Jenolan caves


Jenolan caves are one of Australia 's most famous natural attractions . They are located 175 km from Sydney , in the province of New South Wales. These multi-level karst caves, above which the Blue Mountains rise, are considered the oldest in the world: according to scientists, their age is estimated at 340 million years. Aborigines call these underground grottos "Binoomea" - "dark places" - and are still afraid to go there, because according to legend, there live evil spirits.

For the first time caves were discovered by three brothers who pursued a runaway bandit, and already in 1866 they were open for tourist excursions.

How to get there?

If you are planning to visit in Jenolan from Sydney, the easiest way to do this is by car: the trip will take you about 3 hours. From Sydney airport, you should go to the west towards the Blue Mountains and Katoomba. After passing Katumbu and the historic village of Hartley, then turn left onto Jenolan Caves Road and, passing the Hampton village, you will go straight to the caves.

Tourists who stayed in Canberra , can not stop in Sydney and go on the Tablelands Way through Taralga and Galburn.

Also, caves can be reached by water: many small shipowners organize such tours. If you do not like the ride on the car, at the Sydney station take the train ticket to Katoomba, where you can transfer to the sightseeing bus.

What are caves?

For the appearance of the Jenolan caves, "two rivers" are responsible "Cox and Rybnaya, which, flowing through limestone rocks, for hundreds of thousands of years created underground channels in the thickness of the earth. The length of the caves is tens of kilometers, but it has not been possible to pinpoint it even to experienced speleologists. Presumably, underground grottoes extend 200 km into the rock. They are divided into two types:

Dark Caves

They are completely isolated from the outside world and are not illuminated by anything. These grottos are natural emptiness. The most famous of them are the Imperial, the River, the Vault. In these underground rooms with walls of unusual whiteness it's easy to get lost, since they are quite chaotic. The walls of other caves are formed by a rock in which iron oxide predominates, so the stalactites are painted in all colors of the rainbow. In some grottoes there is an artificial illumination, and in one of the halls you will be amazed by fused stalactites resembling folds of curtains of cream shades.

The river cave is famous for its original stalactites "Queen's Canopy" and "Crown", which have a rather complex shape, and the stalactite "Minaret". Also in it flows the river Styx, named so in honor of the river in the underworld, over which the souls of the dead were transported.

The Imperial Cave is the easiest to visit. In addition, it can look at the ancient fossils and the skeleton of the ancient extinct Tasmanian devil.

The cave "Temple of Baal" consists of two rooms, one of which houses a giant formation 9 m high, known as the "Angel Wing".

The tape cave is farther from the rest and it's harder to get to it. It looks like a long tunnel with numerous bends, decorated with crystals and minerals.

Light caves

They have cracks and holes through which the sun's rays penetrate. This is the Great Arch, which is famous for the fact that for some 35 years there lived a Jeremy Wilson who studied this wonder of nature, the Arch of Carlotta - it bears the name of Wilson's beloved - and Chertov Karetny Saray. The last cave is a giant hall, where the height of the vaults reaches 100 meters, and all the free space is strewn with blocks of limestone. Something it really reminds the home of a fairy-tale creature.

In the walls of the Great Arch you will see the passages to other grottoes of a slightly smaller size. There are exits to other caves and in Chertovy Karetnom Sara: they are located at different heights and lead to other "rooms" Djenolan, including those with several floors.

In Djenolan caves extreme lovers should go to a special night excursion "Legends, secrets and ghosts", and the cave of Lucas regularly becomes a venue for underground concerts, as it has wonderful acoustics. Nearby there is a guest house "Cave House", where tourists often stop.

Helpful Tips

To get the maximum pleasure from the excursion, adopt the following recommendations:

  1. Do not try to roam the caves yourself. To inspire this idea to tourists, tour guides tell a horror story about the grotto of the Skeleton, where ostensibly for more than 100 years the bones of a lost traveler lie.
  2. The temperature in the caves is 15 degrees, so you will feel comfortable during short walks. However, to attend a concert, take warm things with you.
  3. To visit the caves, take with you strong shoes that do not slip.
  4. You can take pictures in the cave, and parking is absolutely free.
  5. It's impossible to refuel the car in Jenolan, so fuel should be stocked in Oberon or Mount Victoria.