The Abercrombie Caves, contained within the
Abercrombie Karst Conservation Reserve, are a series of
limestone arch cave
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 ...
s that are located in the
Central West region of
New South Wales
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, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
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, established_title = Before federation
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Australia. The caves are renowned for their
karst 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 locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...
to become a
blind valley. 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 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
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 caves within the reserve are ''King Solomon's Temple'', ''Cathedral Cave'', ''Grove Cave'', and the ''Bushranger's Cave''.
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 (; grc-gre, Τερψιχόρη, "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
...
(The Dance Hall) in 1843. Explorer
William Wentworth
William Charles Wentworth (August 179020 March 1872) was an Australian pastoralist, explorer, newspaper editor, lawyer, politician and author, who became one of the wealthiest and most powerful figures of early colonial New South Wales.
Throug ...
and
Governor Charles Fitzroy visited Abercrombie Caves in 1844.
[
It is believed that various bushrangers used the caves as a hideout during the 1800s. The earliest known is the Ribbon Gang who used the caves in 1830.][
]
See also
* List of caves in New South Wales
* Protected areas of New South Wales
The Protected areas of New South Wales include both terrestrial and marine protected areas. there are 225 national parks in New South Wales.
Based on the Collaborative Australian Protected Area Database (CAPAD) 2020 data there are 2136 separat ...
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
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