Monday, April 08, 2013

Descending to the depths

We went on a little adventure out to North Head.  That's where we did our sledding.  (When we were there a year ago, the boys needed assistance to climb the hills.  Clearly that is not the case now!)

This time we packed our torches (flashlights) and were prepared to explore the tunnels.


Once upon a time, North Head was a state of the art defense post, with magnificent long-range guns meant to take out any ships that came into the Harbour intent on nefarious shenanigans.   Happily, none of the guns were ever used in conflict, and the armaments and underground structures are preserved as relics of a by-gone era.

 

The whole huge hill is honeycombed underneath with a maze of deep, twisty passages that suddenly open up onto enormous gun structures.  And back in the spidery dark, there's tiny rooms with low ceilings.  With smaller rooms just around the corner.  Vertical ammunition shafts leading to who knows where.  And lamp passages: narrow pitch-black hallways barely wider than a man's shoulders that snake around the perimeter of the underground complex and open onto little windows in the rooms.  We explored every one and I'm expecting them to have a starring role in a nightmare one of these days.  (MY nightmares, I mean...the boys thought they were so much fun!)


It really was fascinating to explore them.  Once we emerged into the sunlight, though, there was some swordfighting to be done.  Notice Amiri's headlamp.

1 comment:

Auntie Dianne said...

Unless I had seen the name of North Head carved over the entrance to thes tunnels, I would have thought they were ancient Roman or Greek catacombs.

Fascinating for sure, but I think they would also find their way into a maze of my nigtmares!