An aerial view of part of the Lavani Valley
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Photographer: David R. Eastburn, 1949-
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Photographer's note: This photograph was taken with the aid of pilot Rob Willis-Jones, Missionary Aviation Fellowship, Tari, Southern Highlands (now Hela) Province. This aerial shot shows the Lavani Valley, 15 kilometres west of Koroba, Hela Province, Papua New Guinea. The Lavani Valley captured the imagination of the World press when its existence became known to the ‘outside world’, following an aerial survey in 1954. It was reported as a "Shangri-la" (hidden land) and aroused international interest. An aerial view presents an image of a ‘fairy-land’ or ‘wonderland’: Waterways emerge from and disappear into caves, and creating beautiful patterns as they flow through multi-coloured wetland vegetation studded with small lakes. The basin, approximately 11 kilometres long and 3-5 kilometres wide, with limestone walls up to 800 metres high, is the result of a number of dolines collapsing to form a mega-doline called a polje. The cold, swampy basin floor, around 2 300 metres ASL, supports a small Huli population and is the source of a number of crude oil springs. It also marks the boundary between the Muller and Karius ranges.
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29 Dec 1980
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