A General Run Down on the Caves of
Western
Australia .
Mike Wilson
During a recent holiday in
Most of the well-known caves, including the show caves, are
situated in the in the
In fact many caves are open for caving but are quite
difficult to find in the bush. The five
I visited were Devils Lair, Strongs, Moondyne including the snowflake
extensions (very eerie and beautiful), Golgotha an old show cave and
There are longer caves in the area, Easter being one, but
they are all locked and controlled by the W.A.S.S., limited numbers allowed on
trips, and you have to sort out trips in advance (not possible on a short
holiday). Many other caves abound in
this area, 170 have so far been mapped and logged by "one man".
Although there appears to be great potential I wonder if any
new finds will exceed the standard depth and short length!! The average depth appears to be about 60',
usually in pothole form, and the caves are all well decorated. The floors tend to be flat or level.
I had a lengthy discussion with a geologist (female) and was
told that the limestone is a capping of approximately 60' to 70' and the rock
is a sandstone-limestone mix. This
accounts for the odd flooring and ease of caving.
In the north and east of
North of Perth is the most interesting area!! No-one appears to have made much effort into
exploring the various limestone regions. This is probably due to the vast distances involved. I feel the best way would be to use a 4x4
vehicle and go with the intention of carrying everything one needs
"including water". The WA park
rangers would be a great help I am sure (don't bother with the rangers at
Yanchep, they were very unhelpful).
Anyone who wishes to follow up this article will find maps,
guides and national park info. in the library at the Belfry.