The Caves is a rural town and

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

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 to ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. In the , the locality of The Caves had a population of 680 people.

Geography

The locality is in

Central Queensland Central Queensland is an imprecisely-defined 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 Cap ...

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 Natio ...

(locally also known as Yaamba Road) and the North Coast railway line traverse the locality from south (

Etna Creek Etna Creek is a rural locality in the Livingstone Shire, Queensland, Australia. In the , Etna Creek had a population of 1,029 people. Geography The Fitzroy River bounds the locality to the south-west, west, and north-west. Etna Creek (the w ...

) 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. Queensland Rail is owned by the Queensland Government, and operates both suburban and interurban rail services in South East Queensland, as well as long-distance passenger t ...

on 23 July 1914, because of the

limestone cave A solutional cave, solution cave, or karst cave is a cave usually formed in a soluble rock like limestone (Calcium carbonate, with chemical formula ''CaCO3''). It is the most frequently occurring type of cave. It can also form in other rocks, inc ...

s 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 selective breeding, bree ...

s, campdrafts,

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

s, 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 Campaign, Gallipoli in World W ...

) 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 to ...

Demographics

In the , the locality of The Caves had a population of 708 people. In the , the locality of The Caves had a population of 718 people. In the , the locality of The Caves had a population of 680 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 Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite. The Scottish- ...

, to the south.

Amenities

North Rockhampton Uniting Church (based in Frenchville,

) 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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. 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, 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