Ngilgi Cave, previously known as Yallingup Cave, is a
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 ...
cave to the northeast of
Yallingup, in the southwest of
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
.
In many sections of the cave a red layer of soil can be seen; this is called
paleosol
In the geosciences, paleosol (''palaeosol'' in Great Britain and Australia) is an ancient soil that formed in the past. The precise definition of the term in geology and paleontology is slightly different from its use in soil science.
In geolo ...
.
Discovery
The local
Wardandi
The Wadandi, also spelt Wardandi and other variants, are an Aboriginal people of south-western Western Australia, one of fourteen language groups of the Noongar peoples.
Name
There are at least three theories about the meaning of the tribal eth ...
people have long known of the existence of the Ngilgi cave. The Wardandi believe the caves to be their passage to the
afterlife
The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving ess ...
.
[
Edward Dawson was the first European to enter the cave when he went searching for stray horses in 1899.][ ]
Naming
It was originally named for the nearby town of Yallingup but later renamed to acknowledge the cave's part in Australian Aboriginal mythology
Australian Aboriginal religion and mythology is the sacred spirituality represented in the stories performed by Aboriginal Australians within each of the Aboriginal Australian languages, language groups across Australia in their Aboriginal ce ...
. Ngilgi (pronounced Neelgee)
See also
* Niggly Cave, Tasmania
* List of caves in Australia
This is a list of caves in Australia.
Show caves New South Wales
* Abercrombie Caves
* Ashford Caves
* Bendethera Caves
* Borenore Caves
* Bungonia Caves
* Careys Caves
* Cliefden Caves
* Jenolan Caves (List of caves within the Jenolan Cav ...
* List of caves in Western Australia
This is a list of karst features in Western Australia. It includes all named features that occur in the Australian Speleological Federation Karst Index Database (KID). The term "karst feature" is an umbrella term for topographical features formed ...
Gallery
Image:Entrance to Ngilgi Cave SMC 2008.jpg, Entrance to Ngilgi Cave
Image:Plaque at Ngilgi Cave SMC 2008.jpg, Plaque commemorating the discovery
Image:Two Tonne Stalagtite Ngiligi Cave SMC 2008.jpg, "Two Tonne Stalactite"
Image:Rock_formation_Ngilgi_Cave_SMC_2008.jpg, Rock formation
Notes
External links
Ngilgi Cave
Tourism Western Australia
Show caves in Australia
Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park
Caves of Western Australia
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