Quarry Lake Bexhill, New South Wales, Australia
By zactyl on 01-Apr-06. Waypoint GA0395

Just off the beaten track, but a world away.

To claim a find:
Post a photo of yourself in or at the lake. If you skinny dip (recommended) you can also claim a find on Nude Up for a Smiley!

I've been driving past this spot for 20 years and never knew it was there!
Bexhill Quarry and Brickworks first began in the 1890s, when clay shale deposits were worked, until the early 1940s. In 1998 the site was closed due to competition from other brickworks and quarries.  The quarry has now filled with water, leaving a lake that has to be seen to be believed. The colour is amazing, and it's great for a dip, the water is crystal clear, but very acidic, should be fine if you keep your head out of it. See the article about water quality below.

It's only 100 metres from the road to the lake. Park near the Danger/Hazardous Site/No Entry sign.

Trespass across the Railway Line (don't bother looking for trains, the Casino-Murwillumbah line was closed in May 2004)

Past the Danger/No Swimming/Unstable Rock Face sign, not far now, just climb through the hole in the chain link fence and you're there!

This is a virtual cache, I had a container ready to go but this was the place to be on a Saturday evening and I didn't get to hide it. Still, I think the location is worth a Virtual Cache, and it's not too far out of your way if you don't think so ;)

From the local paper the "Northern Rivers Echo" 30/3/06

Bexhill 'Pool' 10,000 Times Too Acidic

While it's increasingly popular with local swimmers, the crystal-clear water in the former brickworks quarry pit at Bexhill is 10,000 times more acidic than public swimming pools and poses a serious risk of eye irritations and impact on the membranes in the ears.

However, the high levels of aluminium, copper, manganese and zinc are within swimming guidelines and the water is actually pristine in regard to nutrients and bacteria, according to Graham Lancaster, the manager of the Southern Cross University-based Environmental Analysis Laboratory.

'The zero faecal coliform count compares to Lismore's Wilsons River, which contains 100-200 faecal coliforms per 100ml,' he said.

Mr Lancaster has conducted testing at the Bexhill site for more than a year.

'The pH of 3.3, recently obtained at the hole is almost as acidic as vinegar and more so than Coca Cola. It's been getting steadily worse since we began testing it a year back when the pH was 4.5 (the lower the pH value, the more acidic the water). The difference is actually a tenfold increase in acidity.'

He predicted that by next swimming season - although the recent hot weather attracted plenty of swimmers to the 'pool' - an even higher acidity will exist, and this could well pose a serious health risk.

Closed about seven years ago, the brickworks site can be accessed easily by crossing the railway line adjacent to the Bangalow Road. Although the disused kilns and buildings are dilapidated, the sparkling water body, in its dramatic cliff setting, obviously holds strong appeal for many, especially young people. Nevermind that the pit contains jagged metal left over from the former quarrying and brickmaking operation. However, a good makeover could give the site the ambience and safety that many people clearly think it deserves.

Mr Lancaster said a thorough remediation of the Bexhill water-hole to control pH and heavy metals levels could be done at a relatively low cost by using a groundbreaking product known as 'Bauxsol', developed at SCU by Prof David McConchie.

Bauxsol, a treated by-product of the aluminium industry, has been highly successful in a range of environmental hot-spots, including the former gold and tin mine at Drake, and contaminated sites as far afield as the USA and Romania. Whatever happens, the Bexhill water body will not go away.

'The increasing water level in the old brickworks quarry is likely to be dominated by ground water infiltration,' Mr. Lancaster explained. 'During operation of the brickworks, water pumps were required to stop the flooding of the quarry pit. The water is characterised by low salinity typical of ground waters in this region but higher salinity than rainwater.'

The testing results were cheerier for humans than for aquatic organisms, with the levels of metals judged to be toxic. The zinc concentration is over 50 times greater than guideline limits for protection of aquatic organisms, aluminium more than 2500 times and copper over 15 times.

'The origin of the acidity and metals is due to an acceleration of natural processes similar to the acid sulphate soils in this region releasing acid and metals,' Mr Lancaster said. 'The quarry excavation exposes sulphide minerals which oxidise to form sulphuric acid which leaches natural metals from the rocks.'