Twirly ❖ Crystals ❖ Formations ❖ Shawls ❖ Flowing stone ❖ Stalactites ❖ Pools ❖ Water drops ❖ Borenore Karst ❖ Surface caves ❖ Glow Worm Tunnel ❖ The Ravines ❖ Dry Canyon ❖ Gosang’s Tunnel ❖ Sea caves
There are some large cave systems in NSW. I can especially recommend Jenolan Caves west of Sydney and Yarrangobilly Caves in the Snowy Mountains.
Twirly
Some twirly formations in the Jenolan Caves.
Seahorses.
Crystals
Chandelier reflected in a pool (Jersey Cave, Yarrangobilly).
Crystalline formation in the same cave.
Crystal lined wall in Gaden Cave, Wellington.
A “crystal flower” from the same cave.
Formations
All kinds of formations appear in caves.
A cave creature and her babies (south glory cave, Yarrangobilly).
A crinkly formation.
And some lumpy ones.
Wall of China.
Flowing stone
Rock takes a long time to “flow.”
Stalactites
These can be very delicate.
Shawls
Frozen curtains of stone.
Pools
Underground pools can have a lovely blue or green colour.
Stalactites form one drop at a time.
Borenore Karst
Near Orange in NSW. The main cave is quite easy to get to, just a short walk from the car park.
It’s a bit muddy inside.
The cave exits onto a slope, with a river in the distance. I heard a beautiful echoing bird song here once.
Looking back at the exit.
There’s a rockfall to the left.
Another cave in the same area.
Surface caves
Lots of walks in Australia pass by small caves or overhangs;
this one is from Berowra.
Pindar Cave in Brisbane Water National Park.
A smaller cave nearby. I love the honey colour.
A cave with lots of different features in Cowan.
Erosion can form intricate patterns.
There are some birds’ nests on the roof of this cave in Galston Gorge.
This looks like a mysterious cave entrance, but it doesn’t really go anywhere (Palona Cave, Royal National Park).
Glow Worm Tunnel
A man made tunnel that was originally used for mining coal.
Because the tunnel curves, it is completely dark in the middle –
apart from the light of the tiny green glow worms.
See the Lithgow Area page for more information.
The Ravines
In a brochure
I came across this intriguing description of a place called The Ravines
near Mount Bushwalker
(map):
So I went exploring, and after half an hour reached a big crack in the ground (actually two, one on either side of the trail).
At first there was no obvious way to get down, so I was a bit disappointed.
But further along the trail, to the right of a gate, there was a hidden way down into the ravine.
The ravine is very long (over a hundred metres) and is difficult to traverse in places. There are rocks to climb over and slide down, potentially rotten logs, and places where it looks like the ground could give way. Being in a group is recommended, and the ravine could get flooded after rain. (Video)
(Photos are a bit blurry due to low light)
Dry Canyon
Another beautiful ravine is Dry Canyon near the Glow Worm Tunnel in Newnes. Getting there can be hard though; there's a long dirt road full of potholes, and the track itself isn’t signposted (there are false side tracks). But when you finally get to the canyon, traversing it is very easy.
There are two separate sections. The second section gets very dark in places and comes out overlooking a valley.
Gosang’s Tunnel
A natural tunnel in Abraham’s Bosom Reserve.
Park at the end of Beecroft Parade, Currarong. There are some optional little beaches on the way to the tunnel.
The tunnel is about 20 metres long and has a low ceiling, so can involve some crawling. The far end comes out in the middle of a cliffside, so it is not really recommended for small children.
Looking back down the tunnel.
The end!
There is a wide area to stand on the right. This is the view to the left.
Nearby Mermaids Inlet.
Sea caves
There are at least three sea caves in Munmorah State Conservation Area.
This cave is north from Moonee Beach (Catherine Hill Bay), and is known for its pink rock.
Inside looking out.
Cave at the southwest end of Timber Beach.
Timber Beach has a cave that is only accessible at low tide.
I was surprised to find a sea cave directly below the Shelly Headland helipad near Angourie (access via rock platforms at the south end of Little Shelly Beach).
There are some more caves further down the track at the north end of Shelley Beach (a bit awkward to get to).
Photos copyright © David Fisher 2021. Comments or
question to davidfisher@australiaonline.net.au
(if you ask permission to use photos, I’ll almost certainly give it).