The Kilsby sinkhole is a sinkhole located near

Mount Gambier Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with an estimated urban population of 33,233 . The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about south-east of the capital Ad ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. Since the late 1960s, the naturally occurring

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

sinkhole has been used for recreational diving as well as civilian and police diver training.

History

The sinkhole is located on private property owned by the Kilsby family since the late 19th century. Due to insurance and liability concerns, access to the site is highly controlled. Some commercial dive companies teach diving at the site, and limited independent recreational diving and snorkelling is allowed. In the late 1960s cave and sinkhole diving gained popularity in the area, leading to frequent dives of inexperienced divers at the Kilsby sinkhole. On April 6, 1969, two such inexperienced divers died at the Kilsby sinkhole. Later that year, and until at least 1983, the

Australian Department of Defence Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

took on an exclusive lease on the sinkhole and did not allow public access or recreational diving. In the 1970s the site was used to test the Barra Sonobuoy, a classified submarine detection buoy. The sinkhole has been consistently used to train police divers of the

South Australian Police South Australia Police (SAPOL) is the police force of the Australian state of South Australia. SAPOL is an independent statutory agency of the Government of South Australia directed by the Commissioner of Police, who reports to the Minister for ...

since the early 1980s.

Diving deaths

Since 1969 six divers have died diving the sinkhole. In 1969 three divers died while diving there. In 2010 a diver died when he became entangled in a cable 37 metres below the water's surface. Two others died diving the sinkhole the same year.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Sinkholes of Australia Limestone Coast Underwater diving sites in Australia