Capricorn Caves are located north of

Rockhampton, Queensland Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The limestone caves are one of the largest privately owned cave systems in Australia.

History

It was first discovered in 1881 by Norwegian migrant John Olsen. He went on to claim the land under a lease hold title and open the attraction publicly in 1884. The property was later reclassified to free hold land and is today one of the largest privately owned cave systems in Australia. The attraction is open to the public and is one of the longest-running tourist attractions in Queensland.

Access

During certain seasons visitors may see

insectivorous bats A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores were ...

in the caves. Abseiling, rock climbing, fossicking and animal viewing can be experienced at the 33 hectare property. An adventure course features a climbing wall and rope obstacle. A range of accommodation facilities are available to visitors. The complex contains a geo-discovery building which is used for school education programs in biology, geology and environmental studies.

Tours

The tours are run hourly from 9 am till 4 pm with adventure tours run with advance bookings. The Cathedral Tour lasts for one hour and consists of a walk through the caves with an adventure option at the end negotiating your way through a narrow, zigzag water-formed passageway by candlelight, fairy lights or torch. The Cathedral Cave Tour allows for wheelchair access. The Cathedral Chamber features excellent natural acoustics and is used for weddings.

Origins

The caves developed in

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 ...

which was formed from corals growing in shallow waters around volcanic islands. After becoming exposed on land, the limestone was dissolved by acidic rain and underground water.

Awards

The caves received advanced ecotourism certification in 1997. In 2005, the caves received awards in the Adventure tourism and Best Marketing categories at the Queensland Tourism Awards. In both 2008 and 2009, the Capricorn Caves won the Steve Irwin Ecotourism Award.

References

External links

* {{coord, 23, 10, 02.40, S, 150, 29, 27.63, E, display=title, region:AU_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Tourist attractions in Queensland Rockhampton Show caves in Australia Caves of Queensland