THE MANAGEMENT AND CURRENT DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRINCESS MARGARET ROSE CAVES
INTRODUCTION
The Princess Margaret Rose Caves are located within the Lower Glenelg National Park in South Western Victoria, 2km east of the South Australian border, 34km from Mt Gambier and 14km from Nelson. The Caves are considered to have been formed by water seepage between layers of Miocene-Oligocene limestone which was subsequently enlarged by the action of tidal river water. The Caves system extends for approximately 300 metres from a cliff opening on the Glenelg River Gorge to the solution tube which was the original Caves entrance. The Caves are blocked about 150 metres from the entrance by a collapsed doline which supplied the sand forming pant of the blockage. This restricted the air flow through the Caves and created the conditions necessary for the growth of formations.
BRIEF MANAGEMENT HISTORY OF THE PRINCESS MARGARET ROSE CAVES
The Caves were discovered on 7th September 1936 by Mr S.K. McEachern who held a grazing licence over the area and two rabbit trappers Mr J. Hutchesson and his son Alan. Mr McEachern was lowered on ropes down the solution tube which formed the original entrance to the Cave and conducted his initial exploration using candles and an old hurricane lantern.
Mr McEachern and Mr Hutchesson obtained a licence to remove bat guano from the Caves and later in 1939 sought a licence to develop the Caves as a tourist attraction. With the assistance of a retired gold miner from Western Australia, Mr Charles Hirth, they excavated fissures thus linking the caverns together and drove a shaft at an angle of approximately 45 to provide a convenient access down into the Caves. The Caves were opened to the public on 4th January 1941 and electric illumination was provided by a 32 volt generator driven by a motor cycle engine. It was not until 1944 the last tunnel was completed allowing the public to travel through the whole Cave system. The existing Caves entrance building was an old house which was moved on site in 1952 to replace the original old tin shed.
The Caves received their name when in 1939, Nancy Hutchesson wrote to Buckingham Palace seeking permission to name the Caves after Princess Margaret Rose and a letter granting permission was received from Princess Margaret's Private Secretary.
Mr "Bunny" Hutchesson and his family operated the Caves and conducted tours until he retired in 1970. The Forests Commission of Victoria began developing the Cave surrounds in 1968 and took over control of the Caves on 1st September 1970 using casual guides. A residence was established within the Caves Reserve and Mr Frank Buchanan was appointed as permanent Cave Warden in 1972. Mr Russell Hall succeeded him in 1974.
In 1973 the Land Conservation Council recommended that Princess Margaret Rose Caves be added to the enlarged Lower Glenelg National Park. Transfer of the control of the Caves to the National Parks Service took place on 1st December, 1980.
EARLY MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS
The information contained in this section of the paper is aimed at summarised management problems which were experienced in the Caves system prior to the National Parks Service taking over control in 1980.
(1) Algal problems
Algal growth has been a relatively minor problem in the Princess Margaret Rose Caves. Since 1974 control of this problem and preventative action have been undertaken by the Caves Ranger Russell Hall.
Control of algae growing near light sources has been achieved using a 2½% solution of sodium hypochlorite applied as a spray to the affected area. This effectively kills algal growth and the stain is then removed by lightly scrubbing with a soft brush, liberally washing with water to remove the residue. Reccurrence of the problem in the same area can be controlled by altering the proximity of the light source and the use of illumination with a lower candle power output.
Routine spraying of known problem areas at 6 monthly intervals with a 1% solution of sodium hypochlorite appears to have been effective in preventing algal growth. This technique has been tried in some locations for periods of up to 5 years.
(2) Graffiti
An accumulation of graffiti was removed from the cave walls in 1975 using a dry scrubbing brush. Since then only small areas have been affected. It has now become and established practice to remove graffiti as soon as it appears.
