Exploring the past at Mungana Cemetery
late September 2026
Mungana Caves, mid September 2026.
Back in mid September I was spending nearly every weekend out near Chillagoe exploring caves that are not signed for the tourists. I was fortunate to spend one evening with some locals that shared with me information that would assist me to find numerous caves in a photo project I intend to start in the next year.
Mungana Cemetery entrance.
During my search for unmarked caves I stumbled across Mungana Cemetery which for some reason has no track signs that lead you to it.
The graves of John Brady and his daughter Beatrice.
The thing that stands out to a person my age when visiting pioneer cemeteries is that people died back then much younger than I currently am. John Brady was just 46 when he passed away.
The grave of Beatrice Brady.
Even more startling than the short lifespan of adults was the high mortality rate of infants and children. John Brady was buried beside his daughter who died 10 years before himself at the age of just 2 years and 8 months.
The sun hitting a gravestone cherub at sunset.
It would be easy to complain about the world we live in at the moment but in so many ways we are blessed to be alive living here in Australia at this point in time.
Tomorrow I will be making my now weekly ride out to visit some Black Swan cygnets that I have been photographing since they hatched at the beginning of August.
I love observing animal behaviour and this family of swans has been very interesting to say the least. Black Swans can be cruel to their cygnets and even abandon them totally. More on that in a later post.