Naracoorte Caves National Park
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Development of the Naracoorte Caves
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As Australia broke away from the ancient landmass Gondwana, the Southern Ocean extended over 100 km inland from the current coastline.
During the Oligocene to Miocene periods (25 - 5 million years ago), a thick layer of limestone was formed, comprising of shells, bryozoa and calcareous bodies of other marine creatures.
As the sea began to retreat to its present position during the Pliocene and early Pleistocene periods, high ground water stands dissolved the limestone to form the caves at Naracoorte.
A series of marine transgressions and regressions - the sea moving in and out - formed the series of stranded dune systems we see from Naracoorte to the present day coast.
The oldest of these is the 800,000 year old Naracoorte East Range which contains the Naracoorte Caves.
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Limestone formations in Victoria Cave |
A series of marine transgressions and regressions - the sea moving in and out - formed the series of stranded dune systems we see from Naracoorte to the present day coast.
The oldest of these is the 800,000 year old Naracoorte East Range which contains the Naracoorte Caves.
There are 26 known caves at the National Park.
Many of them contain extensive speleothem development (such as stalactites and stalagmites).
They provide important habitats for bats and other cave-dwelling creatures.
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Spectacular formations in Alexandra Cave |
The Naracoorte Caves have acted as pitfall traps and predator dens for over 500,000 years, preserving a rich fossil record of Naracoorte's ancient fauna.
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Ossuary (fossil bed) in Victoria Fossil Cave |
This fossil record covers several ice ages and the arrival of humans to the continent.
Palaeontologists have excavated and dated many of these fossils.
They have reconstructed the skeletons of a number of Australia's extinct megafauna, and have deduced their form and habits.
The Wonambi Fossil Centre presents a wealth of information about the excavations, and includes life-sized animated reconstructions of the extinct animals in a vegetation setting appropriate to the period.
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Palaeontologists have reconstructed the skeleton of Thylacoleo carnifex |
The caves can be visited in a number of different ways.
Wet Cave can be explored without a guide, while regular guided tours of Alexandra Cave and Victoria Fossil Cave showcase beautiful limestone formations and the fossil site.
There are also a number of specialty tours. There are adventure tours to several caves, and a torchlight tour of Cathedral Cave. A palaeontologist leads the World Heritage Tour, which provides a closeup view of the Fossil Chamber and Fossil Laboratory. The Bat Tour allows visitors to see the daily activities of the colony of Southern Bentwing Bats via infrared cameras.
There are also a number of walking trails on the surface, some with interpretive signs.
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There are several extended adventure cave tours, one of which visits the Starburst Chamber in Victoria Fossil Cave |
Children interact with a model of the extinct Giant Malleefowl Progura naracoortensis in its nest-mound |
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