The main road entering the Jenolan Caves

 

Jenolan Caves (including Kanangra Walls)
Most famous limestone caves in New South Wales.
The Jenolan Caves, because they are located 164 kilometres from Sydney, are Australia's most accessible and popular limestone caves. They are deep in a valley on the far side of the Great Dividing Range and are 793 metres above sea level. Between Hartley and the Jenolan Caves, the road crosses the Great Dividing Range at an altitude of 1250 metres.

The drive to the Caves includes one of the most dramatic and unusual stretches of road in New South Wales. After winding down a hill the road reaches a river with an incredibly blue pond and there, in front of the traveller, is the Grand Arch. Visitors have to drive into, and wind through, the main cave before emerging just below Caves House. The Grand Arch is the largest open cave in Australia. It is 24 metres high, 55 metres wide and 127 metres long. It is an extraordinary introduction to the whole experience of the Jenolan Caves.

The first European to discover the caves was the bushranger and escaped convict James McKeown. In a report in the Argus newspaper the story of his capture and the discovery of the Caves was recounted in a suitably dramatic fashion.

'James McKeown was an escaped convict...whose presence on the main western road was for years excessively irritating to the settlers, on whose stores he laid an oppressive toll...Whalan set out to track McKeown and followed him up hill and down dale for miles. After they had covered about 20 miles the bushranger suddenly disappeared...The tracks led up to a wild cavern and into it...and burst again into open day, and the route lay along a rugged gorge for some three miles. Here the bushranger again disappeared...All about were evidences of careful cultivation, the bushranger having laid out quite a nice little farm. Satisfied that he had run down his bird, Whalan retraced his steps...When he returned home he told his brother Charles of the strange country he had wandered into. 'I have been through the Devil's Coachhouse,' he said. Next day a party was made up, and with the aid of troopers McKeown was captured. His hiding place was a huge hole in the mountain-side, known now as McKeown's Hole...McKeown lived to return from a long term of exile on Norfolk Island and to re-visit the scene of his former exploits.'

There is some confusion as to when these events occurred. Some time between 1838 and 1841 is the best guess. Certainly both James and Charles Whalan returned to the caves many times and in 1846 the Arch Cave was discovered. The Elder Cave was discovered in 1848 and the Lucas Cave in 1860. The government declared the whole area a reserve in 1866 and appointed Jeremiah Wilson the first 'keeper' the following year.

It is worth contemplating the difficulties of the early visitors. Until 1880 visitors had to take the train to Tarana railway station. They then progressed by coach and buggy but had to walk down into the valley where they spent the night in the Grand Arch before exploring the caves. This all changed in 1880 when Wilson established an accommodation house at the caves and the road from Oberon was completed. In 1884 a bridle track was constructed from Katoomba. By the late 1880s the road which is still the main route to the caves had been completed and visitors from Sydney could reach the caves in less than 24 hours.

Things to see:  

 

Jenolan Caves House

 

Jenolan Caves House (now Jenolan Caves Resort)
It would be easy to spend a few days or even a week at the Caves House which has a delightful old world charm. No discussion of the Caves is complete without reference to the Caves House which was built in 1898 by the State Government. The original building is 'modified Queen Anne style'. It was altered in 1909, 1914, and 1923.

 

Exploring the Caves
There are 22 major caves in the Jenolan system. Of these there are nine - the Imperial, Chifley, Jubilee, Lucas, Pool of Cerberus, River, Orient, Temple of Baal and Ribbon - which are 'dark caves' opened for guided inspection. The caves feature the usual range of features with quaint names like 'Gem of the West', 'Gabriel's Wing', 'Lot's Wife' and the 'Bishop and Three Sisters'.

But beyond the caves (and everyone who visits the site should inspect at least one cave) are excellent bushwalks.

 

Bushwalking in the Area
It is worth remembering that Jenolan is a 2430 hectare flora and fauna sanctuary and that walkers in the area are likely to see lyrebirds, wallabies, possums, kangaroos and, if they are lucky, wombats.

 

 

Looking across at Kanangra Walls

 

Kanangra Walls
If you drive beyond the Jenolan Caves for another 33 kilometres you reach the Kanangra Walls, an extraordinarily beautiful area unspoilt by tourism which is located 197 kilometres from Sydney. The views from the Kanangra Walls Lookout towards the Grand Gorge and across to such magically named places as Mount High and Mighty, Mount Stormbreaker and Mount Cloudmaker, are arguably the best in the whole Blue Mountains. Difficulty of access has denied them the popularity of the lookouts around Katoomba and Leura. There is an interesting walk around the Tops. Only experienced bushwalkers should attempt the longer walks into the valleys.

 

Kanangra Boyd National Park
5 km west of Jenolan Caves a 26-km road heads south along Boyd Plateau into the rugged and scenic terrain of Kanangra Boyd National Park where you can indulge in bushwalking, fishing, photography, nature study and car touring.

The access road traverses Boyd Plateau and passes the Boyd River Camping Area before arriving at the Kanangra Walls carpark from whence the the short, easy, wheelchair-friendly Lookout Walk departs. It takes in two excellent lookouts - the first looks over the Kanangra Creek Gorge with Mt Cloudmaker to the north-east and the main ridge of the Blue Mountains beyond; the second takes in Kanangra Falls and the rugged ravines at the head of the gorge. From this latter lookout the Waterfall Walk takes you down into a gully to Kalang Falls.

 

Kanangra Walls

 

The longest trail is the Plateau Walk which branches off the Lookout Walk before you reach the first lookout. It takes in the heath-covered plateau of Kanangra Tops from whence there are excellent views of Kanangra Walls, Mt Colong to the south and Pindari Tops to the west.

There are other longer overnight walks in the park, including one along the Unirover Track to Colong Caves, some undeveloped limestone caverns at the southern end of the park. To visit them you will need a permit in advance from the Oberon NPWS office.

A highlight of the park is the Kowmung River, one of the last wild untouched rivers in the state. It is particularly good for trout fishing. Bush camping is permitted anywhere in the park, as long as you are 500 m from any road.

 

 

 

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Jenolan Caves