far out grotto

Didn’t die. Would repeat.

After the King’s Birthday Charleston Meet came to a close, I ended up taking a detour to Sydney. My intentions in Sydney was to get some admin done, see the family and attend some work event, then squeezing some surfing in during the weekends. Because, lets be honest, who goes to Sydney to go caving (I’ve been spoiled rotten by caves in the Nelson region). Despite being born and raised in Australia near amazing surf, I haven’t surfed in any meaningful capacity. So I scramble for a day meeting people through Facebook Marketplace to get all I need squared away. As soon as I finish collecting gear, I do a lil post to my story on Wednesday night looking for people to go surfing with.

Alex Motyka shows off a really cool cave down in Tasmania, with impressive rooms and stunning features, which needs some more hype and visibility, and he claims cannot be oversold.

Why you should pay attention to the Conservation Amendment Bill as a caver.

The Conservation Amendment Bill is currently open for submissions to the select committee - Now extended to closing at midnight on the 13th of July 2026. This bill would allow the “disposal, sale or exchange” of 60% of our Public Conservation Land and rewrite the purpose of the Department of Conservation to make economic development their core function. FOG would like to encourage all our members who take joy in accessing our Public Conservation Land to read up on the Bill and make personal submissions.

Join Travis as he talks about his research, industry experience, and exploration. Stalagtites and glowworms were harmed in the making, but under strict govt supervision. A thorough presentation about one man’s journey with caving in the NZ and a few fun anecdotes along the way.