Capricorn Caves are located north of

Rockhampton, Queensland Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite. The Scottish- ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The limestone caves are one of the largest privately owned cave systems in Australia.

History

It was first discovered in 1881 by Norwegian migrant John Olsen. He went on to claim the land under a lease hold title and open the attraction publicly in 1884. The property was later reclassified to free hold land and is today one of the largest privately owned cave systems in Australia. The attraction is open to the public and is one of the longest-running tourist attractions in Queensland. The Caves were made from limestone which were developed from corals from millions of years ago.

Access

During certain seasons visitors may see

insectivorous bats A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant which eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores wer ...

in the caves. Abseiling, rock climbing, fossicking and animal viewing can be experienced at the 33 hectare property. An adventure course features a climbing wall and rope obstacle. A range of accommodation facilities are available to visitors. The complex contains a geo-discovery building which is used for school education programs in biology, geology and environmental studies.

Tours

The tours are run hourly from 9 am till 4 pm with adventure tours run with advance bookings. The Cathedral Tour lasts for one hour and consists of a walk through the caves with an adventure option at the end negotiating your way through a narrow, zigzag water-formed passageway by candlelight, fairy lights or torch. The Cathedral Cave Tour allows for wheelchair access. The Cathedral Chamber features excellent natural acoustics and is used for weddings.

Origins

The caves developed in

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

which was formed from corals growing in shallow waters around volcanic islands. After becoming exposed on land, the limestone was dissolved by acidic rain and underground water.

Awards

The caves received advanced ecotourism certification in 1997. In 2005, the caves received awards in the Adventure tourism and Best Marketing categories at the Queensland Tourism Awards. In both 2008 and 2009, the Capricorn Caves won the Steve Irwin Ecotourism Award.

References

External links

* {{coord, 23, 10, 02.40, S, 150, 29, 27.63, E, display=title, region:AU_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Tourist attractions in Queensland Rockhampton Show caves in Australia Caves of Queensland