TEN YEARS OF SELF GUIDED CAVE OPERATION AT WOMBEYAN CAVES
Introduction
I am presenting this paper in conjunction with a visual appraisal of the Fig Tree Cave Self Guided Tour.
There have been two previous papers on aspects of self guided tours in the Glory Hole at Yarrangobilly (Middleton 1973) and in the Fig Tree Cave at Wombeyan (Stiff 1979).
This paper discusses the experience at Wombeyan since the introduction of the self guiding cave.
The Fig Tree Cave was closed in 1929 due to difficulty of both access and maintenance of a lighting system in the Creek section. After construction of the suspended pathway above the Creek, the cave was re-opened as a guided tour in 1968.
The self guided tour as we see it today was implemented in August 1977. A great deal of concern was raised at the time by guiding staff, speleological organisations, conservationists and the general public as to what the long term effect of such a tour might have on the Cave and also the environment of the Cave.
The advantages of a self guided tour far outweigh any disadvantages.
- The principal advantages at this Resort are the availability of a cave inspection between the hours of 9:00am and 4:45pm. Disappointment is therefore avoided for those with limited time or who arrive late.
- The easing of party sizes of the guided tours. Which enables a much better guide - visitor relationship, as more time is available in the cave and on the platforms. Therefore the visitor experience is much more fulfilling and the stress on the cave is minimised i.e. lights on for shorter overall periods - minimising the effect of lampenflora. With fewer people movements there is less lint deposition and pollution in general.
- The self guided tour has enabled guided tours to be reduced during off-peak periods. This enabled maintenance and other programmes to be undertaken by permanent staff resulting in a significant cost saving.
Visitor Expectations
A large proportion of visitors to Wombeyan have had previous caving experiences, but have not experienced a self guided tour. Therefore, some are rather sceptical as to what they may encounter. Some of the more common questions are: do we need a torch?; is it a real cave?; we won't get lost, will we? Most are of the opinion that the Cave must be rather ordinary to be self guided.
The interpretation in the cave is by visitor-activated tape commentary and time-operated feature lighting, with track lighting on continuously. The commentary is in its original form and I am sure most will agree that some changes are necessary; these will be undertaken in the near future. Acceptance and conservation of the cave has been exceptional with no vandalism to the cave whatsoever being observed.
Mechanical vandalism has occurred. Several speakers have been stolen, the turnstile has been burgled and the theft of lamps is unfortunately common.
Cave visitation over the last ten years has been increasing slowly. Statistics show that the self guided tour has been very popular with the total visitation from July 1977 to May 1987 was as follows:
Total Visitation: Self Guided 138,885
Total Visitation: Guided 203,361
Self guided has averaged 40.6% of the total visitation.
As the above-mentioned figures show, Fig Tree Cave has played a very important role at Wombeyan with visitor satisfaction of the highest level.
I would suggest that other tourist cave areas could implement a self guided inspection, however, these might not necessarily be based on the Wombeyan or Yarrangobilly systems.
References
MIDDLETON, GR (1973) The Glory Hole at Yarrangobilly, Australia's First Self Guided Cave, Cave Management in Australia, pp 25-35
STIFF, CE (1979) The Introduction of a Self Guided Tour at Wombeyan Caves, Cave Management in Australia, pp 165-166