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NARACOORTE (SA)
Caves Walk |
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One way distance : 1.3 km It may seem a strange idea to combine a walk with visits to various caves, but in fact the attraction of most walks is what one sees along the way. This walk is presented as a short and easy trek from south to north, but it is likely to be undertaken rather differently. There are fees to be paid to enter the various sites (tickets available at the Wonambi Fossil Centre), and the guided tours leave at specific times. So we visited the Fossil Centre first, then did the guided tour of the Alexandra Cave, drove to the Victoria Cave for the tour of that cave, returned by car for lunch at the Café, and visited the Wet Cave. Finally I walked the trail! It made a very interesting day.
The car park for the Victoria Cave is guarded by a pair of jaws!
The Victoria Cave is just one of many caves in the area – and many more still to be discovered – but it has been the cave where over a hundred fossilized species have been discovered.
The underground system is very extensive, and although the guided tour covers quite a lot of (under-)ground, it is only a small percentage of the whole.
The Victoria Cave tour takes an hour, half of which time is a seated lecture where the main fossil discoveries have been made. The cavern is guarded by two megafauna old-timers: Stanley, the sthenurine kangaroo (an ancient, stocky flat-faced variety with no living descendants), ...
... and Leo for thylacoleo, the ‘marsupial lion’ - a kind of jaguar-sized possum. Neither likely to be friendly!
Our guide, Frank, brought the whole experience to life with his interesting and humorous commentary, and we could still see where the actual digging had been taking place.
Leaving the Victoria Cave, we warily begin our walk, following north.
In fact the first section of the walk is not particularly interesting, following near the road and crossing it twice. An occasional young eucalypt makes life interesting. a However, the bush becomes more attractive as we approach the main tourist area.
There is also evidence that there is more going on here than meets the eye! This hole in the ground is safely fenced, but where does it lead?
A little further along is one of the entrances to the Cathedral Cave.
This is another extensive system of tunnels. It is a little worrying that the layer between cave and surface is often so thin.
The main entrance to the Cathedral Cave is barred, although I suspect it is accessible to those of the more adventuring type.
Ha! Just as I suspected: only 4 metres.
A little further along we come to the entrance of the Wet Cave, a cave which is available for self-guided tours.
I really enjoyed my visit to the Wet Cave, although it did not appear to be any wetter than the other caves. It has an exciting and ‘natural’ opening, not a hole bored in the rock.
The sign describes the Wet Cave as a robust cave, and this is not a bad description.
Not much in the way of fine filaments and straws here – it is rather more like a grotto, with light entering where the roof has caved in.
Rocky passages lead down into the depths, with lights coming on automatically (mostly!).
Leaving the Wet Cave, we continue northwards, crossing the road over these snakes.
A very pretty bottle-brush almost hides the Cave sign.
Nearby, a giant (and extinct) wombat is having his teeth examined.
This brings us to the Alexandra Cave which takes some 30 minutes to tour. Having visited many caves, I would describe this cave as being of moderate interst, but it does have some attractive features. This unusual rocky mound is formed by the constantly dripping water.
Then there is this pretty mirror pool with its perfect reflection of the stalactites above.
Proceeding, we come to these fine straws. After the Wet Cave, the formations here are seen as very delicate.
Leaving the Alexandra Cave, we finally visit the Wonambi Fossil Centre, a realistic local version of Jurassic Park, with sound and movement.
This is a very interesting part of the world to visit! |
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