Arkaroola’s Alladin’s Cave

Arkaroola’ s Mt Gee, the quartz crystal mountain, is unique in Australia. It provides a window to past climates, has produced world-class museum specimens and continues to enthral visitors with its beautiful and rare minerals.

Unlike nearby Mt Painter, Mt Gee does not cut a striking silhouette. Its uniqueness lies in its crystal-studded surfaces and caverns. Mt Gee is famous for its great variety of quartz types. Most major museums have striking specimens of ‘nail hole’ quartz from Mt Gee in their collections. The graded purple hues of amethyst, exotic ghosted, stalactitic and smoky quartz, quirky ‘cowstitite’, the perfection of rock crystal, all are products of what Reg Sprigg called “Arkaroola’s Aladdin’s Cave” ¹.

Two new minerals, françoisite-Ce and spriggite have been discovered in the Mt Gee area. Françoisite-Ce has also been found in Switzerland but spriggite is a Mt Gee endemic. New minerals will almost certainly be found at Mt Gee in the future. Rare uranium minerals are of special interest to geologists because they can be used to predict the behaviour of radioactive and rare earth elements in waste material from mining operations.

The rocks of Mt Gee preserve an ancient hydrothermal system, a fossilised Rotorua. Planetary scientists searching for signals of primitive life are examining Mt Gee’s ancient plumbing. By decoding signs of primitive life in ancient rocks on earth, scientists are better equipped to search for life on other planets.

Mt Gee is a managed site. There is no private vehicle access and most visitors to the crystal mountain are accompanied by a tour guide. Some acts of vandalism have occurred at Mt Gee in the past during periods of mineral exploration. With unsupervised access, and vehicles and excavators on site, mining company employees have taken rare and precious minerals for personal gain. Arkaroola’s “Aladdin’s Cave” will remain vulnerable as long as exploration and mining approvals continue to be granted.

¹ In the ancient tale ‘Arabian Nights’, a disguised sorcerer recruits Alladin to visit a magical cave to retrieve an oil lamp. The sorcerer double-crosses Alladin who becomes trapped in the cave. But using a magical ring Alladin escapes with the oil lamp. Later he discovers that a powerful djinni lives inside . The djinni can grant wishes to whoever is holding the lamp. Alladin’s fortunes change and more adventures follow.

Perhaps it is time to revive the old tale. In ‘Arkaroola Nights’ the crystal studded, cavernous interior of Mt Gee is our magical cave. But we have no oil lamp with resident djinni to grant our wishes. Instead we must rely upon an out-of-the-bottle collective djinni to protect the magical cave from the intent of the sorcerer.

“Mt Painter, the Armchair, Mt Gee and Paralana Hot Springs are recognised as geological and geographical monuments of outstanding scientific interest and are now entered on the Register of the Geological Society of Australia and of the National Heritage. They must be protected and preserved for all time.”

Reg Sprigg 1984

Extract from Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary’s From the ARK e-newsletter – reprinted with permission