The Wellington Caves are a group of

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 wh ...

caves A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

located south of

Wellington, New South Wales Wellington is a city in the Central Western Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia, located at the junction of the Wambuul Macquarie and Bell Rivers. It is within the local government area of Dubbo Regional Council. The city is northwest ...

, Australia.

History

The Wellington region was long inhabited by the 'Binjang mob' of the Wiradjuri people. While there is no direct evidence that they entered any of the caves at Wellington, there is indirect evidence that they were well aware of them. A picture painted by Augustus Earle around 1826 clearly shows Aboriginal people in front of a fire at the entrance to Cathedral Cave. Mosman's Cave Wellington Valley New South Wales

Mosman's Cave Wellington Valley New South Wales

This painting (nla.pic-an2818409-v) is labelled 'Mosman's Cave', but is clearly the entrance to Cathedral Cave and is the first written record of the caves. The first Europeans to explore the caves were probably associated with Lieutenant

Percy Simpson The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came into ...

's settlement (1823–1831), but the first written account was provided by explorer Hamilton Hume in 1828. Two years later George Ranken, a local magistrate, found

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

bones of both a diprotodon and a giant

kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern ...

in the caves. The diprotodon, which has been dated to the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the '' Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed ...

period was herbivorous and its teeth were well adapted to grazing. Ranken returned later that year with Sir Thomas Mitchell and collected a huge variety of bones from the caves which appear to have acted as a natural trap for

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as ''biota''. Zoo ...

. These remains became the subject of an address by Mitchell to the Geological Society of London in 1831. Since that time the cave has been a steady source of information about ancient

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...

and fauna, although collapses and other geological phenomena have splintered and scattered

skeletons A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

. The caves were frequently vandalised during the nineteenth century until 1884, when they were declared a natural reserve. Organised tours of Cathedral Cave began about 1885 with the appointment of the first caretaker, James Sibbald. Gaden Cave was discovered in 1902 and developed in 1909. The Phosphate Mine was in production from 1914 to 1918 however only 6000 tons of rock with limited amounts of phosphate were removed. The mine passages, mostly backfilled and collapsed, lay dormant for almost 80 years until they were reconstructed and reopened for tours in 1996. Cathedral Cave, Gaden Cave and the Phosphate Mine are shown as guided tours. Over many years, members of the

Sydney University Speleological Society Sydney University Speleological Society (SUSS) is a caving group based in Sydney, Australia, which aims to unite University of Sydney graduates, undergraduates, staff and all other people who are interested in the exploration and mapping of c ...

(SUSS) have mapped extended and discovered new sections of caverns in the area. There has been particular emphasis by SUSS cave diving. There are now 26 in the reserve. The most important discoveries have been McCavity Cave, a subterranean lake under Limekiln Cave and the rediscovery of Anticline Cave that had in the past been buried in the Wellington Caves Caravan Park.

Geology

The caves at Wellington are located in an outcrop of

Early Devonian The Early Devonian is the first of three epochs comprising the Devonian period, corresponding to the Lower Devonian series. It lasted from and began with the Lochkovian Stage , which was followed by the Pragian from and then by the Emsian, whi ...

limestone, which is about 400 million years old. That limestone is part of the Garra Formation.

Tourism

By 1888 over 1,500 people a year were visiting them. As of 2005, over 50,000 people visit the caves annually.

Caves

Cathedral Cave

Cathedral cave A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

opened for guided tours in 1885. Cathedral Cave is famous for its huge stalagmite known as Altar Rock which is 32 metres in circumference at its base and over 15 metres high. An excavation at this site discovered an unknown species of bat that occupied the cave during the

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58

'' (ghost bat). The species was named ''

Macroderma koppa ''Macroderma koppa'' is a species of bat known from fossil material found in Australia, one of the larger carnivorous megadermatid family of the order Chiroptera. They resembled the modern species ''Macroderma gigas'', known as a false vampire or ...

'' in reference to Koppa, a spirit that was reported by indigenous informants to inhabit the cave.

Gaden Cave

Gaden Cave opened for guided tours since 1909. Gaden Cave is noted for its unusual and beautiful cave coral. It is named after the shire president at the time that the cave was discovered.

Phosphate Mine

Phosphate Mine opened for guided tours since 1996. Apart from viewing the old workings, visitors can see 800,000-year-old deposits containing fossil bones.

Other Caves

Other caves in the Wellington caves are not open for tourism.

Lime Kiln Cave

Lime Kiln Cave is the name given to the dry part of a large cave system, most of which is completely water-filled.

McCavity

McCavity is the under-water section of the cave which was discovered by members of the

Water Cave (Anticline Cave)

This is a small doline cave leading to water. It is in the process of being re-opened.

Big Sink

This is an old collapsed doline. It appears to be the route through which fossil-bearing sediments washed into the chambers below.

Mitchell's Cave

This is the site from which the first Australian fossils for scientific study were collected by George Ranken.

References

General references

*Mike Augee, Chris George and Bruce Welch, ''Wellington Caves'', Wellington Caves Fossil Studies Centre 2008 . *Joan Starr and Doug McMillan, ''The Wellington Caves. Treasure Trove of Fossils, Dubbo, Macquarie Publications'', 1985. *Kent Henderson, ''The Wellington Caves and Abercrombie''

External links

*{{Official website , http://www.wellingtoncaves.com.au
Sydney University Speleological Society (SUSS)
is a Sydney-based speleological society Central West (New South Wales) Show caves in Australia Limestone caves Protected areas of New South Wales Caves of New South Wales Dubbo Regional Council