The Tarragal Caves are a network of large

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

caves A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

and rockshelters which overlook the Bridgewater Lakes near the towns of Tarragal and

Cape Bridgewater, Victoria __NOTOC__ Cape Bridgewater is a locality in the Australian state of Victoria located on the western shore of Bridgewater Bay about south-west of Portland and about west of Melbourne. The area was settled in the 1860s by the Henty family who ...

in the

Charles La Trobe Charles la Trobe, CB (20 March 18014 December 1875), commonly Latrobe, was appointed in 1839 superintendent of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales and, after the establishment in 1851 of the colony of Victoria (now a state of Austra ...

and are near Discovery Bay Coastal Park. The caves were identified as important Aboriginal camping places early in the historic period, and were excavated in the late 1970s by Harry Lourandos, revealing stratified deposits in the floor of 11,300 years old, along with shell midden deposits and earth ovens over 11,000 years old. Located just off the Bridgewater Lakes Road, and accessible in part by walking track, the cave openings form a series of galleries with clear views across the surrounding landscape and lakes. One of the caves extends under ground for over and has a sinkhole opening to the surface so that there is a constant stream of air through the cave and rising up the hole. It is said that whenever Aborigines approached this, they would a piece of wood into the hole to "propitiate the demon supposed to reside within its profound and mysterious depths." Colonial administrator

visited the site in 1845 and 1846, and had some of his men lower a rope ladder over the cliff so he could explore the caves. He also provided a detailed description in 1846, noting that "...the ‘natives’ referred to it as ‘Lubras’ Cave’" and that they "...knew the caverns well and ...had a superstitious dread of them, stating that the caverns below were inhabited by headless lubras". LaTrobe noted that when they came to the point under the sink hole there was a large pile of timber, assumed to be the items thrown down by Aborigines over the ages. They then set fire to the pile lighting up the cave "... and displayed a magnificent vaulted chamber, bedecked with long glistening stalactites, and tenanted by vast numbers of bats, whose whirring, whizzing noise was probably that which the natives attributed to some supernatural being." An early etching depicting an Aboriginal family in the cave entrance was probably inspired by La Trobe's record. Pollen analysis of sediments in the cave has assisted in reconstructing the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in ...

climate and environment of the region and understanding what resources were available to Aborigines.Pollen Analysis of Sediments from the Bridgewater Caves, Archaeological Site, Southwestern Victoria
Lesley Head

References

;Notes * Josephine Flood, Archaeology of the Dreamtime, J. B. Publishing * Phillip J. Habgood & Natilie R. Franklin, The revolution that didn't arrive: A review of Pleistocene Sahul, Journal of Human Evolution, 55, 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tarragal Caves Pleistocene paleontological sites of Australia History of Victoria (Australia) Caves of Victoria (Australia) Limestone caves Rock shelters in Australia

See also

References