via the stairs. |
Hmmm ... who knew there were going to be so many stairs straight down (well, not literally but it may as well have been) to the Chambers. At that point, I told the attendant that I would be cancelling ... which is when she told me there was a lift. A lift? A lift? Why didn't they say that in the brochure? Well, because the new 5-person lift isn't there yet ... the one they do have is a 3 ft wide enclosed hoist which can take two people at a time (one guest and the driver) and goes down through a hole not much larger. Claustrophobic? Yes, a lot, but I was able to contain my panic as John the hoist driver told me about the different layers of geological material we were passing through - and there were a few! I have never been so happy to get out of a lift!
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| One of the three Buddhas - all were blessed by monks in the Chambers. |
It was worth it though. How Mr Canlin could visualise the Chambers - the different themes and how to make free standing structures out of sandstone is beyond my comprehension. He has now retired and is currently making sculptures out of trees with a chainsaw - that's when he's not carving emu eggs.
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After the Chambers I went in search of - and found - the Predator and Alien statues in Lightning Ridge. I had passed them on the way to the Chambers without actually seeing them. The photographs I'd seen had them standing on buses but apparently they have been taken down from those prime positions because the owner of the property thought people were thinking he had made them - as well as the other sculptures there. They're now at ground level, behind a fence, with other friends. Predator and Alien are up for sale - so we made this trip at the right time because we could have missed them - and who knew how far we would have had to go to find them.
The temperature here continues to be in the low 40's. Thank goodness for air conditioning in the Bowlo where we had dinner and could see this close-up of the big bird on the way into Lightning Ridge.
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