Jenolan Caves

The Jenolan Caves are a series of remarkable caverns in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia; 175 kilometres west of Sydney. They are the most celebrated of several similar groups in the limestone of the country; they have not yielded fossils of great interest but the stalactitic formations, sometimes pure white, are of extraordinary beauty. The caves have been rendered easily accessible to visitors and are well lighted.

The Cathedral cave at Jenolan Caves

History

Local Aboriginal tribes knew Jenolan Caves area as 'Binoomea' (Dark Places) and shunned them; in 1838 the area was recorded for the first time by James Whalan, who discovered the caves while searching for missing cattle. It is also believed he was tracking the outlaw James McKeown, an escaped convict and cattle and horse thief who is thought to have used the caves as a hide-out. One of the less-visited caverns in the area is called McKeown's Hole.

The caves, then known as the Fish River Caves, came under New South Wales Government control in 1866 and the following year Jeremiah Wilson was appointed as keeper of the area. Wilson not only explored the already known Elder and Lucas Caves but later discovered the Imperial, Left Imperial (now Chifley), Jersey and Jubilee Caves. The caves were open to tourism early, but there was little protection from visitors damaging formations until souveniring was banned in 1872. In 1884 the name Jenolan Caves was adopted and in 1898 the Caves House guesthouse was built to cater for visitors to the area.

James Wiburd become superintendent for the area in 1903 and quickly discovered five more caves within a year: the River, Skeleton (now Pool of Cerberus), Temple of Baal, Orient and Ribbon Caves. The Chifley Cave, originally known as the Left Imperial Cave but named for Prime Minister Ben Chifley in 1952, was the first of the caves to be lit with electric light, as early as 1880. In a world first for the area, the Orient Cave was steam-cleaned in 1968 to help maintain its beauty.

Tourism

Jenolan Caves attracts over 250,000 visitors a year, making it the most popular tourist ___location in rural New South Wales. Nine of the area's "dark caves" are open for regular tours and several more are available for special tours.

Caves

There are nine caves at Jenolan that have been developed for regular tourism.

• Lucas Cave: Discovered in 1860 and the most popular among visitors. The Lucas Cave (named after local politician John Lucas who pushed to have the caves preserved in the 1870s) features a number of large chambers including the Cathedral, over 70 metres high, and the vast Exhibition Chamber which contains the Broken Column formation. The Cathedral is actually used for wedding ceremonies and recitals from time to time.

• River Cave: Discovered in 1903, the River Cave is the largest show cave at Jenolan and includes some of its most famous features, including the Minaret, the Grand Column and the Queen's Canopy, as well as part of the River Styx. Until 1923 when a concrete bridge was built, the river in this cave was crossed by a small boat.

• Chifley Cave: Discovered in 1880 and with electric lighting installed almost immediately, the Chifley Cave was known as the Left Imperial Cave until 1952. Two of the cave's chambers are decorated with coloured lights.

• Imperial Cave: Discovered in 1879, this is the easiest cave to visit for tourists. The Imperial is one of the few caves in the complex to show evidence of fossils and also contains Tasmanian Devil bones.

• Orient Cave: Discovered in 1903, the Orient Cave wasn't opened to public inspection until 1917. This cave contains some of the grandest formations in the complex and was steam cleaned to preserve them in 1968. Until 1954, this cave, along with the Temple of Baal and Ribbon Caves, were only accessible through the River Cave. That year, the Binoomea Cut was constructed near Caves House to facilitate easier access to these caves.

• Ribbon Cave: Discovered at the same time as the Orient Cave, it was originally part of that tour but is now visited separately. The Ribbon Cave is only 60 metres long but is very richly decorated.

• Pool of Cerberus Cave: Discovered in 1903 and known originally as the Skeleton Cave because of the presence of a wallaby skeleton near the entrance, this cave is a lower arm of the River Cave. The major formations here are the Bath of Venus and part of the underground river system that forms the Pool of Cerberus itself.

• Jubilee Cave: Discovered in 1893, the Jubilee Cave is the longest show cave at Jenolan. It takes the longest to see because it is fairly remote from the other caves but offers formations of stunning beauty at close quarters.

• Temple of Baal Cave: Discovered in 1904, the Temple of Baal Cave consists of only two chambers, one of which is dominated by the huge 9-metre shawl formation called the Angel's Wing. The cave is also famous for a high incidence of the peculiar formations known as helictites.

All of these caves radiate from a hub formed by The Grand Arch, a natural tunnel through the ridge that forms the entrance to the caves reserve. The road from Sydney passes through the Arch and six of the cave tours leave from assembly points within it. Adjacent to the Grand Arch is the Devil's Coach House, a vast open-ended chamber that forms part of the many nature walks in the area. High above both of these is Carlotta Arch, a free-standing arch that is all that remains of a higher cavern system long since eroded and collapsed. Along with these areas, there are several other caves in the area, some of which are available for special tours.

• Elder Cave: Discovered in 1848, the Elder Cave was the first of the caves at Jenolan to be found and opened to tourists. It was later considered too difficult to develop adequately and tours eventually ceased; however in the late 1990s the Elder Cave was re-opened for adventure caving. It is not as well decorated as the regular show caves, but does feature signatures left by early visitors and includes a short section of the Imperial Cave.

• Aladdin Cave: The Aladdin Cave was first explored in the hope of developing a shorter path to the Jubilee Cave. It boasts an abundance of decorations not dissimilar to the Jubilee.

• Jersey Cave: An extension of the Elder Cave, the entrance to this cave is near Carlotta Arch. One of the features is a fossilised thylacine skeleton.

• Nettle Cave: The Nettle Cave lies between the Grand Arch and the Devils Coach House. The cave has never been developed but an indistinct path leads to its mouth from the road. The cave takes its name from the nettles which grow around it.

External Links

• Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust (official site)
• Jenolan Caves Resort
• Gateway to Jenolan Caves (extensive fansite)

  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public ___domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)