1950s Jenolan Caves Photos Found

Jenolan Caves has been welcoming tourists since the early 1800s.  By 1900, Caves House, with its manicured gardens, was THE elegant mountain escape for Society’s elite.  By the 1950s, it was a popular holiday destination for adventure and romance – as it still is today. 

These days, most people don’t go anywhere without their phone/camera.  But in the 50s not everyone had a camera, so at Jenolan Caves, visitors could purchase sets of black and white photos.  Recently, Brisbane resident, Susan Loeffler, was sorting through the effects of her Great Aunt Lily and found some beautiful Jenolan photos.  The image and calligraphy on the small envelope in which they were kept appears to be in the style of the early 1950s. 

In a very kind gesture, Susan sent the photos to Jenolan, writing “I thought it would be a shame to bin them and thought you might like them to frame and display at your Jenolan Caves House.”

According to Susan, her Great Aunt and Uncle, Lily and Clarry Coombs, were great travellers – always on the move. It may have been Clary’s interest in geology that brought the adventurous couple all the way from Toowoomba, in Queensland, to experience the famous caves of Jenolan.  While at Jenolan, they would have stayed in Caves House.  The trip must have been a source of great memories for Lily, because she kept the photos. 

Thank you to the sentimental Susan Loeffler, for passing on these lovely photos.  Visitors to Jenolan Caves should always remember to bring a camera, to capture life’s sweetest moments.  Someone once said, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away.”