Abercrombie Caves
The Abercrombie Caves, contained within the Abercrombie Karst Conservation Reserve, are a series of limestone arch caves that are located in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The caves are renowned for their karst qualities, namely the formation that has been eroded by water action that has developed from a sinkhole to become a blind valley. Several good examples of crayback formations exist in both entrances. The 1,434-hectare (3,540-acre) reserve is situated 75 kilometres (47 mi) south of Bathurst and 125 kilometres (78 mi) north of Goulburn, near the small village of Trunkey Creek. The caves are registered as a natural heritage site on the Register of the National Estate for its large diversity of karst morphological and sedimentological features. Camping in the reserve is permitted, with sixty campground sites and two cottages. The caves are open seven days a week during school holidays; and closed on Monday and Tuesday during school terms.
The most popular feature of the Abercrombie Caves is The Archway – the largest natural arch in the southern hemisphere. Within The Archway cave is the gold miners dance platform built in January 1880 by gold miners, replacing a platform built in the 1860s, the 1880s platform is still used for performances to this day including the annual Carols in the Caves performance. Other considerable caves at the site include; King Solomon's Temple, Belfry Cave, Cathedral Cave, Grove Cave, and the Bushranger's Cave. The Belfry Cave is another popular cave at the site which has an extremely high roof chamber, a suspension bridge, ladders and tight squeezes. The Grove Cave is a challenging guided tour at Abercrombie Caves made up of tight narrow passages, high ceilings and white walls. The Bushranger's Cave/King Solomon's Temple is named for the bushrangers who roamed the rugged Abercrombie Ranges in 1830, and used the cave as a shelter. The cave was once used by the notorious Ribbon Gang, made up of escaped convicts and led by young English convict-servant Ralph Entwistle. The cave's remote location and narrow passages meant it was an ideal place for the gang to hide out. Inside his cave, visitors can also visit
Cave data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).