The Caves is a rural town and

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...

in the

Livingstone Shire The Shire of Livingstone is a local government area located in the Capricornia region of Central Queensland, Queensland, Australia, to the immediate north and east of the regional city of Rockhampton. The shire, administered from the coastal ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. In the the locality of The Caves had a population of 718 people.

Geography

The locality is in

Central Queensland Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland ( a state in Australia) that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton. The region extends from the Capricorn Coas ...

region. Alligator Creek, a tributary of the Fitzroy River forms the western boundary of the locality. The town is in the centre of the locality. Cammoo is a neighbourhood within the north of the locality (). The

Bruce Highway The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is part of the Australian Nat ...

(locally also known as Yaamba Road) and the North Coast railway line traverse the locality from south ( Etna Creek) to north-west ( Milman), passing through the town, which is served by The Caves railway station () while Cammoo railway station further north in the locality () is now abandoned. The Mount Etna Caves National Park () protects the limestone caves area in the north of the locality and its colonies of ghost bats: * Cammoo Caves () * Johansens Caves () * Mount Etna Caves () Olsens Caves in the east of the locality () is outside the national park. The locality has a number of mountains, including: * Limestone Peak () * Mount Charlton () * Mount Etna () * Scrubby Hill () * Spinifex Hill ()

History

The town takes its name from The Caves railway station, which in turn was originally called Etna railway station but was renamed by the

Queensland Railways Department Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Owned by the Queensland Government, it operates local and long-distance passenger services, as well as owning and maintaining approximately 6,600 kilometres of track and relate ...

on 23 July 1914, because of the limestone caves in the area. Mount Etna Provisional School opened on 7 November 1904 but was renamed The Caves Provisional School in 1905. It became The Caves State School on 1 January 1909. The Fitzroy Caves National Park was gazetted in 1973 with a focus on the protection of the bats rather than the caves. In 1990 it was renamed Mount Etna Caves National Park. In 1999 the park was extended to provide more protection to the caves. The Caves Progress & Agricultural Society was established in 1975 to provide a venue to hold

agricultural show An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which breeding stock is exhibit ...

s, campdrafts, rodeos, and other sporting events. The Caves War Memorial was unveiled on Thursday 25 April 1985 (

Anzac Day in Queensland Anzac Day is a day of remembrance in Queensland, Australia. It is a public holiday held on 25 April each year. The date is significant as the Australian and New Zealand troops (the ANZACs) first landed at Gallipoli in World War I on 25 April 19 ...

) by Lindsay Hartwig, Member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

for Callide and chairman of the

Livingstone Shire Council The Shire of Livingstone is a local government area located in the Capricornia region of Central Queensland, Queensland, Australia, to the immediate north and east of the regional city of Rockhampton. The shire, administered from the coastal ...

. At the The Caves recorded a population of 708 people. In the the locality of The Caves had a population of 718 people.

Education

The Caves State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 1 Barmoya Road (). In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 87 students with 6 teachers (5 full-time equivalent) and 8 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 89 students with 5 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 10 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent). There is no secondary school in The Caves. The nearest government secondary school is Glenmore State High School in Kawana, Rockhampton, to the south.

Amenities

North Rockhampton Uniting Church (based in Frenchville, Rockhampton) holds quarterly services at the CWA Hall. The Caves Lions Bicentennial Park is at 5-11 Barmoya Street (). The Caves Showgrounds are on Rossmoya Road (). The venue has an arena with supporting infrastructure such as kitchen, bar, pavilion, and announcer's box. It has powered and unpowered camp sites and toilet facilities. It also has paddocks, holding yards, and shutes to support the events involving animals. The Caves War Memorial is in Buch Square off Rossmoya Road () The Caves Post Office is at 7-9 Buch Square ().

Events

The Caves Show is an agricultural show held in April annually, but was cancelled in 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. The Caves Rodeo is held annually in September. It was also cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Attractions

The Caves is home to two cave based tourist attractions. They are: *

Capricorn Caves Capricorn Caves are located north of Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. 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 o ...

, a privately owned limestone caves system. * Mount Etna Caves National Park, a state government owned limestone caves system with two separate sections (Cammoo and Mount Etna)

References

External links

* {{authority control Towns in Queensland Shire of Livingstone Localities in Queensland