(3) Accumulation of clothing lint and dust on cave formations
Up until 1974 there was no regular cleaning of cave formations and clothing lint and dust accumulated on the formations. After an initial thorough cleaning of the caves in that year, a system of annual winter cleaning has been introduced. Cleaning is performed with high pressure jets and sprays using bore water which is of similar chemical composition to water percolating naturally through the Caves. Finer formations are not directly contacted by the directional jets and sprays but are cleaned by indirect flushing.
CURRENT MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS
Since taking over the control of the Caves, the National Parks Service has identified the following management constraints which can be summarised as follows:
- Physical capacity of the cave limits visitor numbers during peak seasons.
- There is a considerable variation in visitation rates with pronounced peaks and troughs in visitor numbers.
- The Cave entrance is unsatisfactory - the stairway gradient is steep and continuous without breaks, individual step heights are excessive making access difficult for old and disabled persons.
- The existing Cave entrance building is very small providing inadequate shelter for visitors waiting for tours, making the preselling of tickets impractical and not providing for any interpretative displays.
- The 32 volt lighting system is taxed to its fullest capacity with existing installations.
As already stated the physical capacity of the Cave places a limit on visitor numbers during the peak season. The limit has been set at 85 people which to some extent is an arbitrary figure. This has been arrived at because it has been found from practical experience that this number of visitors is suited to:
- Control by two guides, one leading the tour and the other following the party. Such a guide to visitor ratio has been found to minimise the handling of formations and vandalism by visitors.
- Providing adequate time to achieve an orderly interchange of tour parties with cave tours timed at hourly intervals, given that the Cave has a single exit/entrance.
- Optimising cave safety given that the cave is narrow in places and its confined spaces coupled with large numbers of people can trigger off psychological problems on the part of a small number of visitors e.g. claustrophobic responses.
STRATEGY FOR IMPROVING OPPORTUNITIES FOR VISITORS AT THE PRINCESS MARGARET ROSE CAVE
- With a well established series of seasonal peaks and troughs in visitor numbers it is clear that any attempt to increase visitation must be directed to off season periods. Thus an important element in this strategy is to provide facilities which will attract visitors in poorer weather. This strategy has also been adopted by the regional tourist authority on a broader scale within South Western Victoria.
- Provision of appropriate "above ground" interpretation of the Caves which will extend visitors' cave experiences" by means of suitable displays and audio visual presentations. The limited visitor capacity and tour duration can be offset to some extent in this way.
- A broader approach to interpretation aimed at:
- informing visitors about the Lower Glenelg National Park and other parks in the area.
- informing visitors about National Parks generally and the Victorian system of parks.
- providing opportunities for visitors to experience other natural features in the area.
This approach is justified because many visitors attracted to the Caves may have a limited knowledge and understanding of our natural heritage. Princess Margaret Rose Caves with its location near to the Victorian-South Australian border may be the first point of contact for interstate or overseas visitors with the Victorian National parks system.
CURRENT DEVELOPMENT WORK AT THE PRINCESS MARGARET ROSE CAVES
During 1982 the Victorian Government announced its Employment Initiatives scheme aimed at providing employment and training through the funding of small public works. The National Parks Service, in accordance with the Government's policy to improve public access to Victorian parks, submitted a large number of projects aimed at achieving this objective. Amongst them were two projects to improve visitor facilities at the Princess Margaret Rose Caves.
(1) Provision of 3 motor cabin units to provide low cost "no frills" accommodation to be located in the Caves camping ground.
(2) Construction of a Visitor Information Centre to serve as a new cave entrance, modification to the access stairs into Caves and replacement of the Caves lighting system.
Funding of these projects has now been approved - work is already well advanced on the accommodation units and work commenced on the Caves entrance and visitor centre on 11th April 1983.
It is hoped that the objectives of the strategy already outlined for improving visitor opportunities at the Caves will be achieved by this program.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author wishes to thank Mr Russell Hall, Ranger at the Princess Margaret Rose Caves for his considerable help and advice in the preparation of this paper and for information he has provided on the history and management of the Caves. The author is also grateful to Mrs L. Schulz for typing the paper.