Jenolan Caves

Having  been to the Blue Mountains last year and seen the Three Sisters I was wondering where to go seeing I wasn't eager to drive into Sydney (went to the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour last year) . This time of year (end of December) it would probly be busy as hell. So I asked my Aussie friends for tips and My dear friend Kay suggested the Jenolan Caves. 

I camped in a free camp area in the Blue Mountains surrounded by a group of contemporary hippies who had been there for the last 5 weeks. It was a good area but the dump toilets were a health risk. The smell almost knocked you unconscious. 

Jenolan Caves is about 1h30 from the Blue Mountains and is still in The great Blue Mountains area. It is near a town called Ltihgow. A very narrow road gets you up to the reserve. A small Victorian town like place with a hotel and restaurant. 

The Jenolan Caves have 11show caves open to the public. They were discovered 9000 years ago and are aprox 340 milion years old, making them the the most ancient discovered and open caves in the world. There are 40kms of multi-level passages and are still undergoing active exploration. Since 2000 the Jenolan Caves are part of the unesco World Heritage. 

They are part of the culture of indigenous people. The area holds significative to the Gundungurra and Windjuri peoples.

I chose the Lucas Cave. The most visited of all caves, with massive chambers, the Broken Column and a glimps of the pure underground river.

The caves also get used for weddings and concerts due to its amazing acoustics. Two little girls gave a short but sweet performance singing Let it go and Silent night. I see a bright future in showbiz for those two! 

With my ticket ($32) I received a Jenolan pass that gave me acces to a self guided audio tour to the nettle Cave. The ticket is valid for 1 year and also gives you a 50% discount on the next ticket you buy, unlimited for one year!

Next to the entrance of the caves was a River walk trail, with blue water and 3 platypus who according to our guide were unlike most of its kind not shy. I had a look but sad to say still haven't seen a platypus so far.

Entrance underneath the caves. 

The Borken Column!

Massive chambers!

A skeleton of a wombat as a prop seeing all the real skeleton were removed upon discovery of the cave.

The Blue River. Sadly that day the platypus were hiding.

The indigenous culture link.

The hotel/restaurant.