Naracoorte Caves

OVERVIEW :World famous, the caves have been inscribed on the World Heritage List. They are particularly renowned for its fabulous fossil deposits in Victoria Fossil Cave. The Blanche Cave was discovered 1845, Victoria Cave in 1894, and Alexandra Cave in 1908. A "Supervisor" was appointed in 1884. The Reserve contains 26 caves, mostly developed horizontally. Four caves are fully developed for tourists, with beautiful features throughout. The Fossil Beds were added to the Victoria Fossil Cave inspection in 1972.

LOCATION : Naracoorte Caves are located 11 km south of Naracoorte, 39 km north of Penola, and 91km from Mt. Gambier.

ACCOMMODATION :On site: Restaurant/kiosk, Wonambi Fossil Centre (Visitor's Centre), picnic & BBQ areas, camping area, and student's dormitory. Hotels, motels, caravan park are available in Naracoorte.

CAVE TOURS : The historic Blanche Cave (60 min tour) possesses three main chambers. Alexandra Cave (30 min), has many fine formations, including massive columns and straw stalactites. The world famous Victoria Fossil Cave (60 min) possesses Australia's finest fossil beds. The self-guided Wet Cave (opened 1993) has several large chambers. Finally, the Bat Cave Teleview Centre (opened 1995) enables visitors to view bats in real time. Open every day, 9.00am - 5.00pm. There usually are six tours per day in winter months, more frequent in school holiday periods.

SPECIALIST TOURS : Naracoorte Caves run Adventure Tours (novice) to Blackberry Cave (90 min, & 10 max people). Advanced Adventure Tours run to Fox Cave (3 hrs, 6 max.), and Starburst Cave (3 hrs, 6 max.). Helmets and lights are supplied, and pre-booking is essential.

CONTACT NUMBERS : Naracoorte Caves are managed by the South Australian Department of Environment, Heritage & Aboriginal Affairs. Mailing Address: The Caves Manager, Naracoorte Caves Conservation Park, P. O. Box 134, Naracoorte. 5271. Telephone: (08) 8762 2340, FAX: (08) 8762 1231.