The Abercrombie Caves, contained within the Abercrombie Karst Conservation Reserve, are a series of limestone arch

cave Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...

s that are located in the Central West region of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

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 caves are renowned for their

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

qualities, namely the formation that has been

eroded Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is disti ...

by water action that has developed from a

sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are also known as shakeholes, and to openings where surface water ...

to become a

blind valley A steephead valley, steephead or blind valley is a deep, narrow, flat bottomed valley with an abrupt ending. Such closed valleys may arise in limestone or karst landscapes, where a layer of permeable rock lies above an impermeable substrate such ...

. Several good examples of crayback formations exist in both entrances. The reserve is situated south of and north of , near the small village of . The caves are registered as a natural heritage site on the

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heri ...

for its large diversity of karst morphological and sedimentological features. Camping in the reserve is permitted, with sixty campground sites and two cottages. The caves are open seven days a week during school holidays; and closed on Monday and Tuesday during school terms.

Features and Caves

The most popular feature of the Abercrombie Caves is ''The Archway'' the largest natural arch in the southern hemisphere. Within ''The Archway'' cave is the gold miners dance platform built in January 1880 by gold miners, replacing a platform built in the 1860s, the 1880s platform is still used for performances to this day including the annual Carols in the Caves performance. Other considerable caves at the site include; ''King Solomon's Temple'', Belfry Cave, ''Cathedral Cave'', ''Grove Cave'', and the ''Bushranger's Cave''. The ''Belfry Cave'' is another popular cave at the site which has; an extremely high roof chamber with magnificent views, a suspension bridge, ladders and tight squeezes to negotiate. The ''Grove Cave'' is a challenging guided tour at Abercrombie Caves made up of tight narrow passages, high ceilings and white walls. The ''Bushranger's Cave/King Solomon's Temple'' is named for the bushrangers who roamed the rugged Abercrombie Ranges in 1830, and used the cave as a shelter. The cave was once used by the notorious Ribbon Gang, made up of escaped convicts and led by young English convict-servant Ralph Entwistle. The cave's remote location and narrow passages meant it was an ideal place for the gang to hide out. Inside his cave, visitors can also visit ''King Solomon’s Temple'' chamber, crossing a suspension bridge to reach it.

History

It is believed that a tourist party visited the caves in 1834 but the Caves were not 'officially' discovered until 1842 by Surveyor W. R. Davidson. Surveyor Wells discovered the Koh-i-noor, Bushranger, Long Tunnel, and Cathedral caves and the Hall of

Terpsichore In Greek mythology, Terpsichore (; , "delight in dancing") is one of the nine Muses and goddess of dance and chorus. She lends her name to the word " terpsichorean", which means "of or relating to dance". Appearance Terpsichore is usually d ...

(The Dance Hall) in 1843. Explorer

William Wentworth William Charles Wentworth (August 179020 March 1872) was an Australian statesman, pastoralist, explorer, newspaper editor, lawyer, politician and author, who became one of the wealthiest and most powerful figures in colonial New South Wales. He ...

and Governor Charles Fitzroy visited Abercrombie Caves in 1844. It is believed that various

bushranger Bushrangers were armed robbers and outlaws who resided in The bush#Australia, the Australian bush between the 1780s and the early 20th century. The original use of the term dates back to the early years of the British colonisation of Australia ...

s used the caves as a hideout during the 1800s. The earliest known is the Ribbon Gang who used the caves in 1830. Gold was discovered in the area in 1854. A gold exploration community was established at Mount Gray, just above the caves. Miners from many of the surrounding communities would often visit the caves for recreation. The caves were originally known as Burragylong Caverns and during the mining period they became known as Abercrombie caves. Vandalism occurred in the early days when many pieces of white marble were carted away by the visitors as souvenirs and the miners damaged many of the formations by firing rifles at them. Some graffiti name carvings can still be seen inside the caves from the 19th century period.

Other information/Summary

All caves at Abercrombie Caves are guided. Visitors who wish to visit the caves will need to join a tour to be admitted inside. * ''Archway Cave Tour'' * Suitable for all ages. The tour is a 1.4km walk, with 202 steps, and takes about 1 hour. * ''Belfry Cave Tour'' * Grade: Hard. * ''Grove Cave Tour'' * Grade: Hard. Suitable for adults and children 7 years and over. Not suitable for children under 7 years. The tour takes about 45 minutes. Cost: Adult $24 per person. Senior $21 per person. Pensioner/child $18 per person. Family $60 for 2 adults and 2 children. * ''Bushranger's Cave/King Solomon's Temple Tour'' * Grade: Medium. Suitable for adults and school-age children. The tour includes moderate walk, climbing down a step ladder and crossing a suspension bridge. It takes about 1 hr 40mins.

References

External links

Abercrombie Caves at nationalparks.nsw.gov.au
Nature reserves in New South Wales Show caves in Australia Limestone caves Central West (New South Wales) Protected areas established in 1997 1997 establishments in Australia Caves of New South Wales {{NewSouthWales-protected-area-stub

Features and Caves

History

Other information/Summary

See also

References

External links